“We are not ready to cut education, social security and important everyday services,” says Sdp’s Sanna Marin HS chairman in an interview. We interviewed all the chairmen of the parties elected to parliament in the last elections during the parliamentary elections.
On the day of the interview there’s a lot going on in the parliament interim question discussion.
The Coalition, the Christian Democrats and Liike Nyt challenge Sanna Marini (sd) led government on indebtedness.
During the election period, public sector debt in relation to gross domestic product has risen to 72 percent.
What does Sdp chairman Marin think about the fact that debt also seems to be a central theme in the parliamentary election battle?
“Economic choices show the differences in values and ideals between the parties. Our option is different from the right-wing option.”
Marin’s interview is part of HS’s series in which party leaders have met during the parliamentary elections. As part of the series about party leaders, personal photos as people and leaders are also published.
You can read Marin’s profile here:
Read more: Sanna Marin is a talented strategist who appears in public as more ideological than she is
Sdp started his election campaign last weekend.
At the same time, the party’s election program was announced, which promises citizens some kind of additional investments – whether we’re talking about social security or education.
Read more: Sdp would transfer the side costs of work to companies and tax more wealth
Read more: Marin at Sdp’s campaign start: Surgery is the right’s bitter medicine that doesn’t work
Marin repeats several times during the interview that he is not against adjustment measures either – as long as we talk about “fair expenditure and income adjustment”.
Expenditure adjustments mean cuts, while income adjustments mean tax increases.
Sdp’s program envisages, for example, “condensing tax bases” and shifting the focus of taxation towards ownership. In addition, the party would be ready to introduce temporary taxes, for example, to finance defense procurement.
But what about those cuts?
“The social democrats don’t believe that by cutting the breadcrumbs to growth, our society will succeed,” says Marin.
Party leader think that mistakes were made in Finland after the 2008 financial crisis. We were cut when we should have invested.
“It only led to ten wasted years and stunted growth,” says Marin.
“A large part of that debt is the result of that policy.”
Even last fall, in an interview with HS, the chairman of the party’s parliamentary group Antti Lindtman stressed that public spending must be cut in the next election period. Now the message seems to have changed. Are there differences in the party on this question?
“It’s not,” says Marin.
The party leader emphasizes that Sdp has also presented its own targets for spending adjustments. This includes, among other things, business subsidies.
“The party’s economic policy working group has done careful work and discussion [puolueen talouslinjasta] has visited both the parliamentary group and the party board based on this preparation. It’s a joint line, not one person’s line.”
Read more: Sdp presented its economic policy program: The party would avoid big cuts
Read more: Sdp changed its line: Government spending must be cut, says Antti Lindtman
“
“The social democrats don’t believe that cutting our society would make us successful.”
Marin says that by investing in “preventive measures” now, more expensive measures will be avoided in the future.
However, the government led by him has received criticism from, among others, the Economic Policy Evaluation Council that not all investments have been necessary by any means.
The evaluation council considered, among other things, that the extra child allowances paid in December were not needed and that the government’s electricity subsidies were not properly allocated either.
Should I have done it differently?
“As prime minister, I stand behind the government’s joint negotiations, I won’t stop at that. It is of course clear that in a five-party government, every solution is a compromise,” says Marin.
Sdp’s the program has received criticism from the opposition, but somewhat surprisingly, it has also attracted attention on the left side of the political field.
Among other things, a voice supporter of the left-wing coalition Kansan Uutiset wrote this week, that the Democrats still have “slightly less” spending savings than the left-wing coalition.
What does Marin think about the assessments that it would be difficult to separate the left-wing coalition and the Sdp from each other?
“Myself, I would not focus on such questions, but rather on concrete issues presented by the parties,” he says.
Marin’s according to this election, Finns have two options: the “line with cuts and significant tax reductions for the wealthy” offered by the right-wing and the line of the Social Democrats.
The confrontation is strong, but after the elections it should be possible to discuss – also with the coalition. Marinka is not closing the door on cooperation.
“We are ready to negotiate, but we are not ready to cut education, social security and important everyday services,” he says.
Regarding basic Finns, Marin repeats the view he expressed earlier that the Sdp would not be able to find a common understanding with the party on a government program that would satisfy both.
Do you wish for a continuation of the current board?
“During this term of government, many reforms have been made that have been important to the Social Democrats. This reign has not been painless either, but it has required a lot of difficult negotiations. But I see that a center-left government is one that can be used to develop Finland.”
Sdp’s the election campaign is based a lot on Marin himself. According to various polls, he is one of the most popular politicians in Finland.
But what does Marin himself intend after the election? If the position of Prime Minister is not available, would you be interested in, for example, the position of Minister of Finance?
“I’m not just going into this speculation. Our goal is to win the elections and ensure that Sdp continues as the prime minister’s party.”
Have you been asked at the EU level to consider some positions in the Council or the Commission, for example, and would you be interested in such positions?
“As far as I know, these discussions are not being held idly at the moment. I’ve been a little surprised by the news I’ve read in the newspaper.”
What about other international assignments?
“I am now focusing on these tasks.”
Fact
Three questions for Sanna Marin
-
If the government you lead could promote only three things, what would they be? “We would improve health and social services that are important to people and invest in education and sustainable growth.”
-
What was the last mistake your party made while in government? “During the corona pandemic, the restrictions on children and young people were prolonged. We have a big job ahead of us to correct the learning, care and welfare debt accumulated during the pandemic.”
-
Where would you put the extra billion? “For training, know-how and improving people’s basic services.”
#Chairman #interview #Sdps #Marin #cuts #led #wasted #decade #repeated
