6th May 2011
Dear Helder Fernande,
Your open letter (http://bit.ly/1stStone) got published in Finnish main newspaper Helsingin Sanomat. Congratulations for that. You surely knew how important, let's say holy role Winter War has in Finnish soul and hearth. However, I guess that while being openly provocative you missed your goal. Unless it was just being provocative. In addition to that memorizing of Portuguese sea men on seven seas, nor Magalhaes, nor colonies may not help while there isn't silver ship coming from colonies anymore. I personally, share your unhappiness while this means that silver cargo is now waited from us (among the others).
Make no mistakes, I don't, nor Finns (nor even True Finns) hate Portuguese. I couldn't say we do like to fail to Portugal at soccer but you surely understand. There are no hard feelings at personal level towards Portuguese.
The debate in Finland goes around the the question: why throw more gasoline (money) into the flames instead of solving the problem itself. There haven't been discussion about should Portuguese citizens be helped if they get hungry or if Spain or other country attack you. Not before you letter.
Finland met a hard depression, slow-down and bank crisis during the 1990's. Fernando, that could be more relevant point to be compared with your crisis than speaking about WW II and times of imperialism & colonialism. Take an investigation about Portugal's financial aid back then. Did Portugal gave billions to us? Nope. Hardly anyone helped Finland back then; we had to make similar hard decisions as Portugal will have to. Sad things happen, the parties finishes and the debt has to pay back. And trust me, we know how it feels like.
Since then we still have poor people queuing up for free food given by charity organizations. (Oh, this isn't widely notified in Finnish brand?) We are still paying back the debts from that era. That time we supported our own banks with foreign loans. Did Portugal or other countries help us to decrease high interests? No, you guessed again wrong. Those loans has taken by Finnish Government at high rates and paid pack by Finnish tax-payers until Finnish financial situation went better and rates lower. Finland is know as a country which has always discharger its debts. This is one thing why Finland still is AAA-rated even though our official state debt per capita equals Portugal's one. Moreover, there are municipal debts on top of that. How long we will be AAA-rated if we continue to give and loan money to lower rated countries. Capitalists are not stupid they read daily papers, eh?
Now, Finnish are arguing not as much about whatever we try to help Portugal but more about that international banks should also participate into the realization of risks. Finns don't like again and again save the bankers, pay all they risks, and let them get bonuses. Sorry about this sidetrack to economy. That's not why we work hard for Portugal.
And back to Winter War provocation, yes you'll get the response. Deeply thankful for Portuguese help we would like to pay back also this humanitarian aid as you on behalf of each Portuguese kindly asked. However, we feel paying the humanitarian aid back with bold cash to British, German and French bankers (among the others) is somehow grotesque and brutal. Moreover, you said that your citizens are suffering. Therefore, we would like to arrange a straightforward humanitarian aid directly to suffering Portuguese.
And Fernando when it comes time that you Fernando have to leave Portugal as a refugee, I personally can give you a accommodation together with our family. If you don't want to stay in Norway. Solidarity hasn't died yet.
Kindly regards,
COO
FAFP
Sorry but you a great ignorant sons of a bitch
VastaaPoistaBlogin hallinnoija on poistanut tämän kommentin.
VastaaPoistasorry for double-post, but the blogspot comments aren't allowing me to login as wordpress or OpenID
VastaaPoistathis is a copy of the comments at:
http://blog.tedxedges.com/2011/05/portuguese-journalist-writes-open.html
· 3 hours ago
I'm Portuguese and I perfectly understand what you're saying. Doesn't make any sense to give money that will be used to save bankers that did what they did, won the salaries that they won and... unbelievable still win...
But the problem in Portugal was never the banks. Since the problem with Greece we were always under pressure by the rating agencies (which I don't understand where's their credibility...) and some bad decisions by our politicians.
Unfortunately it will be always the people to pay and suffer, and the ones that caused everything will be sitting happy on their mansions...
Remember only this, nobody is giving money to anyone, it's a loan with interests.
IMF is having profits with Greece and Ireland....
pedalofilo0p · 11 minutes ago
Being Portuguese also: you think that the problem isn't the banks!??
The truth is that pressure is enforced where it has chances to trigger some results, and that is always at the weakest links. "peripheral countries", with state debts (not so different from others), are easier targets for the ransom demanders. The foreigner banks that were exposed to their own reckless greed have to get their "back-to-track + further profit" somewhere! You should know by now that's utterly unpopular to be helped back home (read: uk, germany, france ... ), so they know that this is the time to be Maquiavelic. And with their "divide, to rule them" tactics, they DID divide the portuguese politic lame arena, and they ARE dividing Portuguese people AND they are STARTING to divide seriously european people with these experiments of nationalism!
While I agree theoretically with Helder Fernandes about the meaning of solidarity, I have to agree even more with his mind that his heart: This should be the time to refuse the "help"! Because what Portugal needs is not an alms, we need to self-aware to we need to be the change that we want to see in the world. We need to break the vicious chain of being in the hands of loaners (our banks -> IMF,ECB,EC -> big global financials).
I end up with a metaphor: it's not the correct way for a smoke-addict to blame the doctor that doesn't prescribe him the final cigarette! The patient has to heal his "need". And don't tell me that he would "die" if stays some weeks without a smoke!
Nuno, thanks for your reaction. You might be right or then you missed the point of this blog. May be even the double scores! On behalf, of me, I and myself (in addition to FAFP) I bet the alternative in the center. You'll fall in love with pathetic set of glory day at http://bit.ly/lostchance
VastaaPoistaSure you also hate this days situatation presented at http://bit.ly/lCtDqa
No hard feelings.
Pedalofilo, I mostly agreed on your points. Helder Fernandes did a great job for anti-Portugal-helpers in Finland. However, he is provocateur on behalf of Portugal's government which is seeking the foreign enemy which could unify the Portuguese. The Finns get on line because of our elections. Well, having a enemy abroad helps a lot when hiding own mistakes.
Dear Sir,
VastaaPoistaI am a Portuguese citizen. I have read your post and would like to leave you some comments:
- Of course you are right, and the modest assistance given to the Finnish people by the modest Portuguese people 70 years ago has no connection with the present problem. The Portuguese journalist's article was just of bad taste: humanitarian aid and financial loan assistance are two completely different things.
- Having said that, let me tell you that you are morally and technically wrong when you compute the present value of the past Portuguese aid: that aid was then a big genuine effort from very poor individuals. You should not try to make our aid ridicule: you are very wrong in doing that.
- Also, your understanding of Portuguese History is clearly very superficial (and wrong). Therefore it would be wiser just not to talk about what you know so little.
- Finally, the matter was always about a loan, to be paid back with interest. If you, the Finns, pay your debts, we do just the same since some more centuries than your people.
I am very sorry that my country is, for our own errors, in such a desperate position. Because of this, my people is and will be suffering for a long time. But, if the Finns are not interested in giving us a loan that is perfectly all right for me, personally. In fact, if I had that power, the issue would be already closed.
I apologize I am not aware of you people's culture and history but I am sure that you can be proud of them. We, the Portuguese, are an old and strange people, with a mix of very positive and very negative characteristics. One of them (may be considered positive or negative) is to be altruistic and generous: you, the Finns, should count on us if, in the future, you people is in need. Another one (again positive or negative, depending of the view point) is to be proud: we will not forget the arrogance of the Finns for a long time and the relationship between the two peoples could not be colder.
My best regards,
Fernando Goncalves.
Sun Tzu: It is the rule in war, if ten times the enemy's strength, surround them; if five times, attack them; if double, be able to divide them; if equal,engage them; if fewer, be able to evade them; if weaker, be able to avoid them.
VastaaPoistaEuro: Surrounded. PIGS: attacked. Iberian fraternety: divided. Portugal: engage OR to evade? If you didn't avoid all these years, why to believe we can still "engage"?
And let's not fuel this war. In the end I hope that Finnish would help Portugal by coming here in holidays. You would be happy with our sun, country and hospitality. We would be working more while enjoying your visit. Everyone can leave this tension still with an happy face at the end of the day!
Hugs and kisses (to the beautiful Finn girls of the video ;) !
Pedalofilo,
VastaaPoistaYour advice of "not to fuel this neo-nationalistic war" is wise. The best answer to provocation could be total silence until the discussion focus on the causes of economic crisis and searching solutions for them.
I'm not feeling neo-nationalistic although I'll laugh at to these "Whats Finns should know about Portugal" video in Youtube. They don't help the issue.
I'll surely visit someday at Portugal unless it seems that I will not get there with this campaign. A Couples of my friends has visited and surely enjoyed.
Welcome to Finland also. Mid-night summer and thousands lakes are waiting for you together with Sauna and other exotic experiments and Metallic music.
Dear Fernando,
VastaaPoistayou said the truth. "The Portuguese journalist's article was just of bad taste: humanitarian aid and financial loan assistance are two completely different things."
* I don't know enough of Portuguese history nor economic to value this past Portuguese aid better. The point is that it helped somehow us, we are grateful of it. (Although it was not so big deal and it has not got any mention in Finland before Helder Fernandes wanted to pay it back.) Big deal or not is has given by good people, our Portuguese friends. Again, you got it.
* A quick reader of my blog might get feeling I'm putting every Portuguese to take his own medicine, I should more concentrate on those Portuguese provocateurs. (Or let them shame themselves in silence)
* Every nation has its history and right to keep it glorious. However, those Youtube videos are a examples of bad taste,too. Not all Portugal history is glorious. Not every colony were happy to belong under the Portugal control. What a shame we Finns didn't but slavery illegal earlier. Well, as we are not so good at marketing, we didn't see the point to deny something which has ever occurred in Finland. We do have black spots. How important the historic discussions were, they shouldn't be used for provocation. Counter provocation might not be the right way either. Points to more clever people.Like you. Just keep laughing at such provocations!
* Your analysis of Portuguese sounds familiar. I could write just the same of Finnish. Just wanted to add that after a while we could let mercy to work and forgive the old issues. We let other peoples live so they want if they just let us to do also so. But to tell truth, I haven't felt any anticipation for Portuguese people in Finland. Finns are not hating you. This protest goes more on direction of international bankers, EU's bureaucracy and stupid directives and investors bonuses. If we could just let them away from table, the Finns would unified to help.