JYVÄSKYLÄ STUDIES IN EDUCATION, PSYCHOLOGY AND SOCIAL RESEARCH 505 Onni Pekonen Debating “the ABCs of Parliamentary Life” The Learning of Parliamentary Rules and Practices in the Late Nineteenth-Century Finnish Diet and the Early Eduskunta JYVÄSKYLÄ STUDIES IN EDUCATION, PSYCHOLOGY AND SOCIAL RESEARCH 505 Onni Pekonen Debating “the ABCs of Parliamentary Life” The Learning of Parliamentary Rules and Practices in the Late Nineteenth-Century Finnish Diet and the Early Eduskunta Esitetään Jyväskylän yliopiston yhteiskuntatieteellisen tiedekunnan suostumuksella julkisesti tarkastettavaksi yliopiston vanhassa juhlasalissa S212 lokakuun 4. päivänä 2014 kello 12. Academic dissertation to be publicly discussed, by permission of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Jyväskylä, in building Seminarium, auditorium S212, on October 4, 2014 at 12 o’clock noon. UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ JYVÄSKYLÄ 2014 Debating “the ABCs of Parliamentary Life” The Learning of Parliamentary Rules and Practices in the Late Nineteenth-Century Finnish Diet and the Early Eduskunta JYVÄSKYLÄ STUDIES IN EDUCATION, PSYCHOLOGY AND SOCIAL RESEARCH 505 Onni Pekonen Debating “the ABCs of Parliamentary Life” The Learning of Parliamentary Rules and Practices in the Late Nineteenth-Century Finnish Diet and the Early Eduskunta UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ JYVÄSKYLÄ 2014 Editors Jussi Kotkavirta Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy, University of Jyväskylä Pekka Olsbo, Ville Korkiakangas Publishing Unit, University Library of Jyväskylä URN:ISBN:978-951-39-5843-5 ISBN 978-951-39-5843-5 (PDF) ISBN 978-951-39-5842-8 (nid.) ISSN 0075-4625 Copyright © 2014, by University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä University Printing House, Jyväskylä 2014 ABSTRACT Pekonen, Onni Debating “the ABCs of Parliamentary Life”: The Learning of Parliamentary Rules and Practices in the Late Nineteenth-Century Finnish Diet and the Early Eduskunta Jyväskylä: University of Jyväskylä, 2014, 357 p. (Jyväskylä Studies in Education, Psychology and Social Research ISSN 0075-4625; 505) ISBN 978-951-39-5842-8 (nid.) ISBN 978-951-39-5843-5 (PDF) ‘Parliament’ has become an empty word. Contrary to their historical purpose, parliaments today are often considered as merely representative and legislative assemblies. They are treated as parts of the system of government, while paying little attention to their deliberative character or modes of proceeding. This is also the case in Finland, although Finnish parliamentarism was in fact original- ly developed through intra-parliamentary procedures. The study examines the learning and development of parliamentary rules and practices in the late nineteenth-century Finnish Diet and the early twenti- eth-century unicameral parliament, the Eduskunta. It highlights a lost history of Finnish parliamentarism. While parliamentary government was largely out of the question in the Finnish grand duchy of the Russian Empire, the discussions in Finland reflect an understanding of parliamentarism as a procedural mode of politics. Procedures were seen as the essence of parliamentary activity; they of- fered a means to introduce characteristics of modern parliaments within the obsolete four-estate system. Contrary to the standard interpretation, the thesis shows that the formula- tion of Finnish procedures was a process based on an active following of a vari- ety of foreign discussions. Utilising possibilities offered by the recent digitisa- tion of historic Finnish newspapers, the study sheds light on previously unstud- ied topics and explores the press as a means for learning and teaching foreign parliamentary models and as an arena for debating Finnish procedures. Finland was part of a European discourse: newspapers offered a means to fill gaps in the availability of parliamentary literature in the European periphery. The early debates that had a defining influence on Eduskunta procedures were struggles between different conceptions of parliament. The procedural debates were closely connected to political agendas and ideological positions. Consequently, political groups used foreign models selectively, giving parlia- ment different purposes and character. In the thesis, the Finnish discussions are analysed through international nineteenth-century parliamentary literature and authors such as John Stuart Mill and François Guizot. Keywords: Eduskunta, parliamentarism, parliaments, estate diets, procedure, transnationalism, newspapers, mandate, unparliamentary language, plenum plenorum, publicity, stenography, obstruction, Helsingfors Dagblad Author’s address Onni Pekonen Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy / Political Science P. O. Box 35, FI-40014 Supervisors Professor Kari Palonen Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy University of Jyväskylä Senior Researcher Jussi Kurunmäki Department of Political Science Stockholm University Reviewers Senior Researcher Petri Koikkalainen University of Lapland Docent Henrik Stenius University of Helsinki Opponent Professor Henk te Velde University of Leiden ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My PhD project has been a meaningful and greatly enjoyable experience. I owe a debt of gratitude for this to the people I have had the pleasure to spend time and work with during my years at university. First and foremost I thank my supervisor Kari Palonen for his support and feedback. Kari encouraged me to continue with my studies after my master’s degree and offered me a start in his Academy of Finland Professorship project The Politics of Dissensus. I want to thank my second supervisor Jussi Kurunmäki for his valuable and detailed comments on my papers and especially on the manuscript. I am thankful to the reviewers of the manuscript, Henrik Stenius and Petri Koikkalainen, whose en- couraging feedback helped me to refine and further develop my ideas. A warm thanks is also due to Bill Hellberg for revising my English and helping me to clarify my style of presentation. I have been fortunate enough to enjoy the support and friendship of bril- liant colleagues at the Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy as well as at the various academic events in which I have participated in Finland and abroad. I am grateful to my long-time friend Anna Björk and to my university roommate Jouni Tilli. Both have been invaluable not only as colleagues, but in sharing and relieving the academic angst. Early on during my PhD Jouni tipped me about the digitised Historical Newspaper Library, which led my research to new fruitful paths. Expatriate Veli-Pekka Parkkinen deserves special thanks for his friendship within and without the academy as well as for understanding my taste in music. Dear friends at our department, such as Hannele Harjunen, He- lena Hirvonen, Henna Seinälä, Johanna Kivimäki, Laura Mankki, Melissa Plath and Antti Vesikko have been invaluable in reminding that the academic com- munity is not all about work. I would also like to thank Jarno Hietalahti for his daily morning drop-bys and companionship in bodybuilding. Members of our research team, initially organised around the Politics of Dissensus project, have offered important peer support throughout my PhD. I want to also thank Pasi Ihalainen and his team for the possibilities to share ide- as with inspiring researchers and for offering me the chance to take part in in- teresting academic events. For financial support I want to thank the Alfred Kordelin Foundation, the University of Jyväskylä, the Politics of Dissensus pro- ject, the Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy and the National Gradu- ate School of Political Studies (POLITU). I owe my warmest thanks to the ad- ministrative staff of the Faculty of the Social Sciences for their advice as well as for their regular treats of cakes and goodies. Friends outside the university, especially in the fields of fly fishing, foot- ball, floorball and music, have helped me to maintain a perspective and healthy balance in life. Finally, I am extremely grateful to my parents and Aada-Maria for their support and encouragement in my studies and in life in general. Jyväskylä 1.9.2014 Onni Pekonen CONTENTS ABSTRACT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 13 1.1 Reinterpreting Finnish parliamentarism ............................................... 13 1.2 Procedure for the procedure: debating within and outside the Swedish framework .................................................................................. 15 1.3 Research material: the occasion provided by digitised newspapers ................................................................................................ 23 1.4 Research questions, approach and methodology ................................ 26 1.5 Composition of the study ........................................................................ 34 2 THE PARLIAMENTARY LEARNING PROCESS IN FINLAND AND THE ROLE OF THE NEWSPAPER PRESS .............................................................. 37 2.1 Styles of learning: reading, travelling, doing ........................................ 37 2.2 Russian censorship and the availability of parliamentary literature in Finland .................................................................................. 38 2.3 The newspaper press as a means for studying foreign parliamentary models .............................................................................. 43 2.4 The newspaper press as an arena for debating Finnish procedures ................................................................................................