(Written by Jari Heino. The original Finnish version was published in the newspaper Turun Sanomat on 30 May 2011. The interview was made due to the rapid increase in the number of members of the Finns Party.)
Tuomas Tähti, 24, joined the Finns Party right after the parliamentaty election (held on 17 April 2011). Tähti speaks clear standard language when he tells the reason for his membership decision.
– The Finns Party does not trust the right-wing plutocracy nor the left-wing organizational power. The party has excluded itself from the old-fashioned left–right spectrum; its decisions are based on the benefit of the Finns and the Finnish culture, says Tähti, who studies software engineering.
At the age of 15 Tähti read the party platforms and electoral manifestos of all Finnish political parties. The views of the Finns Party seemed to be the most reasonable ones. In 2006, when the presidential election was last held, Tähti participated in the party chairman Timo Soini’s campaign, but becoming a member of the party took several years of consideration.
– I wanted to see what direction the party shall grow in in the parliamentary election. Now I’m glad, because the party’s parliamentary group includes experts from several occupations, Tähti brags.
Tähti’s favourite candidate Lauri Heikkilä got elected among others.
Tähti is inspired by the Finns Party’s euroscepticism and their opposition to mandatory Swedish, to name but a few things. He also criticizes humanitarian immigration because donating money directly to the crisis areas would be more effective charity.
– When it comes to work-related immigration, I’d say that you are welcomed if you have a job and language proficiency.
Tähti is pleased with the fact that after the recent election the party staid in the parliamentary opposition instead of boxing the compass concerning the financial help for Portugal.
– Personally I’m happy because the party didn’t renounce its words.
The party’s new member is interested in being a candidate in next year’s municipal election. He doesn’t have a completed electoral platform, yet.
– This year my hometown Turku is the European Capital of Culture, but if I were to decide, it wouldn’t be. Being the capital of culture means wasting money because the project is not carried out by our local cultural professionals and art students, Tähti states.
Tuomas Tähti 