There are approximately two handfuls of political parties in the Danish parliament. And trust me, they are handfuls. The left hand never knows what the right one is doing. No party is ever in complete majority. So coalition is the order of the day. With 179 members of the Danish parliament it would appear to be easy - just count to 90. But they all have to get along to rule the country. No party is too small to participate. Yes, there is a two percent limit to get into the parliament, but individuals can always get around that by simply getting enough votes as persons to enter. In the nineties one comic character actually entered the parliament promising tail wind on bicycle tracks (humoristic one-time event). And if this doesn't work - do like the numerous amounts of tiny left wing parties did when forming the ultimate left side in the parliament: unite. They had to after the fall of The Soviet Union and The Berlin Wall.
Thus seen on a horisontal line, and starting on the left wing, we are fortunate to have a colourful mix of the remains of the very, very socialist parties and the very, very green parties. In unison they usually - just - make it past the two percent limit. They call themselves Enhedslisten (Ø) - The Red-Green Alliance (or Unity List) - its chair person is Ms. Line Barfod. They appeal to a base of intellectuals, researchers, social workers, etc. One of the most noticeable persons in the party is the ever alert watch dog, Mr. Frank Aaen. Almost singlehandedly he works to keep the democracy alive and kicking. We are lucky to have a democratic safety valve in the parliamentary system - the so-called §20 open asking time that goes on record. And through these Q&A sessions Mr. Aaen, for one, keeps the government on its toes with truck loads of critical questions. Any government. Any time. The reason for this is naturally a healthy love of democracy and debate - that goes without saying - but also because The Red-Green Alliance will never be anywhere near influence and direct government, since no other party will include the party in a coalition. So they have the rare role of always being in opposition. No matter what side of the parliament is in government.
Next on the political line we have the very socialist and very green party of Socialistisk Folkeparti (F), The Socialist People's Party. They appeal to teachers, artists, social workers, intellectuals, blue collar workers, etc. Usually around 17 percent of the voters, but within this past year, they at one point persuaded around 21 percent of the voters. Why? Because of the party's chair person - or chair character - Mr. Villy Søvndal. He has no prime minister-like appearance at all, and doesn't need it. With hard welfare punchlines, fiery Socialist rhetoric, and tongue-in-cheek remarks he will persuade anybody - sometimes even right wing voters. This way, and on themes like immigration or terror, he actually manages to steel votes from the ultra Nationalist right wing party, but more about that - once we reach that end of the line. His party actually steals the base of the old left wing party of tradition:
Socialdemokratiet (A) - The Social Democrats - with its chair person, Ms. Helle Thorning-Schmidt. From 2005 on she is fairly new at this game, but with a prime minister-like appearance. She seldom opens her mouth without mentioning welfare, ordinary people's lives, and social security. The party appeals to the great formerly working class population gone middle class, since there are not too many lower class people left in the Danish welfare state. Nevertheless, the backing of the party has gradually fallen from the safe 30-40 percent of the votes in the olden days of the solid Danish welfare state to the current approximately 22-26 percent. The party has tried to move to the center to appeal to more people, but has lost voters in the process. Partly due to Mr. Søvndal's fiery cannibalism on the left wing, partly due to the extreme Right's growing succes.
And now the center. The place any large party in Danish politics tries to occupy, or encroach on as closely as possible. Paradoxically, here we find one of the smallest parties in Danish politics, with approximately 5-6 percent of the cultural elite votes, mainly attracting academics, public officers, intellectuals, artists, doctors, the creative class. In comparison with other parties, this is the party with the highest educated electorate ('the intelligent party' it is sometimes called - derogatorily, since equality is huge in Denmark): Det Radikale Venstre (B), or The Danish Social Liberal Party - with its chair person Ms. Margrethe Vestager. She also appears to be very prime minister-like, but she has no real use for this quality, since the leader of one of the major parties will always be appointed this post. The party members focus very much on both social and economic responsibility, can hardly open their mouths without mentioning democracy, freedom of speech, rule of law, and international co-operation. Don't be alarmed and fooled by the word 'radikale' - they are not in any way, shape or form 'radical'. The term is historic, from the time there was only a 'Right' and a 'Left' in Denmark - much like the USA today: Conservative/Republican or Liberal/Democrat. At that time it was considered very 'radical' to be Social-Liberal. In fact, the two major opposing parties can't get any closer to the center because of this party. They are in the way. Usually this party will be in a coalition government. They incessantly flirt to the Left and to the Right. And usually no major political player dares to ignore them - if they do the math and count to 90. But in the last three government periods they have been left out of coalition and influence, since the government finds it easier to count to 90 through the lucrative electorate of the ultra Right.
Somewhere around the center, we also find The Christian Democrats in Denmark - Kristendemokraterne (K). Or rather, sometimes we find them here. They have been out of the parliament in the last elections, having the support of voters of less than one percent. As the name suggests, they attract mainly dedicated Christians from all walks of life, stealing votes from both The Social Democrats and The Conservatives - that is, when they get votes. Having been reformed, they represented a line more Social than strictly Christian. Among other things they toned down their original 'pro-life' line, and pointed to The Social Democrats for government. That is right up until this weekend: At the party convention a new chair person from a Christian fundamentalist background was elected, Mr. Bjarne Hartung Kirkegaard. A return to the strickter Christian line is likely to follow.
Moving to the right side of the Danish parliament, traditionally covering the voter base of farmers and small business entrepreneurs - the party has become a big-city phenomenon for educated business men and women. Similar to The Social Democrats on the left side, attracting approximately 22-26 percent of the votes: the prime minister is called Mr. Anders Fogh Rasmussen and is from the Danish party of Venstre (V) - the traditional The Liberal Party of Denmark. He appears very prime minister and statesman-like, and used to be an ultra-Liberal, a spokes person for 'the minimalist state', but must have gone soft since the nineties, since today he has moved towards the center. Or rather, he signals having moved to the center. He manages a very rare form of government: Appealing to the mass votes of the center, alongside with including the extreme right in his majority of 90 members for passing bills (without including the party in the coalition itself). It appears to work. The coalition has done so for the past seven years, and rarely glances in the direction of other parties in the center or to the Left for the passing of bills. Many would argue - and do - that it doesn't actually work. Must be like the now redundant theory of the bumble bee.
Since The Liberal Party has gone partly center, partly extreme Right, today, there is room for an actual Liberal Party. Oddly dissidents from the Social-Liberals - and not from the old Liberal party - have formed their own party, Liberal Alliance (Y). The party appeals to both business men, educated elites, and voters who have simply had enough of the Nationalist retorique of the supporting right wing party of the current government. Liberal Alliance's chair person, Mr. Naser Khader, himself a secular Muslim, gained much support during the Danish cartoon crisis in 2005-2006, partly because of hefty speaking up for the freedom of speech, partly because of direct terror threats to his person. Directly after forming the party they gained upto 12 percent of the votes according to the polls. But because of scandals of colourful individuals in the party, they soon fell to right about the limit of two percent at the 2007 election. Now they barely exist at less than one percent of the votes in the polls. Paradoxical, since there ought to be plenty of room for them, having taken over the very Liberal space in the parliament. But nothing is logic in Danish politics.
On the really Right, we find Konservative (C) - The Conservative People's Party or The Conservatives. The only true coalition partner to The Liberal Party. The party covers a base of primarily small town middle class workers and civil servants, but also other people who set family values, fighting crime, and the climate high. The Conservative Party used to be the most powerful in Denmark - in the olden days. Gradually shrinking to a support of approximately 10 percent. Recently the Conservative chair person was changed - from a former prime minister-like policeman to a younger and outspoken woman, Ms. Lene Espersen. One could argue about her prime minister appearance, but she gains a lot of personal votes because of a direct style and fiery rhetoric. After this change the most recent opinion polls mark a rise in support to about 12-14 percent.
And now, finally, we reach the ultimate Right end of the line: Dansk Folkeparti (O) - The Danish People's Party has a tiny but powerful chair person, Ms. Pia Kjærsgaard. She is in no way prime minister-like - and frankly, my dear, doesn't seem give a damn about it, since this is not her mission. She gets her way anyway. To her, and the party, anything Danish is the top measure for anything. To a high extent, the party attracts blue collar workers, social workers, the unemployed, retired people, and anyone who is dissatisfied with European and International co-operation, if it means giving up the Danish welfare goods. Or anyone against immigration. No doubt that the party leaders are brilliant at covering these bases. The party springs from another right wing dissident party, and has gradually over a timespan of less than fifteen years gained remarkable influence, to a degree where the original extreme right party dwindled and dissolved. Being very Nationalist, it used to be a party absolutely no other party would take seriously, or consider in a coalition, because of a very strong and aggressive anti-immigration line. But today, representing 13-15 percent of the voter support (variying in some polls upto almost 17 percent) - nobody dares to ignore the party. Rhetorically, the only one to match Ms. Kjærsgaard is Mr. Villy Søvndal from The Socialist People's Party, mentioned earlier. Very effective, since they represent the dual aspect of the Danish Parliament in extreme form. Both are so-called 'value-based' parties. Both chair persons are fiery speakers to recommend and protect the Danish welfare system.
Apart from the parties we usually have 1-5 people in the parliament who have left their parties, for one reason or another. They fight hard for political influence, since they are not invited to anything and fight hard to get attention from the press. Personally, I enjoy every single one of the above parties and individuals. Representatives from all these parties are on my thank you list. Even though I don't support all - I thoroughly enjoy their participation in our Democracy. No one is redundant. They all cover their bases.
Thus seen on a horisontal line, and starting on the left wing, we are fortunate to have a colourful mix of the remains of the very, very socialist parties and the very, very green parties. In unison they usually - just - make it past the two percent limit. They call themselves Enhedslisten (Ø) - The Red-Green Alliance (or Unity List) - its chair person is Ms. Line Barfod. They appeal to a base of intellectuals, researchers, social workers, etc. One of the most noticeable persons in the party is the ever alert watch dog, Mr. Frank Aaen. Almost singlehandedly he works to keep the democracy alive and kicking. We are lucky to have a democratic safety valve in the parliamentary system - the so-called §20 open asking time that goes on record. And through these Q&A sessions Mr. Aaen, for one, keeps the government on its toes with truck loads of critical questions. Any government. Any time. The reason for this is naturally a healthy love of democracy and debate - that goes without saying - but also because The Red-Green Alliance will never be anywhere near influence and direct government, since no other party will include the party in a coalition. So they have the rare role of always being in opposition. No matter what side of the parliament is in government.
Next on the political line we have the very socialist and very green party of Socialistisk Folkeparti (F), The Socialist People's Party. They appeal to teachers, artists, social workers, intellectuals, blue collar workers, etc. Usually around 17 percent of the voters, but within this past year, they at one point persuaded around 21 percent of the voters. Why? Because of the party's chair person - or chair character - Mr. Villy Søvndal. He has no prime minister-like appearance at all, and doesn't need it. With hard welfare punchlines, fiery Socialist rhetoric, and tongue-in-cheek remarks he will persuade anybody - sometimes even right wing voters. This way, and on themes like immigration or terror, he actually manages to steel votes from the ultra Nationalist right wing party, but more about that - once we reach that end of the line. His party actually steals the base of the old left wing party of tradition:
Socialdemokratiet (A) - The Social Democrats - with its chair person, Ms. Helle Thorning-Schmidt. From 2005 on she is fairly new at this game, but with a prime minister-like appearance. She seldom opens her mouth without mentioning welfare, ordinary people's lives, and social security. The party appeals to the great formerly working class population gone middle class, since there are not too many lower class people left in the Danish welfare state. Nevertheless, the backing of the party has gradually fallen from the safe 30-40 percent of the votes in the olden days of the solid Danish welfare state to the current approximately 22-26 percent. The party has tried to move to the center to appeal to more people, but has lost voters in the process. Partly due to Mr. Søvndal's fiery cannibalism on the left wing, partly due to the extreme Right's growing succes.
And now the center. The place any large party in Danish politics tries to occupy, or encroach on as closely as possible. Paradoxically, here we find one of the smallest parties in Danish politics, with approximately 5-6 percent of the cultural elite votes, mainly attracting academics, public officers, intellectuals, artists, doctors, the creative class. In comparison with other parties, this is the party with the highest educated electorate ('the intelligent party' it is sometimes called - derogatorily, since equality is huge in Denmark): Det Radikale Venstre (B), or The Danish Social Liberal Party - with its chair person Ms. Margrethe Vestager. She also appears to be very prime minister-like, but she has no real use for this quality, since the leader of one of the major parties will always be appointed this post. The party members focus very much on both social and economic responsibility, can hardly open their mouths without mentioning democracy, freedom of speech, rule of law, and international co-operation. Don't be alarmed and fooled by the word 'radikale' - they are not in any way, shape or form 'radical'. The term is historic, from the time there was only a 'Right' and a 'Left' in Denmark - much like the USA today: Conservative/Republican or Liberal/Democrat. At that time it was considered very 'radical' to be Social-Liberal. In fact, the two major opposing parties can't get any closer to the center because of this party. They are in the way. Usually this party will be in a coalition government. They incessantly flirt to the Left and to the Right. And usually no major political player dares to ignore them - if they do the math and count to 90. But in the last three government periods they have been left out of coalition and influence, since the government finds it easier to count to 90 through the lucrative electorate of the ultra Right.
Somewhere around the center, we also find The Christian Democrats in Denmark - Kristendemokraterne (K). Or rather, sometimes we find them here. They have been out of the parliament in the last elections, having the support of voters of less than one percent. As the name suggests, they attract mainly dedicated Christians from all walks of life, stealing votes from both The Social Democrats and The Conservatives - that is, when they get votes. Having been reformed, they represented a line more Social than strictly Christian. Among other things they toned down their original 'pro-life' line, and pointed to The Social Democrats for government. That is right up until this weekend: At the party convention a new chair person from a Christian fundamentalist background was elected, Mr. Bjarne Hartung Kirkegaard. A return to the strickter Christian line is likely to follow.
Moving to the right side of the Danish parliament, traditionally covering the voter base of farmers and small business entrepreneurs - the party has become a big-city phenomenon for educated business men and women. Similar to The Social Democrats on the left side, attracting approximately 22-26 percent of the votes: the prime minister is called Mr. Anders Fogh Rasmussen and is from the Danish party of Venstre (V) - the traditional The Liberal Party of Denmark. He appears very prime minister and statesman-like, and used to be an ultra-Liberal, a spokes person for 'the minimalist state', but must have gone soft since the nineties, since today he has moved towards the center. Or rather, he signals having moved to the center. He manages a very rare form of government: Appealing to the mass votes of the center, alongside with including the extreme right in his majority of 90 members for passing bills (without including the party in the coalition itself). It appears to work. The coalition has done so for the past seven years, and rarely glances in the direction of other parties in the center or to the Left for the passing of bills. Many would argue - and do - that it doesn't actually work. Must be like the now redundant theory of the bumble bee.
Since The Liberal Party has gone partly center, partly extreme Right, today, there is room for an actual Liberal Party. Oddly dissidents from the Social-Liberals - and not from the old Liberal party - have formed their own party, Liberal Alliance (Y). The party appeals to both business men, educated elites, and voters who have simply had enough of the Nationalist retorique of the supporting right wing party of the current government. Liberal Alliance's chair person, Mr. Naser Khader, himself a secular Muslim, gained much support during the Danish cartoon crisis in 2005-2006, partly because of hefty speaking up for the freedom of speech, partly because of direct terror threats to his person. Directly after forming the party they gained upto 12 percent of the votes according to the polls. But because of scandals of colourful individuals in the party, they soon fell to right about the limit of two percent at the 2007 election. Now they barely exist at less than one percent of the votes in the polls. Paradoxical, since there ought to be plenty of room for them, having taken over the very Liberal space in the parliament. But nothing is logic in Danish politics.
On the really Right, we find Konservative (C) - The Conservative People's Party or The Conservatives. The only true coalition partner to The Liberal Party. The party covers a base of primarily small town middle class workers and civil servants, but also other people who set family values, fighting crime, and the climate high. The Conservative Party used to be the most powerful in Denmark - in the olden days. Gradually shrinking to a support of approximately 10 percent. Recently the Conservative chair person was changed - from a former prime minister-like policeman to a younger and outspoken woman, Ms. Lene Espersen. One could argue about her prime minister appearance, but she gains a lot of personal votes because of a direct style and fiery rhetoric. After this change the most recent opinion polls mark a rise in support to about 12-14 percent.
And now, finally, we reach the ultimate Right end of the line: Dansk Folkeparti (O) - The Danish People's Party has a tiny but powerful chair person, Ms. Pia Kjærsgaard. She is in no way prime minister-like - and frankly, my dear, doesn't seem give a damn about it, since this is not her mission. She gets her way anyway. To her, and the party, anything Danish is the top measure for anything. To a high extent, the party attracts blue collar workers, social workers, the unemployed, retired people, and anyone who is dissatisfied with European and International co-operation, if it means giving up the Danish welfare goods. Or anyone against immigration. No doubt that the party leaders are brilliant at covering these bases. The party springs from another right wing dissident party, and has gradually over a timespan of less than fifteen years gained remarkable influence, to a degree where the original extreme right party dwindled and dissolved. Being very Nationalist, it used to be a party absolutely no other party would take seriously, or consider in a coalition, because of a very strong and aggressive anti-immigration line. But today, representing 13-15 percent of the voter support (variying in some polls upto almost 17 percent) - nobody dares to ignore the party. Rhetorically, the only one to match Ms. Kjærsgaard is Mr. Villy Søvndal from The Socialist People's Party, mentioned earlier. Very effective, since they represent the dual aspect of the Danish Parliament in extreme form. Both are so-called 'value-based' parties. Both chair persons are fiery speakers to recommend and protect the Danish welfare system.
Apart from the parties we usually have 1-5 people in the parliament who have left their parties, for one reason or another. They fight hard for political influence, since they are not invited to anything and fight hard to get attention from the press. Personally, I enjoy every single one of the above parties and individuals. Representatives from all these parties are on my thank you list. Even though I don't support all - I thoroughly enjoy their participation in our Democracy. No one is redundant. They all cover their bases.
Danish poll for Ritzau:
http://www.catinet.dk/Catinetfv07/Gallery/index.html
Compare six different polls:
http://politiken.dk/politik/article380531.ece