I READ recently that Finland is the happiest country in the world.

Having visited Helsinki and the Finnish countryside three years ago, this does not surprise me.

Finland is sparsely populated and the Finns have high wages, excellent working conditions, long holidays (spent mainly in Finland) and top class state services, such as education, health and transport. Crime rates are low.

I would also suggest the Finns are happy because neither their society nor their workforce is being disrupted and destabilised by unsustainable immigration. Despite the single market, Finland has managed to keep immigration down to extremely low levels; a factor which contributes to the happiness, not only of the Finns but of the immigrants themselves.

Of the five Scandinavian countries, Finland (1), Norway (2), Denmark (3), and Iceland (4) lead the happiness league, while Sweden languishes at number nine.

Could this be explained by the Swedish government’s recent open-door immigration policy? I would suggest it’s a major factor!

Cllr Steve Kay,

Moorsholm, east Cleveland