Oh the Finnish expertise

Open Europe disdainfully dismisses others

A lot has been said about the True Finns, with the European media all of a sudden forced to become experts on Finnish national politics - it has to be said with varying degrees of success. That many still refer to the True Finns as a "right wing" party indicates the need for a bit more analysis and a bit less reliance on labels that are flying around.

Of course they are one of the successful ones, after all a search shows that the slightly Eursceptic organisation first seems to note the existence of Timo Soini's True Finns  in a fleeting aside in a briefing about Portugal, then on the 4th April, where they describe the True Finns as running on a

"highly populist platform"

and has them straddled by Gert Wilders PVV and the Austrian FPO.

The next day after being slapped in the comments section they posted this, which does to be fair suggest that there has been some research going on, even a little more than a Wikipedia scan. And today they hold everyone else in disdain.

Their expertise is hard won, but at least admits that Timo and his Finns could really throw the European Union economic plans into disarray.

Noting as everybody seems  to do that their polling rating has dropped in the last poll, and this nifty graphc shows this, as well as their remarkable growth since 2007. But as a friend within the party advises us

The latest polls show some decrease in the support for True Finns (16.9%), but even the carriers of the polls admit now that it is incredibly difficult to predict our support because this is such a historical situation we're experiencing. So, some of the professors of Statistics and Pol. Sc. say that the actual support may be something like 20 to even 25% even if the polls don't show that. And in certain districts (Central and North-Eastern Finland) the support is close to 25% even in the polls.
Timo and the True Finns are in every possible media every day: newspapers (big and small), TV (all channels) and radio, not to mention blogs, discussion forums etc. The candidates are working enormously in the market places, malls and events. The foreign media keeps on trying to create a picture of a xenophopic, extreme right wing populist party, but the Finnish media is not playing that card anymore: now they say that the True Finns don't handle the politics, attack Timo's personal views on abortion,, gay rights etc. even if they have nothing to do with the party line. Unfortunately, some of the unexperienced candidates can't handle the pressure and are mocking even their fellow candidates. In addition to this, some activists have attacked viciously some parties' campaign (not True Finns, though) and these kind of phenomena have been absent in the previous elections in Finland. Some claim that Finland has become a country of anger and hatred, partly because of these (sometimes even violent) attacks and because of Ture Finns' support. As far as I've read the articles, the foreign media has absolutely NO CLUE on Finnish politics and the True Finns; they try to attach us to Swedish Democrats, Front National and PVV, even if we have no connections whatsoever with them.
Oops, this turned out to a long one :) Hope this gave you some idea of the current situation. There is still one very big TV debate for the chairmen of the parties to come, and that will be tomorrow evening. Then we can say that most of the work is done, even if Timo will still visit some districts on Friday and Saturday.
The turnout for the "pre-voting" (or whatever you call it) was higher than for the last national parliamentary elections, so we can be happy about that. However, the True Finns voters will most likely go voting more on the actual election day, Sunday. The voting will close at 20:00, so we'll receive the results of the pre-voting period at that time and the final results by midnight.

Looking forward to it

Timo Soini shows UKIP the way forward

Timo Soini: A true Finn

The value of voting for and electing UKIP councillors, MPs and MEPs is underlined today in news from Finland. The FT today reports that the whole EU financial package may founder on the rock that is Timo Soini. Timo is the leader of the True Finns, and is looking like the kingmaker in the upcoming Finish elections. He is also a good personal friend and damn fine chap. 

At issue is the eurozone’s €440bn bail-out fund. Although finance ministers on Monday agreed the structure of a new €500bn fund that will come into effect in two years, the current system cannot use its full financial firepower to rescue failing economies, a move seen as essential if large countries such as Spain and Italy are pushed into bail-outs.

The idea is that rich countries up their exposure to support poor countries, and Finland is one of them,

The easiest and, for many weeks, most likely outcome appeared to be leaning on the eurozone’s six triple A-rated countries, including Finland, to double their loan guarantees, a move reluctantly supported by even Germany, which would have to increase guarantees most.

But, and here's the rub. There is the general election in Finland and Mr Soini is causing electoral mayhem.

The issue is particularly acute for Mari Kiviniemi, the Finnish prime minister, whose Centre party fell to third place in a TNS Gallup poll released last week, behind the National Coalition and the surging, populist True Finns, led by Timo Soini, a charismatic Eurosceptic.

The point of al this is that Soini,

whose party is now just two points behind the front-running National Coalition – and who has vowed to block any increase in Finnish commitments. Without unanimity in the eurozone, the deal could fall apart.

What Timo and the True Finns are doing is showing the power of the growing tide of Euroscepticism across Europe. Picking up votes from acros the board as ever increasing numbers of people realise that the old establishment political elite neither speak for them, nor have any wish to do so.

If the decision on Friday is baulked, Mr Soini could well become one of the most important men across the continent.

And as a Millwall fan, he doesn't care if the elite doesn't like him. he is used to that.