Super spies, Olympic buildup, bovine bother and topless tanning

Hello Insiders!

This week flew by, and even though there’s no parliament sitting at the moment there is somehow still a pile of politics news to get to - and this week it makes my blood boil! But more on that later!

Coming up in this edition of the Finland Insider newsletter (thanks for subscribing by the way - tell a friend!) I’ve got the latest back-and-forth on those manufactured 'woke war wedge issues’ that have been hitting the headlines with alarming regularity. There’s a new European Commission report on the rule of law in Finland, ongoing problems with berry pickers from Thailand, and an enraged cow on the loose in Ranua!

All that still to come, but first this:

Insider Originals

This is the weekend that sports fans have been waiting for, the start of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. I always think Finland has a particular affinity with the Olympics (summer or winter) after hosting the 1952 games - and especially when so much of the architecture that was built for those post-war Olympics is still very visible to us today: from the Olympic Stadium and swimming/diving facilities, to the Olympic Village in Käpylä, to the Kisahalli sports hall in Töölö which was built for the wrestling and gymnastics competitions. And of course there’s infrastructure projects like Länsiväylä, the Olympic Ferry Terminal and the airport itself still being used as a legacy of 1952 development.

Fast forward from 1952 to 2024 and the Olympics have grown almost beyond recognition. This year Finland has sent its biggest team of athletes since Sydney in 2000, competing in 14 events and endurance athletes in particular are facing some hot conditions.

I talked with Finland’s first-ever Olympic mountain biker Joni Savaste, and the team’s head doctor Maarit Valtonen about keeping cool and hydrated in the middle of a French heatwave:

Drugs. And in case you missed it last week, here’s a look inside the Finnish Olympic Team’s anti-doping operation ahead of the Paris games:

Inside the headlines

Health. This summer 160 health centres around the country are closing at least temporarily, and 120 of them say it’s due to staff shortages. Now the Finnish Medical Association Lääkäriliitto says there must be more doctors trained every year (as long as the quality of education can be maintained) otherwise summer closures will become an annual event. The Association also points out that recent health and welfare reforms were supposed to strengthen local services not weaken them, and says there should be a model to include more private doctors in public healthcare.

Protest. Climate change activists Elokapina staged a demonstration at Helsinki Airport on Wednesday, but officials say it caused only minimal disruption.

Topless. Helsinki has relaxed its rules on women being topless on city beaches. The rule was quietly changed last year but only reported now. So what’s the situation in other Finnish cities? Kuntalehti reports that in Vaasa there’s a segregated section for women on Kustaanlinna beach where they can go topless; while in Joensuu, Vantaa and Rauma the subject has apparently never come up, so officials haven’t considered it before! Meanwhile, Hesari reports that in Tampere women can be topless on city beaches and in public swimming halls.

Fines. In June, four fines of €30,000 were handed out in Eastern Uusimaa over tampering with vehicle emissions equipment. According to officials, updating emission systems to comply with the latest legislation is expensive, especially for transport companies or firms with lots of trucks on the roads. So it’s cheaper to bypass the systems by tampering with them and thus falling foul of the law.

Bovine bother. A rogue cow has been on the loose for weeks near Ranua in northern Finland, with the owner of the beast warning that it’s a danger to the public! Unssi the Ayreshire heifer is reddish-brown in colour, and the owner warns that if you see her in the wild, leave her well alone.

Inside politics

Woke. The screws are being turned on Finnish public broadcaster Yle again this week. First came a column by ex-Yle journalist Sanna Ukkola claiming there is so much woke-ism and DEI (diversity, equality and inclusion) training at Yle that it stops journalists from being professional (all allegations firmly rebutted by Yle’s leadership). Now a new podcast from controversial MTV3 journalist Ivan Puopolo who interviews an YleX presenter on his podcast. That presenter throws fuel on the fire by describing some of the diversity training he says he received, and claims that certain people with controversial views are ‘banned’ from being interviewed on Yle. He says one of the people on this banned list is a right-wing fringe ‘media personality’ and former basketball coach Aleksi Valavuori. As sure as night follows day, Valavuori is kicking up a huge fuss and at the same time wearing it as a badge of honour that he might be on any such list. Other Yle journalists have come out to say they’ve never been told they can’t or shouldn’t interview Valavuori.

Meanwhile. Of course now politicians are weighing in. Jyväskylä MP Sinuhe Wallinheimo (Kokoomus) is the chair of Yle’s parliamentary oversight committee and he’s given an interview to Uussi Suomi which says he “demands humility” from the public broadcaster and says all these various scandals - scandals whipped up by the far-right in the first place don’t forget - will be investigated.

Spy games. An unlikely spy mystery burst into the headlines this week, involving far-right Finns Party MEP Sebastian Tynkkynen. It’s no secret that he attended a “propaganda camp” in Russia, which Left Alliance MEP Jussi Saramo took great pleasure in reminding us all. “The photo was taken at a time when in Finland only the Basic Finns admired Putin's authoritarian far-right administration,” Saramo wrote, highlighting a string of comments and positions the Finns Party have taken over the years which have been soft or even accommodating towards Russia and Vladimir Putin.

But there’s a plot twist! Tykkynen admits he was “naive” to attend such a camp when he was a Finns Party Youth activist. At the time Finland’s security service Supo was warning that Russia was trying to influence young political activists. However, he says he went on to help Supo by getting cosy with a Russian Embassy staffer in Helsinki, and then reporting back to Supo about their conversations.

So was Sebu a super spy for Suomi? Or was he a useful idiot easily duped by the Russians? Or both? Supo has refused to comment on the matter so we might never know!

Finland International

Planes. Two American B-52 bombers and three refueling aircraft flew over Finland this week, on their way to the Barents Sea. Russia scrambled jets to intercept the bombers, which turned back. Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen wrote on X that it was part of a normal operations to show defence and deterrence.

 Olympics. President Stubb and the First Lady are in Paris for the opening of the 2024 Olympic Games. Stubb will also attend a summit on sustainability hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Commission. The European Commission published its Rule of Law Report on Finland (and other Member States) this week. Finland was praised for the high perception of independence that the judicial system enjoys, and for how much progress has been made to reform the court system. However, there was some criticism about delays or lack of progress in adopting new legislation on trading influence and the criminal offence of foreign bribery. The report also highlights that no progress has been made to “strengthen accountability” applicable to ministers by adopting a code of conduct for them.

Thailand. Despite ongoing talks at ministerial level, no concrete decision has been made on whether to allow berry pickers from Thailand to come to work in Finland this year. Traditionally, Thai berry pickers have arrived on tourist visas and started work on farms - where there have been widespread documented cases of exploitation, abuse and people trafficking. This year the Foreign Ministry said the berry pickers would need proper employment contracts and 900 visas have been issued, but the Thai government has not let them travel over concerns about their treatment and working conditions. The Labour Ministers from Finland and Thailand will hold a new round of talks via video on Monday.

And finally…

How could I not end with some more Olympic action from Paris? The Finnish Olympic Team athletes have been arriving since last Saturday and getting caught up with practices, trainings, and life in the Olympic Village as this Instagram video shows. There are lots of Finnish athletes active on Instagram - and lots of Olympians in general from all around the world - and I’ve had endless hours of scrolling fun following their journies ahead of the opening ceremony!

Thank you, kiitos, tack!

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Catch you next Friday,

David