The only ones still clinging to a politically correct past are the so-called “anointed ones” Thomas Sowell calls them whose dogmatic worldview is immune to all evidence.
I have been an immigrant three times in my life: Sweden, Estonia and Portugal, so I speak both experience and on the basis of the information. In the 1980s, I first noticed problems while living in Gothenburg. It was clear that many immigrants from developing countries did not want to integrate but instead built mosques in the Scandinavian suburbs.
Studies show that indigenous peoples began to change. The areas began to separate from Swedish culture and way of life. Today, they have become so separate that some call them “non-zones” because of high crime and unrest. The cost is staggering.
One reason why so many immigrants are seeking asylum in Scandinavia is the magnificent welfare state we have built for our citizens. Without this incentive, immigration figures would be similar to those in Eastern Europe, meaning they are virtually non-existent. I have seen this first hand when I lived in Estonia, where every immigrant takes care of himself by working.
So how should we manage sustainable migration?
The main incentive must be employment and immigrants must be employable. Refuse this – and you will break up all welfare states. In addition to this, you reduce social capital, trust and cohesion.
There is no room in Finland for parallel societies where the country’s laws and way of life are not respected. We are working to improve equality and our Western values - we are not sending them back. For example, Finland is not an Islamic country – just to state the obvious – and Finns do not have to change their way of life. It’s the opposite.
In recent years, it has become very trendy to reduce everything to racism. The word is redefined as unknown and is mostly used as a tool to silence critics. My message is: don’t be afraid. The world does not end just because someone calls you a bad name, so I want to say clearly: there is no racism to oppose segregation, to criticize the cost of immigration policy and to protect the national home and heritage. It’s just reasonable. And that is the only sustainable way.
The nation-state is the best and only, tried-and-tested way of organizing a free, democratic society capable of maintaining a welfare state. Citizens have a duty to protect it. And when we move to another country, we must respect its values. “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” And when you are in Finland, have a beer in one of the saunas.
Veikko Vallin is a Finnish politician and businessman. He is currently serving in the Finnish Parliament on behalf of the Finnish Party in the Pirkanmaa constituency.
This article is written for MP Talk, which is a regular column in the Helsinki Times, where members of the Finnish Parliament share their thoughts and opinions. All opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Helsinki Times.
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