Local to global comments in three languages. Much also from Pitäjänmäki Sockenbacka in Helsinki Helsingfors Finland, as well as from the organisations I participate in. The older content is from my previous blog page which I have now closed. Most of the contents on the earlier pages deals with sustainability, human rights and social responsibility in the global supply chains.
From left to right: Ulf Sundqvist, Anette Karlsson, Folke Sundman and Rebecka Åkers. I am behind the camera myself. In the background, the Congress of the Swedish social democrats in Finland.
A fast meeting over the lunch break in Porvoo – Borgå in Swedish – at the Congress of Finland’s Swedish-speaking Social Democrats on Sunday.
We met as the board of a small foundation which works to preserve and promote the rich cultural and political heritage of Swedish social democratic labour organisations in this bi-lingual country. We also want to support the human rights and democratic values which are now being increasingly threatened.
At the left is Ulf Sundqvist, our chair, who served as a cabinet minister during many years. Anette Karlsson who works with the social democratic group in Parliament sits next to him, then comes Folke Sundman who is chair of the main Swedish social democratic association in Helsinki and one of our leading sustainability experts, and at the right Rebecca Åkers, social science student and social democratic youth movement leader.
Both Anette and Rebecca were selected as candidates for next spring’s parliamentary elections. Regrettably not in my district, but I hope they will do well!
Not easy to say no, at times. Just back from a meeting with an association of veteran social democratic politicians, officials and activists as newly elected president of the largest local organisation ”Pääkaupungin Wanhat Toverit” – The Old Comrades of the Capital City.
The picture is not from today’s meeting here in Helsinki, however, but from our national conference last year in Tampere.
We get together once a month around a theme which today was the challenge of Europe’s extreme right. Many friends and colleagues from years far back were there. And yes, most looked ’like themselves’, even after my 26 years in Geneva.
This is a group of really experienced people with deeply imbedded values of human rights, democracy, equality and tolerance. Working together with these friends and colleagues is definitely a very special and pleasant but also inspiring challenge. Also happy for the confidence they showed me.
Viktig markering av socialdemokraternas ordförande. Det här har vi inte hört från toppledningen i något av de andra stora partierna.
Arbetarbladet citerade Antti Rinne så här:
”Som ordförande för Finlands största tvåspråkiga parti är det en hederssak för mig att främja det svenska språket, precis som andra partiordförande gjort före mig. Men inget parti kan ensam värna om svenskan och de språkliga rättigheterna, utan det behövs samarbete mellan partierna. Jag anser dessutom att det hör till allmänbildningen att lära sig båda nationalspråken. Och det är inte bara min privata åsikt, utan SDP:s partikongresser har fastställt att undervisningen i de båda nationalspråken är befogad och att partiet vill stärka kunnandet i nationalspråken, påpekade Rinne.”
I was at the local library today, meeting Stadiluotsi Silja Lindblad – ’Stadiluotsi’ meaning City Pilot. As president of the regional association in this part of town it was of course kind of an obligation, but as you can see from the selfies taken by Silja it turned out to a very enjoyable and relaxed chat, but with much substance as well.
These City Pilots are young women and men coming from outside the municipal services who are here to link people with the Helsinki City administration and services. This is a superb initiative which I could once again see and feel at our small but great Pitäjänmäki – Sockenbacka in Swedish – library today. Kind of our second living room it is.
By coincidence another good friend was there also, Pirjo Kivistö, chair of the influential Pitäjänmäen Työväenyhdistys, the local social democratic association in this very traditional part of town. And no this was not planned so could have been my green or conservative and any other friends as well. They all support our association, the political groups in this city.
Helsinki – or Helsingfors in Swedish – is a dynamic but also progressive city. An interesting new initiative is that anyone living here can make a suggestion about spending part of the city budget on anything that feels important. Over 4 million Euros are reserved for this annually. And even better, the winning proposals that will become reality are selected through a general vote where everyone who is at least 12 years old – yes 12 years – can take part.
Coffee break today in a very traditional café some 30 kms from central Helsinki – Helsingfors. Already as a child I sometimes went there with my parents. Usually this was during the winter when we were coming back from a day of cross country skiing in a nearby sports area. Those were times with much more snow than today…
The red house, Bemböle coffee cottage, is from 1734. Inside, the coffee was good and the large open fireplace created a light sensation of smoke throughout the room, but we did survive…
Back from a seminar at the Finnish Parliament where a group of social democratic veterans from Sweden and Finland met to discuss current political issues. This was an interesting meeting but also a very pleasant one where very many of the participants – including myself – shared longstanding common experiences, so a meeting among friends in a way.
One of the main issues in discussions was of course the recent Swedish elections where the social democrats lead by Stefan Löfven fared better than expected. He is now discussing with the parties about a coalition government after the head of the conservatives failed to negotiate a majority.
Mikael Damberg
One of the leading members of the present cabinet in Stockholm, the Minister for Enterprise and Innovation Mikael Damberg, made an in-depth analysis not only of the Swedish situation but also of the global events as he sees them. Here, the social democratic values will be an important part in combating the right-wing extremism that we have seen spreading. This was a great speech by a very talented politician who will continue to play a central role both in Sweden and Europe in the years to come.
Listening to Mikael Damberg, my thoughts went also to his late father Nils-Gösta who was a great friend of Finland and our social democracy. I still have a small pen knife somewhere which he dug out of his pocket and gave to me when he realised that it was my 30th birthday when we were having dinner in Stockholm on an August evening far back. Risto Laakkonen, former trade union official and later diplomat, good friend since my youth years, was with us that evening and also present at the seminar today.
Antti Rinne
This first session of the seminar was shared by Antti Rinne who chairs the Finnish social democratic party. Also he has a trade union background and was for some years a member of the UNI Global Union world executive, the organisation where I worked for many years. He is now leading the party towards an election victory early next year where the social democrats are expected to become the largest party. A possible and even probable outcome would then be that he is Finland’s next prime minister.
Pyry Niemi
The second block of the seminar dealt with the European Union and how Sweden and Finland could cooperate to defend and promote democratic and social values in today’s troubled and unstable situation. The two main speakers were leading Swedish member of parliament Pyry Niemi and veteran Finnish social democratic politician and statesman Ulf Sundqvist. Both underlined the importance of the two countries and their social democracies to take an active and also leading role together in defending and promoting the interests of the people in Europe.
Ulf Sundqvist
In the discussion I did mention the important contribution that Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven and his social democratic government made in creating a strong and progressive social pillar for the European Union. Without a clear social dimension the community risks losing its support as we have already seen alarming signs of through the rise of right-wing populism and extreme nationalism.
The one-day conference was co-hosted by social democratic organisations in the Finnish capital together with the party itself and its parliamentary group.
Maarit Feldt-Ranta
Welcoming the participants, Maarit Feldt-Ranta who is member of parliament and vice chair of the party underlined the very special nature of cooperation between Sweden and Finland and the role of our labour movements in both bringing it about and keeping it very active.
The seminar proceedings were all held in the Swedish language which shows a strong commitment to Nordism and cooperation with Sweden also from the Finnish side.
