Persistence is the basis for influence

Eight months after the spring 2023 Parliamentary elections, the seats in Parliament House have found new owners. Parliamentary elections are about power at its purest - who will take the reins of domestic politics and set about forming Finland's next government?

The electoral landscape still seems clear for the time being, with the opposition party, the Coalition Party, chasing the number one spot in the polls. A short distance away is the current prime minister's party, the SDP, which wants to retain the prime minister's portfolio, and the SDP party office in Hakaniemi Circle House is hardly satisfied with anything less. Still, the elections are a long way off, so these are just the starting blocks for the electoral battle.

Elections often change the direction of politics. The political direction is strongly determined by the Prime Minister and, at the same time, by the party in the main government. The prime minister's job is to get differently minded parties to make decisions, while resolving key issues of contention.

Over the last few years we have been living in a social pinball machine. Crises and upheavals have come one after the other, challenging us to solve other problems. The most important resource for politicians is time, because time is limited. Crises always divert attention from slow-moving and longer-term problems.

In addition, the fast pace of policy-making has increased, which has increased the pressure on politicians to react. The best moment for a leading politician to react was usually just now, and the second best moment is now. If a crisis requiring comment arises on social or traditional media in the morning, it may be too late to comment on it in the evening. Things should be reacted to immediately, and the threshold for reaction has been lowered to zero.

The impact of a 24/7 society that is consuming persistence and resources is also visible on the desks of lobbyists and other influencers. As the attention and interest of decision-makers shifts from slow and inattentive issues to those that require a quick response, it is up to lobbyists to promote and keep the important issues that require long-term influence on the table.

Decision-making on large issues becomes piecemeal because of crises and rapid reaction, with sometimes long periods of inertia, while at other times there is no lack of momentum. Therefore, lobbyists need to work in a long-term perspective in several policy directions. This is particularly important in the context of elections: when power changes hands and things drag on, quite different figures may take over.

Alvar Euro

The author is an analyst at Blic and an idealist who believes in change.