After the two main conservative parties, the National Coalition Party and The Finns Party, won the recent parliamentary elections in Finland and with the Nordic country bound to have its first conservative government in 90 years, European conservatives might be wondering what to think about the unexpected but delightful move of Finland to the right.
Finland is traditionally known for its Nordic social welfare state and consensus politics, and the new Finnish Prime Minister-elect Petteri Orpo has to navigate the precarious hallway politics of the Finnish government formation process in order to strike a balance with his coalition partners. Alarmed by the prospect of Finland moving to the right, the Left Party activists called for a series of protests on the day the new government coalition was announced.
So what can the world expect of the new Finnish conservative government, and how European conservatives can support their peers in Finland?
The Roots of Finnish Conservatism
Ask any Finnish conservative about what he or she believes in and you will at some point hear a reference to the famous words by the former Finnish Commander of the Armed Forces and former President Field Marshal C.G. Mannerheim: “Home. Religion. Fatherland.” The combination of family values, Lutheran Christian faith, and patriotism (with a firm commitment to Finland’s transatlantic future) are the ties that bind Finnish conservatives together, despite many differences on individual issues such as migration, the future of the welfare state, the European Union and economic policy.
The fragmentation of the Finnish conservative movement into separate parties also has its roots in history. After 1809, when Finland was a Grand Duchy within the Russian Empire, the socially conservative and nationalistic Finns Party split into Old Finns—the ones favouring staying with the Russian Empire—and the Young Finns, who were adamant about Finland taking an active approach and becoming an independent nation.
At the dawn of the last century, Finland was, and to an extent still is, if one considers the entire country, largely an agrarian society. Socially conservative farmers created their own Agrarian Party, which later became the Center Party, which has mainly pursued regionalist policies, supported entrepreneurship, traditional family values, and Finland’s independence and sovereignty in matters of foreign policy.
The National Coalition Party has for the past 20 years lobbied for Finland’s membership in NATO and the Finns Party, which started as a populist movement focused on migration issues, has favoured Finland’s reduced involvement with the European Union and strong borders. The two other parties in the new conservative government coalition, the Christian Democrats and the Swedish People’s Party, are small largely single-issue parties focusing on Christian values and the rights of the Swedish speakers, respectively.
“What kind of a conservative are you, Mr. Finland?”
Given the fragmentation, one might ask: What are the odds of the new PM Petteri Orpo truly breaking away from the historical policies of previous coalition governments and pursuing a real conservative policy? The simple answer is: rather good. The previous government of Sanna Marin, despite her international popularity, left the Finnish government in a dire situation financially, having borrowed a lot of money and expanding government spending radically. The new government has stated that their first order of business will be to make drastic reductions in government spending in order to deal with all the accrued debts.
On the foreign policy front, the two largest coalition partners agree on Finland’s place in NATO. Their main difference concerns the European Union, with the National Coalition Party having always been pro-EU, and the Finns Party owing its popularity largely to its anti-EU platform. Despite their differences, it remains extremely unlikely that Finland would create any trouble within the EU—so deeply ingrained is the consensus-seeking culture, especially when it comes to foreign policy. The Finnish society runs on a silent agreement that we may disagree considerably on domestic policy issues, but we must stand united when it comes to foreign policy. The EU is somewhat of a grey area; even the foreign policy wonks disagree on whether the EU falls under domestic or foreign policy.
The new conservative Finland will most likely emphasise the following perspectives, which have been integral parts of Finnish conservative thinking for the past century:
Focus on cohesion and preservation of traditional values and institutions.
The Finnish conservatives focus on stability, continuity, and scepticism towards radical change, along with the preservation of the traditional Finnish way of life, based on core family and deep relationships with local communities and nature. Finnish conservatives are more likely to support environmental initiatives than many of their European peers, which is explained by the fact that every Finn spends a lot of time in the countryside in their summer cabins and it’s common for families to spend holidays in the wilderness and participate in community gatherings to clean local neighbourhoods.
Connection to the land and individual responsibility.
Finland’s geography largely dictates how our perceptions have been forged through the centuries. Agrarianism, which places a strong focus on the importance of rural life, has been a significant contributor to Finnish conservatism. Every Finn values their connection to the land, to being self-sufficient, and to the importance of being involved and engaged in local communities. The concept of environmental responsibility is at the core of Finnish conservative thought; we feel that nature must be preserved and kept well for generations to come.
Working hard.
Lutheran Protestant ethics have also been instrumental in forging Finnish conservative thought, emphasizing individual responsibility as a prerequisite for any sense of collective responsibility and placing a high value on morality and being a productive and contributing member of society.
This is showcased also in the Finnish approach to foreign policy: we try to be as active participants and contributors as we can instead of focusing on influencing policy for a certain outcome. Entrepreneurship is a natural part of self-reliance for the Finnish conservatives, and hence the promotion of entrepreneurship, business ownership, and innovation are high on the conservative agenda.
Patriotism.
The living history of Finland’s wars with the Soviet Union has shaped Finnish conservatives’ philosophy of national self-reliance, emphasis on independence, and making sure we have the defensive capabilities necessary to preserve the nation. Finland’s unique language and culture are a source of pride for the Finnish conservatives.
Respect for differences.
A significant part of Finnish conservatives have been and continue to be members of the Swedish-speaking minority in Finland. This has created a culture of respecting both regional and individual differences in opinions. Practising empathy and listening to the other person before voicing our own concerns is a function of how a true conservative and a cultured gentleman (or woman) would behave. Finnish conservatives are most likely to celebrate differences in the voices of European conservatives rather than be the ones calling for a united position.
The Finnish conservative vision for the future differs from a leftist perspective in that the conservative assumes individual responsibility for becoming the agent to shape the future together with others for a common good. We as European conservatives ought to ask ourselves how we, in our own lives, can become the champions of preserving our cultural heritage and the stability of our societies, while ensuring we will be able to pass on to the next generation a world in a better condition than when we received it. This is our responsibility and our deepest calling.
