As mentioned earlier we are fortunate to have a couple of handfuls of political parties in the Danish parliament. Why? Because they cover all bases. Because they balance each other. And in particular because the parties in either end of the political scale serve as barometers.
Take Pia Kjærsgaard from the Right, The Danish People's Party (O), who will speak up for anything Danish, the welfare state - and against immigration, terror, and crime. In this party, they have dealt with extremists in their own midst on a party basis in the 90'ies, and with elected individuals continuously. But they are very important to have in the Danish parliament. You see, they absorb and represent the very dissatisfied people on the Right. So if this party grows (and it has done continuously in the past ten years or more, from five-ten percent to the current 14-15 percent of the votes) - there must be an imbalance in the political system. They are a political barometer. This way we can always see which way the wind blows in the Danish population, and - in particular - how hard it blows.
Or take the fuzzy political personality of Villy Søvndal from The Socialist People's Party (F). He will match Pia Kjærsgaard on welfare issues and terror any day. But reversely he will speak up for immigrants, refugees and the socially deprived to contest her rhetorique. Apart from shooting from his hip in all possible political directions. His method on the other hand is through irony and tongue-in-cheek remarks. This is to satisfy the dissatisfied on the Left. His party has also grown from a measly 10-12 percent of the votes to around 17-19 percent in more recent polls. So there must be an imbalance on the Left as well. Since the wind is also blowing strongly in this end of the scale according to the political barometer.
Both of the above parties are so-called 'value' parties - with none or very small chances of participating in an actual coalition government. But they are indispensable when it comes to checking the political weather conditions. So being in government shouldn't be that hard: just knock on the barometer! Paradox: Perhaps this is why prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen from The Liberals (V), alongside continuous co-operation with the ultra Right, signals having gone green all of a sudden?
See blog-article:
http://paradoxicalnews.blogspot.com/2008/11/stealing-bases.html
For a more elaborate overview of the political scene in Denmark, please see:
http://paradoxicalnews.blogspot.com/2008/10/cliff-notes-to-danish-politics
Take Pia Kjærsgaard from the Right, The Danish People's Party (O), who will speak up for anything Danish, the welfare state - and against immigration, terror, and crime. In this party, they have dealt with extremists in their own midst on a party basis in the 90'ies, and with elected individuals continuously. But they are very important to have in the Danish parliament. You see, they absorb and represent the very dissatisfied people on the Right. So if this party grows (and it has done continuously in the past ten years or more, from five-ten percent to the current 14-15 percent of the votes) - there must be an imbalance in the political system. They are a political barometer. This way we can always see which way the wind blows in the Danish population, and - in particular - how hard it blows.
Or take the fuzzy political personality of Villy Søvndal from The Socialist People's Party (F). He will match Pia Kjærsgaard on welfare issues and terror any day. But reversely he will speak up for immigrants, refugees and the socially deprived to contest her rhetorique. Apart from shooting from his hip in all possible political directions. His method on the other hand is through irony and tongue-in-cheek remarks. This is to satisfy the dissatisfied on the Left. His party has also grown from a measly 10-12 percent of the votes to around 17-19 percent in more recent polls. So there must be an imbalance on the Left as well. Since the wind is also blowing strongly in this end of the scale according to the political barometer.
Both of the above parties are so-called 'value' parties - with none or very small chances of participating in an actual coalition government. But they are indispensable when it comes to checking the political weather conditions. So being in government shouldn't be that hard: just knock on the barometer! Paradox: Perhaps this is why prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen from The Liberals (V), alongside continuous co-operation with the ultra Right, signals having gone green all of a sudden?
See blog-article:
http://paradoxicalnews.blogspot.com/2008/11/stealing-bases.html
For a more elaborate overview of the political scene in Denmark, please see:
http://paradoxicalnews.blogspot.com/2008/10/cliff-notes-to-danish-politics