Foreign Minister Tuomioja seeks Social Democratic Party leadership

Candidate’s goal is to protect welfare state

Erkki Tuomioja

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Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Erkki Tuomioja has announced that he is seeking the leadership of the Social Democratic Party. The SDP will choose a new chairman at its the Party Congress in Jyväskylä in June.
      When announcing his candidacy for the SDP leadership on Friday, Tuomioja said that his aim was to fight for the welfare state and against economic neo-liberalism.
      Tuomioja said that proponents of neo-liberalism have sought to depict the welfare state as an impediment to success, while he sees it as an important component of it.
      He said that it is high time to see that the success of the Nordic Countries has not occurred in spite of the welfare state and the high level of taxation, but because of those factors.
     
He sees proponents of neo-liberalism lurking in the political right, the media, and among civil servants. As Tuomioja sees it, they view this excellent country as a banana republic.
      "It is time to reject the abuse which neo-liberalism has applied to the concepts of improvement, reform, and change. These are used as if the only possible direction of social change would be a return to greater inequality and a society in which prosperity and benefits accumulate among fewer people."
      In addition to the welfare state model, Tuomioja emphasised know-how and entrepreneurship as important factors of present and future success.
      He also wants to protect the system of a labour market based on talks between organised trade unions and employers’ organisations.
     
Tuomioja did not call for a cancellation of recent tax cuts, although he does not see room for any more.
      "In the future we need to concentrate on the development of the taxation structure in a direction that better supports employment. It is also important to secure the economic position of those who are responsible for providing basic services."
     
If he is chosen to the SDP leadership, Tuomioja wants to continue as Foreign Minister. He also feels that he has a good chance of winning.
      Other candidates for the post made vacant by the departure of former Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen are MP Arja Alho, Party Secretary Eero Heinäluoma, Minister of Justice Johannes Koskinen, and Minister of Education Tuula Haatainen.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Heinäluoma and Koskinen join SDP leadership race, Tuomioja still considering decision (18.3.2005)
  Kalliomäki endorses Heinäluoma as Social Democratic Party leader (11.3.2005)
  Paavo Lipponen to quit Social Democratic Party leadership post in June (10.3.2005)

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