I have decided that Finland is the country I will flee to and seek asylum if a Reform government is elected in the UK.
One reason is that I have a long and positive association with the country. I first went there when I was 19 and was hosted by a political science student who was entering his second year at uni like me and also shared an interest in media work. I had my first sauna at his parents' country home and also toured the lake district.
Since then I have made a number of return visits both for holidays and to collaborate with Finnish academics. I saw Charlton play at Oulu in the north and took my grandchildren to Lapland to see Father Christmas. It is a relatively cold country which is one of my criteria.
The Finns fought the Russians bravely and effectively in the Winter War, although they lost Karelia. They have now joined NATO and are fully prepared for any conflict. They have no illusions about Putin just because he is not 'woke'.
On my last visit I went on an organised trip to a small town. The mayor was a woman who had immigrated from the former Yugoslavia. I visited a residential facility for the elderly and I have never seen anywhere so well designed or welcoming.
For a number of years Finns have been declared among the happiest people on the planet. As the excellent book Finntopia makes clear Finland is not a utopia. It has its own populist party and recent events have shown there is some racism. The language is very difficult. But it is relatively egalitarian like other Nordic states.
If Reform do become the government it would mean living in a country where a substantial proportion of the population had very different values from my own. Despite living in the UK for almost 80 years, I wouldn't feel at home there any more.
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