Georg Henrik Wrede

I am honestly very tired of everything related to the COVID-19 pandemic. It feels like the information about what we can and should do is constantly changing. At best, it is unclear; at worst, it is contradictory.

We need to hold on a little longer; now it’s the final push – but then new setbacks come with news about mutations and so on. In the short term, it’s about trying to stay informed about what applies, but what about the longer perspective? We should be able to discuss it seriously.

We recently followed the so-called debate in parliament about the EU’s stimulus package. It was, one might say, “a lot of noise for nothing.” The effects of the EU’s recovery package seem mostly to be seen as the question of Finland as a net payer. With the large sums involved, it undeniably has long-term significance. Just like the decisions now being made nationally about budget deficits to ensure a better future.

Many old truths changed and had to be reconsidered when jobs disappeared and unemployment skyrocketed to new heights.

References to the recession in the 1990s have been mentioned in passing, but I think the long-term effects have been discussed too little, and the focus of the discussion has been somewhat off. This probably has to do with the fact that the recession in the early 1990s has a strong personal connection for me. My children were born during that time, and I was among those who finished university studies then.

Even though I personally was probably among the lucky ones in every way, I have somewhat of a shared experience of how the world changed for us who were young at the time. Many old truths changed and had to be reconsidered when jobs disappeared and unemployment skyrocketed to new heights.

A lot of research has been done on the consequences, many based on the extensive register material THL has from the cohort born in 1987. The results indicate that the cuts in public services, i.e., practically the municipal sector’s services, have had far-reaching negative effects on a large number of the children affected.

Who are the ones affected now, and what does the long-term outlook look like for them? Can we take measures to avoid repeating possible mistakes?

At the same time, I believe that the most profound negative long-term effects are about how restrictions and changes due to the pandemic have affected our children and young people.

It is naturally risky to pit groups against each other; one does not want to do that. But when distributing public resources, that is de facto what one is forced to do. It often involves tricky questions about how to prioritize between children and seniors. Older people who have now been protected with or against their will may have a greater sense of being a “burden on society” than otherwise. Everyone over 70 has been lumped together and had to endure various restrictions. It remains to be seen whether this has further affected society’s tendency to discriminate based on age.

At the same time, I believe that the most profound negative long-term effects are about how restrictions and changes due to the pandemic have affected our children and young people. They may not have been directly affected by illness and death, but there are strong indications that significant changes have occurred.

My deepest respect for everyone running in the municipal election.

The Youth Barometer has been published since 1994. It is based on self-assessments and is a blunt instrument but should not be neglected. A question about life satisfaction has been included since 1997. Young people (15–25 years) have been asked to rate how satisfied they are with a “school grade” (4–10). The results from the 2020 barometer showed the largest decline and the lowest rating since the question was first asked.

It is not an easy task, and one rarely gets thanks as a local decision-maker. It is gratifying that so many people are willing to take on that responsibility in the municipality voluntarily. My deepest respect for everyone running in the municipal election.

Those elected will face a long series of questions in the coming years where trade-offs must be made, regardless of how the municipalities’ future responsibility for social and health care turns out. For if there is anything the pandemic has taught us, it is that illness and health are not isolated phenomena that only concern how health care functions in the short term. They affect the entire society, from education and culture to public transport and digitalization. Much will change permanently and requires decisions to be made with a long-term perspective in mind.

This article by Georg Henrik Wrede was previously published in Swedish on Kommuntorget.