The Finnish government is now a substantial way through its programme to cut €9 billion of public spending by 2027, including large reductions to social security (including housing, child, and unemployment benefits) healthcare, education, and municipal funding budgets, while it also increasing taxes on average earners. Cuts to healthcare provision have been particularly brutal, including a large reduction in hospital staff numbers, elderly care and disability services while redefining “minimum service obligations” to justify providing patients with lower quality care. The government has also slashed funding for organisations working on peace and initiatives which would address the new cold war-style relations with Russia.
And among the beneficiaries of a new tooled-up and aggressive Finland are the arms dealers of the Israeli apartheid-genocide complex, which in 2024 sold Finland its questionably functional “David’s Sling” air defence system for €316 million. Finland has also bought tank and ship missiles from the Israeli company Rafael which supplied most of the weapons and equipment used to commit the genocide of Gaza. The Finnish government said Israel’s genocide of Gaza would not stop it buying weapons from the country, a position which is par for the course among the morally bankrupt leaders of Europe.
While the choice of suppliers is unfortunate, the reality is there are few manufacturers in other places that can meet demand on short notice. Finland needs to be prepared to defend itself from a vile imperialist who does not know the meaning of good faith negotiation. As continental armament spools up, one can only hope that it is a short term compromise.
In terms of reductions to social programs, that is again a deeply troubling, but unfortunate necessity in the face of existential threat. Finland is a front line nation, and I promise you, the elderly and disabled will not be better served by Russian artillery shells falling on their heads.
As for moral bankruptcy, that term is far more applicable to the great powers that are forcing Europe and others into rearmament in the first place, like the US, Russia and China. Putin and Trump are existential threats to humanity, and while Bibi is a war criminal in his own right, he is functionally small potatoes by comparison to the alternatives.
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Holy fucking braindead fascist take, I don’t even know where to begin with such a disgusting post.
First you excuse trading with a genocidal settler state, you’d be willing to sacrifice those in poverty and in need. With the excuse they’d be protected from Russian shells? Hello? Russia has not attacked Finland, and they had every right to attack Finland during WW2 because Finland was literally fighting with the Nazis. For fucks sake until a few years ago, their military emblem had the SWATSIKA!
Then your last paragraph, sincerely how is Russia an existential threat to humanity? In fact why the FUCK is China on the same level? What have they done to be treated like the monsters of Amerikan empire? China has not attacked anyone, they have not done anything but bloodthirsty liberals like you just delude yourselves into a panic over imaginary threats.
Meanwhile your countries, your empire has killed millions and inflicted suffering for decades, many, many decades! You enforce austerity and extract all their resources and anyone who fights back get painted as literal demons and suffer collective punishment.
And then you call Bibi a small potato in term of war criminal… compared to Russia and China? Are you fucking stupid?
Pick up a gun and follow your leader, thanks!
Actually, I believe I’m what the Brits refer to as a “Tankie.” Someone so far left that violence is back on the table. Putin is actively involved in an attempt at genocide in Ukraine and actively threatening Poland and the Baltic states. He is as much of a monster as Bibi and just as much a war criminal, and he doesn’t need America to fund and arm him so yes, he’s a bigger threat. The fact that Putin is also so arrogant he picked a victim that had claws of its own doesn’t make that less true. It is Russia that is the Fascist threat of the day right now, and one that’s rattled the nuclear sabre more than once recently, but you’re clearly not ready for that conversation. Xe is more cautious, and I find that concerning because he is not incapable. His choice not to fight does not, however, mean he is peaceful. The whole world knows what happened to the Uyghurs, to Hong Kong, and what China did to Tibet before his time (or at least, those he isn’t able to stop from knowing). Spare me the propaganda in its defence. I see the logic, I fail to see the humanity in it. He’s almost more concerning than the others, because he’s competent on a level neither Trump nor Putin can hold a candle to. Unlike the rest, I don’t think peace with China is impossible, but that’s a long way from trustworthy.
You are exactly who Bari Weiss and Peter Theil want every “tabkie” to be.
“Tankie” is just another pejorative for communist, which you most certainly are not. So you go around spouting bullshit and lies and fear mongering with war for what? Because you are a scared fool, just as these western governments want you to be. And next you’ll be cannonfodder for them. Just stop, go away.
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Disgusting. “dismantling the welfare state, condemning multiple of the marginalized and vulnerable to poverty, homelessness and hunger and working closely with the various fascist entities is bad and all, but have you considered the RuZzIaNs?”. I hope you get that fucking war you’re mongering for, and I hope you die in it, you fucking fascist.
Can I get a death wish from you to? Im tired.
It is perplexing what happen to Finns this last decade, I cannot understand. I think it has to be a very well coordinated traditional and specially social media campaign that was able to override 3/4 of a century of pragmatism and wise decisions.
But it is not just Finns, all Baltics and Scandinavians fell for it.
How come Moscow is more than a threat now than has been the Soviet times where they were really powerful and messing with countries right and left, near and f. Once Finland guaranteed no NATO in the 50s, Russia left Finland to prosper like no other country in Europe did… and now, this. Russia has been, for a decade say, year after year, after year… that they would consider NATO in Ukraine as a no-no. It is not just that Ukraine cannot choose its destiny, but that we dismiss Moscow’s concerns after being invaded multiple times by the West through Ukraine… a claim they may have! Especially when certain politicians have been mentioning for a decade to partition Russia into different microstates!
Funny enough, after decades admiring the Scandinavians, the most sanity in Europe seems to be in the PIGS countries now. Probably due to their skepticism to governments’ propaganda, it is what saved them from the abnormal levels of Russophobia that social media had been flooded with all these years