The doctor needs to understand you

« I was born in Finland, my dad is an Icelandic actor, Borgar Garðarsson, and my mom is Finnish. She worked at the time, before I was born, in the Nordic House in Reykjavik, says Silja Borgarsdóttir Sandelin, Secretary General of the Swedish People's Party SFP in the Finnish Parliament, which has also been a member of the Helsinki City Council for the past eight years.

Silja speaks fluent Icelandic without ever living in Iceland, except for a short period when she worked for Máli and culture. « It was the year I became a student, otherwise I have never lived in Iceland. Dad speaks Icelandic to me and my mom and together they speak Swedish, ”says Silja his joint Nordic childhood home.

The family lived for five years in Denmark, besides Silja has been living in Finland and is originally from the capital Helsinki. The trigger of her Icelandic stay at the time was that her parents felt desirable for her daughter to gain a greater Iceland connection, being half of that nationality.

Hard to say things well in Iceland

« I first went to the teenage work and was just going to be this summer, but it was so much fun that I only extended, got the job in language and culture and was in Iceland for half a year, » says the parliamentary party secretary, « Anna Einarsdóttir, a friend of parents, worked there and

When asked, she does not preclude further Iceland's stay, on the contrary, life, however, has only become more complicated now than 22 years ago, « I have a family and then I am working in politics here in Finland and she all goes out in the language, I need to be able to say things well and it is just a very difficult time in Iceland. Her measure in this conversation reflects the problem badly, Silja delivers Icelandic without ahead, as measured in the Finnish language that offers hard -cord grammar.

How is it that you go into politics that don't seem to be in your immediate family?

« I was in college in Turku and things didn't feel quite good enough at school, so I went to a living in student politics, » says Silja, who turned out to have previously unknown electorate within the organization. She shaved her overwhelming majority of votes and got election. With that, the ball was rolled and nothing less than the European Parliament ahead.

Silja began the political career in student politics at the University of Turku and went almost directly from there in the 2009 European Parliament.

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« It was so that a few years later I was talking about it and it went just very well so since I have been in politics, » says Silja, who was in the Finnish handball team when she went to the European Parliament and had to sacrifice the handball for politics. This was in 2009 and reported mbl.is in a brief news in April of that year that Icelanders were in a candidacy for the European Parliament.

Swedish -speaking minority lower percentage

Silja studied political science at the University of Turku, took both BA and MA degrees in the industry. « First, I worked for the SFP youth department and was then the assistant to the four ministers of the party before I became his secretary at the parliament, » she says, but the last Minister of Finnish government that Silja worked for was the Minister of Sports and Adolescents. Therefore, the Ministry of Finances. Prior to that, she worked alongside the Minister of Justice, the Nordic Minister of Cooperation and the Minister of Defense.

A journalist asks Silja in the position of Swedish -speaking Finn, but in that minority group the country has decreased somewhat in recent years. Does their voice still sound high and clear in Finnish society?

« Yes, I would say that, » replies Silja, « they have not decreased numerically, but they are a lower percentage of Finnish society today, » she continues, mentions the percentage just below six percentage points. « What is happening in Finland now is that those who speak Finnish and Swedish do not increase, those who speak other languages, however, increase in society and there is no one group that speaks one language. Previously, it was a lot to the Russians, but now everything is closed there. « 

She says the Swedish still stands firm in Finland, « but the question is always in our politics in the Swedish People's Party whether it is better to be in government or opposition and the answer is always on the way that it is better to be in government, then it becomes less difficult to be, »

Silja, son Benjamin Ísar Siljuson and Birgitta Lindholm. She tells people who speak other things than Finnish and Swedish now increase rapidly in Finland. Previously, Russia was very much aware of that increase, but that door has been closed for a while.

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Mis-Stirt between groups

The bar is always the same when it comes to elections, « which is getting people to vote, that's number one. Of those who vote for us, there are about 75 percent Swedish -speaking and you always ask themselves if those of our non -Swedish voters are Finnish -speaking or talking other languages. The latter group has a very small turnout, ”says Silja.

How are the communication of these two social groups, Finnish and Swedish-speaking Finn, is there any riges?

This says Silja is very different by periods. « Now, for example, I think this is all right, but of course there are always some people who have to learn Swedish at school. About ten years ago, it was much more difficult, (the political party) true Finns wanted to come to East Finland that the Swedish study was replaced by Russian, but it got a little background, one school exchange, but just for a short time, « says Silja.

What are the issues especially for a while that are at the top of the Swedish People's Party?

« Education is always very high for us, that it is good and that people can educate themselves both in Finnish and Swedish. It is always number one and so is « Social and Hälsovård » immediately afterwards, « replies Silja, explaining examples of issues that the party is preoccupied with within social health protection.

« If you get sick, you have to understand the doctor who cares for you and he has to understand you, » she says, and most people must agree. Of course, when the public case in the country is more than one, there will be a challenge.

Silja with the hometown in the back, the huge organized Helsinki where everything seems to have succeeded that did not succeed in many parts of the Nordic countries, such as in public transport and more.

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Do not want no immigrants

As the third heart of the party, Silja calls the economy and says Finn has been better at the stronghold there. « The country's economy is difficult now and one of the things we are constantly looking at is just what can be done better, » Silja continues and is asked about immigration issues in Finland.

« Here with us, immigrants are not many compared to, for example, Denmark and Sweden, but the debate about them is very hard, » says Silja. « In my category, we look at immigrants as something that Finland needs. The nation is getting older, fertility is not enough and we need people who can work, ”it continues.

This hardline party is true to Finns. « They do not want to get any immigrants and preferably get rid of those who are already in the country, » says Silja, not thinking twice before answering the question yes that true Finns are a so -called right -wing category.

« It is great to be an Icelander in Finland. Finns have a very positive picture of Iceland and Icelanders. I think they see many similarities to themselves and Icelanders, as seen by how well these nations are doing in Nordic co -operation. « 

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But plenty of politics at this time. What should be the experience of Icelanders in Finland? We overlook that Silja has only lived in Iceland for six months.

« It is great to be an Icelander in Finland. Finns have a very positive picture of Iceland and Icelanders. I think they see many similarities to themselves and Icelanders, as seen by how well these nations are doing in Nordic co -operation. Here is an Icelandic embassy and there are sometimes gatherings, for example Christmas balls, but otherwise there is not much about organized gatherings of Icelanders here, ”says Silja, who also said she remembers Icelandic Sunday school in Finland when she was a child. However, he has disappeared.

Heading tirelessly at Congress

When asked, she said she was heading for parliament following the next election in 2027. Silja has twice been in the running and both times rejected in third place, but in Finland there is a personal election, not an art election. She says the fight is hard to get one of the 200 Finnish parliamentary seats available – and it must not be forgotten that Finns are going to local elections this spring. There she offers herself for a continued seat.

Silja Borgarsdóttir Sandelin, however, probably said he will not be in the field of politics all his life. But this life is far from the team and ahead are elections in every Secretary of State of the Swedish People's Party in the Finnish parliament will tempt the fortune again. Libra works, Losing loses.