Vanhanen’s vision: Finland in 2019 - borders mean less and parties show true colours

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By Jaakko Hautamäki
     
      In early January, the chairman of the Centre Party, Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) made a speech in which he pondered how an ageing Finland would make it past the present economic slump into the next decade. Inspired by the speech, Helsingin Sanomat asked the leaders of Finland’s three largest parties, the Centre, the National Coalition Party, and the Social Democrats what they expect Finland to look like in 2019.
      Ten years from now Europe will have long approved the politics of the third way, in which the state has a guiding role.
      “Robotic cowsheds in remote rural areas would not be possible under terms set by the market alone”, the Centre Party leader explains.
      New uses will have been found for wood, under the partial guidance of the state. Tourism thrives after the construction of state-supported high-quality transport infrastructure, with Finland having established itself as an exporter of learning. Everyone enjoys freedom of choice.
     
The end of the next decade may see the four-term period of Vanhanen as prime minister come to an end. At that time Vanhanen is still at work at the age of 64, after 40 years of work behind him.
      “By then the younger bosses have learned that you can’t boss around more experienced people who have been at work for 40 years.”
      Along with the others, Vanhanen has been deciding that “Finland still does not want to join NATO”.
      Even then, the Prime Minister is pleased that “no big mistakes on the national level” were made on the road of neo-liberalism.
     
Vanhanen squints his eyes as he ponders what life in Finland will be like ten years from now.
      He is sitting in the back seat of an electric car going to a political event in a country that is nearly 50 per cent self-sufficient in energy. About 40 per cent of energy is from renewable sources. “Methods of guidance through taxation have been found for energy.”
      “The City of Helsinki is finally producing a fifth of its energy with renewable sources.”
     
It is pleasant to go to the election event, because the Centre Party has the support of 24.5 per cent of the population. The party promotes freedom of choice, family policy, domestic energy, and environmental policy.
      “The ideological centre has been found. The basic division of parties is more ideological, and they show their own colours. They can no longer please everyone.”
      Municipal brawls are a thing of the past. “Municipal borders no longer have any meaning. Administrative borders no longer guide the investments of public administration.”
      Ordinary people can get services from wherever they want to, and the local authorities bill each other. Municipalities can be as small as they wish, and it is possible to be registered in up to three municipalities. A ceiling for municipal taxation is reality, and rich municipalities support poorer ones, but there is scrutiny of the activities.
     
A subscriber-producer model prevails in local authorities. “The euro has been a good consultant on the way of finding the optimum way to produce services.”
      “People in Nurmijärvi will go anywhere in Finland or Europe for hip surgery, depending on where the best quality can be found."
      The baby boom generation are being cared for in service homes set up as limited liability companies or cooperatives, and also with the help of capital investments by people themselves: children and grandchildren also participate in the care of the elderly.
     
Immigrants who came to Finland for work are evenly distributed throughout the country.
      “The employment rate among immigrants is the same as that in the native population.” Thanks to the high employment rate, the state is able to provide services, and growth continues.
      The birthrate is also growing again, now that families have widespread freedom of choice in all areas of their lives.
     
Government continues to hold primary responsibility for public services. “Everyone gets equivalent services.”
      When Finns go to different countries for work, they do not notice the existence of borders. “Social benefits follow behind them and states bill each other. We are in a Europe of people.”
      In 2019, international rules have been set up for the financial market. Globalisation has its watchdog, now that the UN has an Economic Council, alongside the Security Council.
     
Taxation has shifted focus toward the taxation of consumption, while protecting labour. The differences in capital gains taxation and the highest margins have been narrowed.
     
But the overall tax rate has increased. Life has been expensive as people have grown older, and as tens of billions of euros worth of construction has taken place under the guidance of the state.
      The situation is helped by the fact that “Finland can no longer afford to keep people out of work”. No cuts have been needed: there has been nothing to cut, considering that the state and local authorities have no more common tasks.
      Pondering the future is apparently fun? “Yes, it is.”
      After the interview, Vanhanen returns to the subject by telephone. “Finland has kept itself an area free of genetic modification, and Finland remained an area receiving agricultural subsidies."
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 15.2.2009
     
     
The future visions of the leaders of the National Coalition Party and the Social Democratic Party will appear next week.

More on this subject:
 Vanhanen: questions and answers about 2019

JAAKKO HAUTAMÄKI / Helsingin Sanomat
jaakko.hautamaki@hs.fi