Columnists

Since you no doubt are wondering why the Finnish flag is hoisted up every available pole on a Monday in November, let me cut to the chase. Today Finland is celebrating Svenska dagen – the Finland Swedish Heritage Day –…

This is my first column for News Now Finland. I hope many more will follow. So at first, let me introduce myself. My name is Habiba Ali, this year I was elected into the Espoo City Council for the first…

By Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, EU Commission Spokesperson on Climate Action & Energy They say old habits die hard, but we are already seeing a huge change in the culture of how people perceive lobbying. Long considered the shady side of politics,…

Parliament is debating the latest proposals to reform Finland’s alcohol laws. But as Janne Strang argues in this editorial, the country is long overdue for a wholesale reform and rethink of the issues around alcohol – and in the end,…

Finnish President Sauli Niinistö plays the role of international statesman this week when he meets the Russian and US Deputy Foreign Ministers in Helsinki, where the pair are having talks to try and repair the fragile relationship between their…

A new poll by state-funded broadcaster YLE shows the Social Democrats losing ground. So how long until there’s regime change at the top of one of Finland’s grand old parties? After the announcement last weekend that the Social Democrats had…

I was in Helsinki on the beginning of July, attending a political camp that taught participants more about politics, and also how to improve our skills to become better politicians. We visited several different ministries like the treasury, and…

In the past few months, I’ve noted that sentiments critical of mass tourism are growing around Europe. Barcelona, Venice and Dubrovnik are recent examples, and there are probably many more. There are a number of reasons for this – overcrowding…

”There has been a massive explosion at the city centre! But the Prime Minister is safe!” I could hear the loud noise through my thoughts. I think I was writing some nonsense or maybe spending time at Facebook. Stood up,…

It is hardly news to anyone that during the last few years, Europe and the West have witnessed a rather strong surge of populist rhetoric in politics, followed and accelerated by a dire shift in the news media landscapes. And…