Finland’s widest distribution daily Helsingin Sanomat flags a maiden speech with clear feminist overtones by Foreign Minister Timo Soini during his first engagement at ministerial meetings in Brussels last Tuesday.
According to the paper, the populist head of the Finns Party raised many eyebrows with the address, in which he expressed concerns about women’s rights and the need to protect biodiversity.
Soini declared that climate change is a direct threat to sustainable development, with the worst effects targeting the world’s poorest areas. The minister pointed out that women play a central role in preventing climate change.
“They must become agents of change for the sustainable use of natural resources,” he remarked.
Although Soini’s comments remained true to long-standing foreign policy positions, many in Finland were surprised to hear the stance coming from this unlikely source, the paper writes. According to HS, Soini and the testosterone-rich Finns Party, known for their opposition to development aid, appeared to have suddenly undergone a policy makeover on the journey from Helsinki to Brussels.
The paper notes though, that ministers rarely write their own speeches, although they have a free hand in making any changes they see fit. In the case of the Foreign Minister, the cabinet and political aides may supervise the copywriting process, but Soini’s freshman aides may not yet have gotten their feet wet in this area.
Additionally, although minister’s come and go, the country’s foreign policy positions rarely shift.
One foreign ministry official also pointed out that professional staff writers have recently received training to ensure that their skills are up to scratch. The aim is to help ministers deliver speeches with memorable catch phrases that are more interesting and engaging for listeners.
Viking Line cries foul over proposed gov't cuts
HS also highlights the concerns of shipping company Viking Line, which is says it's considering relocating to Sweden – if the government follows through on a proposal to cut shipping aid.
The government’s economic programme includes an outline plan to drop 20 million euros in aid to the passenger shipping industry, if labour market organisations don’t succeed in brokering a so-called social contract to improve competitiveness.
The shipping line said that if the government does implement the proposal it stands to lose 13 million euros in state support, since it has the largest number of Finland-flagged passenger vessels.
Viking Line CEO Jan Hanses said that a dramatic reduction in support would weaken the company’s profitability and put jobs on the line.
“Relocating to Sweden would be the most likely option and we would then pay taxes in Sweden,” Hanses commented.
He noted that the financial aid has seen the industry flourish. As of this spring, Finland had more vessels in the water than neighbouring Sweden. As a result, salaries have declined, working hours have lengthened and Sunday bonuses have been eliminated.
“We did what we promised and the government promised to maintain the support system for merchant shipping, which is an essential prerequisite for the industry,” said chair Simo Zitting, chair of the Seaman’s Union.
Political scientist: Wealthy already paying 70 percent of taxes
Friday’s tabloids offer extensive coverage of ministers’ financial declarations released Thursday. However on its inside pages, Ilta Sanomat offers a viewpoint swimming against the tide of protest aimed at government’s austerity programme, which many say hits Finland’s poorest the hardest.
The paper highlights political scientist Mikko Wennberg, who points that the richest members of society are already contributing as much as 70 percent of the government’s total tax take.
“The highest-earning 10 percent are in practice paying 70 percent of progressive tax income,” Wennberg said.
Wennberg adds that 60 percent of Finnish households receive more income transfers than they pay taxes.
“In practice it means that 40 percent of households pay positive taxes. On the other hand 10 percent of households pay for a significant amount of income transfers. It’s important to remember that at the moment high income earners are already shouldering a significant proportion of economic responsibility for the welfare state,” the academic points out.
Labour organisations have rejected government proposals for workers to take a five percent pay cut by working longer hours or taking shorter vacations. They have instead called for business leaders to join the national volunteer movement to get the economy back on its feet by docking their own pay.
Bomb threat detainee a repeat offender
Tabloid daily Iltalehti follows up on reports of a bomb threat targeting an SAS flight from Stockholm to Helsinki, noting that the man detained in the case had previously hijacked a Russian plane in 1993. At that time the man threatened the crew with a hand grenade on a flight from St. Petersburg, forcing it to land in Stockholm.
Citing a report in the Swedish daily Aftonbladet, Iltalehti writes that the 50 year-old Russian national was also responsible for another baseless bomb scare last year. On Wednesday evening a flight bound for Helsinki remained on the ground in Stockholm as a result of the latest bomb threat. The airline transferred passengers and crew to another aircraft, which left an hour later than the scheduled 10.30 pm.
Finnish police have confirmed the Aftonbladet account, according to Iltalehti.