5 Articles by:
Tatu Ahponen is a socialist writer who lives in Tampere, Finland.
In Finland, the coalition led by centre-left Sanna Marin was defeated after promising utopian visions but failing to materially improve people’s lives – providing an important lesson to the global Left about delivering change and remaining relevant.
In Finland, 70% of pre-school children attend a full day care service. It is public, subsidised and free for families with lower incomes – showing that Britain’s expensive childcare mess is a political choice.
At every stage from pregnancy, Finland’s welfare state is set up to support those who choose to have a family – and stands in contrast with marketised societies which make that choice increasingly impractical.
In Finland, high-quality free school meals are provided to all children between six and sixteen as a public service – instead of handing over cash to rip-off profiteers, Britain should follow its lead.
Last month’s election in Finland saw the Social Democrats top the poll for the first time in 20 years – but they were also a victory for the country’s right-wing populists, who re-emerged on an anti-migrant, anti-green ticket.