Never say never, but not even Putin is so crazy as to attack a NATO country. He knows it’s a war he can’t win.
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When we join NATO, Finland’s drones will then be NATO’s drones 
Estonia’s NATO idea seems to be based on the premise that US forces would act as a kind of “glass shield” that Russia would have to break if it attacked Estonia.
Finland’s NATO membership would surely be of a different nature, more like Norway’s.
I see joining NATO as important to leave no room for Russia’s interpretations of our country’s ancient borders or borders based on their arbitrary decisions. Russia can denounce any agreement or arrangement it wishes, and everyone must now acknowledge that. Finland’s NATO criteria seem to already be met, and our defense equipment is compatible. Putin is now in a weak position; if Ukraine succumbs to his will, his popularity will rise, and he might soon direct efforts to start even a small conflict on our border just to prevent Finland from joining NATO. Membership in a defense alliance would also stabilize Finland’s economy for the same reasons mentioned above. It’s time for a “forced start” (ajolähtö - i.e., an urgent move).
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I don’t believe that under the current government, we will seek membership. The Left Alliance (Vasemmistoliitto) has a strong principled anti-NATO/anti-US stance, while the Centre Party (Keskusta) adheres to “credible independent defense.” I don’t think even the Social Democrats (Demarit) would make this decision without an internal party discussion on the matter.
We have too many people for whom the success of the United States and NATO is… well… a red flag. These people see… well… red, if the party they voted for takes Finland into NATO.
A party leadership that does this might become a former party leadership.
I hope I’m wrong.
I wonder if the people who prioritize their political careers and approval ratings over people’s safety are then willing to go to the front lines 
Probably not.
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Yle has conducted a comprehensive survey on public support for NATO, which is definitely worth reading if you’re interested in the topic.
“Taloustutkimus’s Pajunen: The Change is Widespread\n\nAccording to Jari Pajunen, CEO of Taloustutkimus, there have been significant shifts in Finns’ views on NATO in a short period.\n\nBased on the background data of the survey, support for NATO membership has grown steadily across all demographic groups. Supporters are therefore found more than before among different age groups, occupational groups, and those living in various parts of Finland.”\n\n"To the question of whether a national referendum should be held on Finland’s NATO membership, 65 percent of respondents rejected a referendum, and 24 percent considered it necessary. In the February survey, 41 percent supported a referendum, and 48 percent opposed it."\n\nYlen kysely: Nato-jäsenyyden kannatus vahvistuu – 62 prosenttia haluaa nyt Natoon | Yle
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If Finland decides to join NATO, it will probably be done in the same style as the devaluation of the Finnish mark back in the day.
In other words, vague answers like “Finland is not currently facing a military threat,” etc., will be given until it is announced that the application has been submitted.
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The Centre Party needs to be talked to about NATO in a language they understand. The Centre Party doesn’t understand the meaning of the word “NATO”. They can’t even pronounce the word out loud; instead, a look of strained effort appears on their faces, and only some mumbling about options comes out.
Perhaps the Centre Party could be helped to pronounce the word “NATO” using familiar words, like training wheels. Like this: “NATO self-sufficiency,” “NATO security of supply,” “NATO province,” etc. Once they learn to pronounce that, maybe they will eventually learn to say “NATO” as a word on its own.
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No one ever puts their political career before the common good. It’s just that the common good and one’s self-interest curiously often appear to be the same.
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Support for NATO membership in the poll is the same and opposition is smaller than in Helsingin Sanomat’s (HS) poll on the EU last summer, according to which a majority of Finns, 62%, would still have voted for Finland’s EU membership and 24% would have been against it.
The number of opponents, 16%, is truly small given that, among the parties, only the National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) has supported joining NATO before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. One can state laconically and with a slight chuckle that the Kremlin is changing our minds.
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Debate: To NATO or not? Erkki Tuomioja and Risto E.J. Penttilä discuss, among other things, the following questions:
How has the security situation changed?
How broad a consensus is needed to join NATO?
What is Erkki Tuomioja’s stance on NATO membership and NATO opinion polls?
What are the threats to Finland?
Whose interests are served by defending Finland, and what are Sweden’s interests?
Is Finland in a special position, not threatened by Russia in the same way as Ukraine and Belarus?
What are the disadvantages of NATO membership if Putin or a Putin-like leader continues, or in the development of democracy in Russia?
Is an attack on Finland likely?
What is Russia’s enemy image?
Current defense of NATO countries?
What is the next country where Russia might test Western unity?
What if Trump is in the White House?
Changes in defense policy in European countries?
Will permanent NATO troops or nuclear weapons be stationed in Finland after accession, or will it follow the Norwegian model if Finland joins?
The Russian border is and hopefully remains. What are the changing factors that will determine NATO accession?
Is Finland on the front line if it joins NATO, or can it stay out of the conflict between the West and Russia if it’s not in NATO?
Could the door to NATO close?
Do we start from the premise that the situation dictates whether we join NATO, or do we want to belong to the Western alliance even without an extreme threat?
What does information influence from the USA mean, in addition to Russia’s and China’s information influence?
What is the factor that makes one believe that Finland will not experience the fate of Ukraine?
What are the historical commonalities between Finland and Ukraine?
Can Putin’s actions be predicted?
Why is Putin implementing his vision with a big all-in risk right now?
The outcome of these two gentlemen’s vote on joining NATO:
Erkki Tuomioja - BLANK
Risto E.J. Penttilä - YES
(210) Debate: To NATO or not? Erkki Tuomioja and Risto E.J. Penttilä - YouTube
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Regarding Tuomioja, I note that he supported a referendum on NATO membership all those years when the majority of the people did not support NATO. Now that a clear majority supports NATO, the matter is no longer so important to Tuomioja.
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Allow me to open up about my stance on NATO.
Previously, that is, before Russia’s so-called assistance to Ukraine’s Nazi and drug-addict rulers, I was of the opinion that the world had evolved so much that NATO was an unnecessary remnant of the Second World War.
How wrong I was.
Now I want Finland to join NATO without a referendum, so that we/we Nazis and drug addicts can be saved.
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A very large portion of the officer corps in Finland has supported NATO membership for decades; last year, it was 65%. In the highest ranks of officers who responded to the survey, support for joining has been around 75-80%, if I recall correctly. And this was before the now escalating war in Ukraine.
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You can’t get into NATO by not applying…
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One says membership can be approved overnight, and another says it takes 2 years.
Someone among these experts is completely wrong when the gap is that wide.
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First, we were led to believe that there was a NATO option, and now that we would like to join NATO, we are told that our application would not even be processed.
The same goes for the referendum. When less than half supported NATO, there was talk of needing a referendum. Now that over 60 percent support it, there is absolutely no talk of a referendum.
I exaggerated a bit intentionally, but the idea should be clear. When decision-makers have a certain stance, justifications can be invented afterward to support it, no matter how stupid they are. That’s how it always goes, but now that the future of the country and the nation is at stake, I would hope for a bit of straightening up.
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In Finland, it’s said that it will take at least 2 years for Russians to remain content and not consider the Finnish NATO threat imminent. When those darn foreigners start blurting out these “can join overnight” comments, Russians will soon begin to suspect something. They should just keep quiet so we could quietly arrange everything behind the scenes…
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I guess you could already consider that latest opinion poll a kind of vote
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