I wrote this some time ago and published it on my blog. I was reminded of it when reading thoughts in a similar vein on another nationalist Finnish blog, and I thought it might be a welcome contribution to forum such as Stirpes. 
I realize my writing can be a little cryptic to someone unfamiliar with myself and my ideas, as I mostly just write for myself. So if you have questions or wish for me to clarify something, just say the word.
Thoughts on Modern Finnish Nationalism & Political Ideals
Finland has been and still is, although to an ever diminishing degree, somewhat isolated from the European social, economic, cultural and political development. Much can be said about the location on the periphery of what can be considered Western Europe, but this isolation is also very much because of historical and cultural reasons. The post-war status of Finland as a Neutral democracy next to the Soviet Union has done much to shape the national mind-set, which already by nature is conservative and cautious of change.
Finnish nationalism is also therefore somewhat different from other modern European movements, as it has developed in different circumstances in isolation from many trends prevalent in the rest of Europe. All this must be taken into account when discussing the topic of Finnish nationalism.
Nationalism in general is a very broad term and it can mean several, often contradicting, things. The great question within any nationalist movement or ideology is how it deals with two fundamental issues: traditionalism and the ’social question’. Historically Finnish nationalism has been conservative (naturally) and reactionary for the most part, essentially a bourgeoise-shaped ideology. When we look at any historical movement associated with nationalism, we can see that there are often two wings: the traditionalist and the socialist, and its not uncommon for these two wings to find themselves in something of a conflict within the movement. Historical examples are plentiful, from the Spanish Falange to the Italian Fascists.
In order for a nationalist movement to be successful and true to itself, it needs to fill a couple of requirements. It has to be open to all members of the nation, it must avoid becoming a lever of power or an ideology of the upper class, for example. This means that it has to reconcile between the traditional and the social aspect, it must act as a synthesis between the past and the present. We nationalists see ourselves as the natural next link in the chain of generations. We are the sons and daughters of our fathers and mothers, with our roots deep in our own native earth, and we wish to cherish our heritage, culture, history and traditions. While we derive our identity from the long past of our nation, we must at the same time continue our work in the present. A successful nationalist movement must be able to address contemporary social issues from a nationalist perspective. Here it is most important not to confuse, or equate, nation with state - the nation cannot be sacrificed for the interests of the state. It is rather the state that simply houses the nation, in an ideal world. So when I talk of a nationalist perspective, I mean that the well-being of the nation as whole should be our guiding objective.
I think that Finnish nationalists would do well to look for inspiration from other European movements, their ideology and their tactics, and to see how well they might fit into a Finnish context. Finnish nationalists should also draw inspiration from the Finnish tradition in formulating their stance on various issues. For example, the Nordic welfare state, which in Sweden has been known as the
Folkhemmet, the People’s Home, is a clear source of inspiration when formulating the nationalist perspective on social policy. The early Nordic social democratic tradition also has many interesting figures, which have recognized the strength national unity (=homogenity) provides a small nation. It is with the nationalist perspective in mind that we should look for these sources of inspiration. Of course, we should not seek a ready formulated plan of action from the past, but rather, we should seek the
ideal. Being inspired by the Spanish Anarcho-Syndicalists of the 1930’s or Portugal’s National Syndicalists of the same period does not mean adopting their manifestos word by word, but rather sharing their ideal, their spirit and their objectives. The realization will have to be adapted to suit the circumstances of the present, with the future in mind.
Unfortunately, the Finnish nationalist current, in its entire diversity, is rather over-focused on one issue, namely the immigration issue. It is a popular topic, where the nationalists are on familiar turf and know their game. However, I’m afraid it does not do the job of bringing the more complete, or let’s say multi-faceted, version of the nationalist perspective into the open. Focusing on one issue leaves other nationalist strong points completely out of the debate and out of the popular consciousness. People can agree with individual nationalist stances on immigration policy, and adopt them as opinions into their world view, but there they remain isolated from the greater nationalist context. What we need is a nationalist movement that tackles more diverse issues facing Finnish society today, and does it from a Finnish nationalist perspective. The most prominent and respectable Finnish nationalist movement today, Suomen Sisu, seems to be more of an open think-thank with only the most general of guidelines that limit or filter its membership - and this is good, when you want to have diverse opinions and much debate within the nationalist scene - but not very good for actually engaging the surrounding society politically with a clear sense of direction. In order to paraphrase, the problem of the Finnish nationalist current is that it fails to bring up the more complete nationalist alternative, largerly because that alternative is far from complete, perhaps partially due to over-emphasis on a single issue.
Actual nationalist activity in Finland is limited and occurs on a small scale, but there has clearly been a surge of activity, much of it in the form of online projects, in recent years. My hope is that soon enough, a small clique of similar-minded and resourcefull individuals will decide to take the next step and create a determined nationalist movement. This optimistic hope is much in line with the common policy of “someone should do something” prevalent in such a small and unorganized nationalist network, but the fact is that the right people have to get together before anything can start happening.
Perhaps things need to get worse for people to start getting more active?
Hardly. There will never be some mass awakening from the present state of hypnosis, and waiting for the mass to ‘become aware’ is unrealistic when the alternative is not as readily available as it could be. The first job would be to create that alternative and make it available. This does not require a large organization with unlimited resources, since its function would be to simply act as an information outlet, more or less. Several similar initiatives are underway as near by as in Sweden. Such a simple thing as a regularily published newsletter could have a tremendous impact in bringing isolated nationalists from around the country around the same table. It is most important to get people together and start pushing in the same direction, to launch small projects, forge contacts, to create a stronger network which would one day form a political alternative for many Finns dissatisfied with the present state of affairs and the direction we’re headed.