It is strange that the above two events that represent “great and beautiful” thumbs down for democracy can happen on the same day – Friday, 31st of January 2020.
There can be few Finns, Swedes, Norwegians or Danes who can honestly say that the UK’s departure from the EU is a great step for mankind. Cameron, May and Johnson have all shared in delivering fairy tales to their voters that Murdoch & Co have only been too happy to promote – for big profit.
The misleading stories and false promises of glory made by prominent UK politicians are a serious blot on European democracy. They should have known better, because the EU was never meant to be a State of Europe, but a grouping of independent nations with shared democratic interests that want to live peaceably together.
The UK had an important role to play that we appreciated. The EU is first and foremost a free trade area for goods, services and jobs. Now the UK loses this access and can only regain them after more wasted time negotiating a free trade agreement, without any other benefits.
Finland along with the other Nordic countries enjoys a high standard of living, great public services while exporting between 35% and 50% of our GDP to the global export markets of which the EU is by far the largest. The disadvantages are tiny compared to the benefits in our opinion.
There can be no doubt that exporting to Russia, the USA and China has big risks because of their respective leaders that only want to hold on to and increase their power to dictate. Trading with other countries should never be governed by the ambition of single old men who wear suits and ties and try to look “Presidential”.
Populations should never be held to ransom by despotic actions created to keep leaders in power as in Russia.
Populations should never be threatened by plague because the Great Leader does not want to hear about matters that could harm his popularity…
… and trade should never be hindered by sanctions as set today by the USA, but governed by balanced trade agreements.
So we come to Trump – this man who behaves like a child without manners, swearing and cussing his way through life totally focussed on what is in it for him.
The fact that his impeachment is failing is a bad sign for the world that all is not sound good in the USA. America’s political side is beginning to resemble a banana republic, run by people we cannot trust, and broadcast to the world by Murdoch & Co for a big profit.
It would be better to turn back the clock a few years with these insights – but that is not possible so now we must be patient and work for change.
