These are extracts from citizen consultations in Kuopio, regional centre of 100,000 inhabitants in the middle of a vast rural area 380 kilometres northeast from Helsinki. Kuopio is famous for its easy-going, down-to-earth people, and its contribution to Finnish arts, philosophy and the nineteenth
The small city of Kouvola lies in forests where once the paper industry thrived. Recently, the region has suffered from closing factories and loss of jobs. Kouvola is one of the most important strongholds for the Finns Party. The following excerpts are taken from a focus group of party supporters.
