"White nationalist" party comes within 0.2% of winning Finnish election

It was a real photo Finnish! What are the results? [Got the pun in the very first sentence, eh. Ed.] Final results from last week's election in Finland gave the left(ish) Social Democratic Party the win, beating the populist -- if you're a liberal, add "racist", "white nationalist", etc - Finns Party by an RCH -- just 0.2% of the vote.

The campaign centered on Finland's generous welfare system, "climate change" and immigration. Finland has not experienced the flood of "refugees" and asylum-seekers which has inundated more southerly parts of Europe. Only 6.6% of the population is foreign-born. Controlling immigration became an election issue only recently. But the Finns Party attracted voters from small towns and villages worried about being overrun by non-white Muslims, especially following highly publicized incidents of sexual assaults by migrants.

Buoyed by support from aforesaid smaller places and rural areas, the Finns Party garnered 17.5% of the popular vote. The Social Democratic Party (read: pinkos) pipped them at the post, however, with 17.7% support, after campaigning against austerity imposed by the outgoing centre-right government. The conservative National Coalition Party, which was part of that centre-right coalition, garnered 17%. That's the price conservatives pay, then, for fighting amongst themselves. Republicans take note!

Why is Walt telling you this? Because the win of the populist Finns Party has repercussions for Europe as a hole. [Ed., don't correct that.] On july 1st, Finland is set to take over the rotating presidensity of the European Union. European liberals and one-worlders (Hello, George Soros!) were watching the performance of the Finns Party closely. French President Emmanuel Macron and other Euroweenies are already clutching their pearls at the prospect of other euroskeptic and nationalist parties making strong gains in next month's EU parliamentary elections. Stay tuned.

To help you keep score (and know who to cheer for, if so inclined), Ed. has found this helpful map (updated last September) showing the rise of nationalism in Europe. Next month's EU elections will be a good test, since all EU countries -- even the UK if it hasn't Brexited by then -- will go to the polls at the same time and over the same issues. The Finns Party is just one part of the nationalist bloc of European parties aiming to challenge EU policies on migration, security, family and the environment. Walt wishes them good luck!