Writings PRAGMATISM INSTEAD OF DOGMATISM | PRAGMATISM INSTEAD OF DOGMATISM |
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Nordic countries have been part of global trade since the Vikings took off from their home shores. Finns have bartered furs, tar and timber against southern goods for centuries. The more markets have been opened, the faster our economies have grown. History has taught us that protectionism is suicidal, especially for small economies. Open borders mean more opportunities, more jobs and increased prosperity. Most modern products need imported components. That is why successful Nordic firms today have subcontractors around the world, maintaining a win-win situation on the global market. We have also experienced that the higher the degree of industrial organization, the more moderate the trade unions are. A good social dialogue has been a vital part of our economic success. The well-being of the workers is essential for a dynamic enterprise. Because of globalisation the co-existence between social partners is quite often under pressure, but as long as the trade unions stay on board it is possible to solve the problems in a constructive way. Pragmatism is a virtue for all stakeholders in the society. A dogmatist in the labour market is somebody who would rather let everybody get the boot than agree to a compromise, like a doctor who refuses an amputation but leaves the wounded dying. A high degree of trust is needed in order to tackle the problems. It contributes directly to productivity and creativity, not only between social partners but also in everyday business life. It is even more important when an individual is facing problems in his or her personal life. The Danish have invented something called flexicurity which is an innovative way of fighting unemployment. The employer is able to lay off an employee in a flexible way but he or she is secured by reasonable dole money in between two jobs, though only if the person in question is actively looking for a new job. In a similar way, pragmatism is required in climate policymaking for Europe’s northern nations to survive. In order to keep warm, to provide more job opportunities and to have more emission-free (and Russian-free) energy, Finland has now decided to build a new nuclear plant. Sweden has been even more creative in its attempts to tackle both the present political climate and fulfil the emission targets. Since a referendum in 1980 when the public opposed nuclear energy, Sweden has quietly tripled her nuclear capacity and has recently prolonged the operating life of the existing power stations by a further 40 years. At the same time the Nordic countries are investing a lot in the research and development of second-generation biofuels. The better use of wood waste and household waste helps contribute to achieving the emission target too. But producing biofuel from grain products is not cost-efficient at northern latitudes and with all the additional costs involved it increases greenhouse gas emissions. And forced dogmatism is to be avoided. A schematic emission trade target for every single member state does not work in the direction intended. If the least polluting paper and pulp factories in the whole world have to cut back their production because of all-European emission trade rules, people will not just lose their jobs but the same amount of production will go to countries where they do not give a damn about pollution. This would be a soft-headed solution where the global emissions increase instead of decreasing. Pragmatism is a vital part of the European survival kit. Dogmatic attitudes either from the right side or the left side of our communities could only hamper our future and common European progress. Lasse Lehtinen |
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