As a side note, where does that horrible "True Finns" name come from? The Parliament web site uses it, so I suppose that's the "official" source for it, but it's an awful name. For anyone conversant with Finnish history, it associates them with aitosuomalaiset, who were a language-political movement in the time between the World Wars. The association is completely wrong. As its most important point, I don't see them opposing compulsory Swedish teaching in schools. Being anti-Swedish was what the "aitosuomalaiset" movement was all about, at a time when university teaching in Finland could only be had in Swedish. Perussuomalaiset have nothing to do with that.
Given their program, their populism and the way some of their candidates express themselves, I'd suggest translating the party name as the Base Finns.
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However, I always try to end on a positive note. Congratulations to Sami Helenius! Sami was drafted by the Calgary Flames in the 1992 draft, and played over 150 NHL games. He is still the only Finnish enforcer ever to hit the NHL ice, where he put together a fair fight card. Sami has since returned to his first pro team, Jokerit, where he is an excellent stay-at-home defenseman.
It was hard to find a decent picture. Yesterday, he was elected to the Järvenpää municipal council, on the National Coalition list. Well done, Sami!
4 comments:
Ööö. Kristittyjen haukkuminen on ok, mutta muslimien kritisointi on rasismia. Häkellyttävää!
One of their candidates, whose entire campaign is based on opposing immigrants and islam, got something like 2,000 votes in Helsinki.
Halla-aho got nearly 3,000 votes in Helsinki (2,916, to be exact).
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
P.S. Why do you blog in English? Are many of your readers unable to understand Finnish? If so, how do they like the fact that when you incorporate quotations in the text (e. g. from the above-mentioned Halla-aho), they are usually in Finnish?
"Sami" is the same person as Mr. Sozaburo, who earlier left me his kind opinion of my genitals. Go click on sozaburo's profile in one of the earlier posts' comments threads, and Blogger will take you straight to "sami". Good luck to you, Sir.
Veikko, I blog in English because it's my best language. I don't know how my readers like the quotes in Finnish; I don't imagine American readers, for instance, are very much concerned with Finnish politics.
However, I'm not at all afraid of Halla-aho. Why? Jaana Pelkonen got more votes.
You wrote yourself that the fact that Halla-aho got a shitload of votes "is quite frightening". I presume that this means there's something to be afraid of.
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