An Investment In Hope

I just 'brunched' myself through a philosophical session with a friend. About the paradox of hope. Everyone in the Southern part of Europe would rely on it, was his statement. They all gamble, tip, and play games - all in the trust in hope. Not that money couldn't be invested better and safer. But you never know. Or what he framed as an investment in hope. A paradoxical concept. A contradiction in terms. The paradox of hope.

April 1st

This year, the tax reform comes in the form of 'Spring Package 2.0'. This year, early warning messages of the prime minister's special announcements fly very early - a bit like a wild goose. And this year, April 1st falls on 25th February. This is how today's open asking time in the Danish parliament can be summed up.

Prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen (V) wasn't one second late for the session. Well-dressed and prepared he merely repeated about the tax reform, presented yesterday, what was already known:

• Negociations depend on a solid tax stop
• Please abstain from too much creativity with the government proposal
• The Social Democrats (S) and The Socialist People's Party (F) have already resigned from negociations

The opposition, represented by Margrethe Vestager from the Social Liberals (B) for one, repeated their critique of the very locked proposal and negociation frame set at few days. But they were just that - repetitions.

Well, it wasn't like no warnings were given ahead: a practically void Parliament with few journalists around. And the prime minister has jested with the joint press before - in particular when it comes to 'special announcements'. One point for creativity to him. Looking for the paradox? Look no further: apparently he is allowed room for creativity.

Tax Reform Proposal

Yesterday five members of the current government presented their tax reform proposal to members of the press. Apparently they disregarded from several elements of the tax commission recommendations, under-financing the budget in 2010 with 12 billion DKK, relying on dynamic effects to kick start the economy. On the other hand, they came to the rescue of house owners with high mortgages - at least for the first couple of years - but gradually limiting the interest deductions from 33 to 25 percent over a transitional period towards 2019. And only for families with over 100.000 DKK, and 50.000 DKK for single persons, in interest rates. Politically edible. Economically paradoxical.

Respect For Journalists

Yesterday I had the chance to take the time of Søren Espersen from The Danish People's Party (O) for my interview project about journalism. With a background of being a journalist himself - and later chief public relations officer for the party - he had the greatest respect for journalists. 'I never said that' as a response from a source to quotations in papers, he didn't believe. The paradox, in his opinion, is rather when a quotation is brought into a setting that is far-fetched, with a manipulated illustration photo - or a conclusion that is stretched.

Political Chain Reaction

These days everybody is talking about our prime minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen from The Liberal Party of Denmark (V). Is he on the job hunt for a position as the Nato Secretary General? Or is he just networking abroad? Meanwhile the crown prince of his party, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, is said to have bought ten new suits, and the speculations run wild whether there will be an election soon. At least the opposition parties of The Danish Social Liberal Party (B), The Socialist People's Party (F), and headed by Helle Thorning-Schmidt from The Social Democrats (A), is back on its feet to promote suggestions of packages to kickstart the economy. Paradoxically rumours - more than anything - will bring about a political chain reaction.

For a more elaborate overview of the political scene in Denmark, please see:
http://paradoxicalnews.blogspot.com/2008/10/cliff-notes-to-danish-politics

Against The Current

Yesterday I had the chance to take the time of Marianne Jelved from the Social Liberals (B) as part of my interview project. In her opinion, what is lacking in journalism today is the one journalist who goes against the current of one-dimensional reporting. Paradoxically, she liked interview situations where she could unfold her political ideas with all nuances - but still called for a far more critical journalism to question the people of power to a greater extent. Responsibility accounting in exchange for scandal. Substance in stead of conflict.

Speed Talking

On Monday I interviewed speedtalking author, and a prize winning laureate, Knud Romer in his home - as part of my interview project. I can only say that the interview was not only a very interesting insight - with Knud Romer turning a piece of bread into a mountain of fine grains as he spoke - but also a fastpaced journey with lots of associations along the way. I tried my best to steer. But I was in control of neither speeder nor breaks...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Paradoxical News wishes everybody in the readership a very happy Valentine's Day! Today's paradox is all about love. Spread it around. No matter what.

Mr. Interview

Illustration photos of Kurt Strand in the Deadline studio
Last night I was lucky to take the busy time of Mr. Interview, Kurt Strand, a host on the DR2 late night news magazine of Deadline. This is part of the current interview project about interviews and journalists - in collaboration with a photographer. The interview was good and relaxed, and Kurt Strand very open and forthcoming. Apart from the situation where I missed a point made by the Deadline host - and I got what can only be described as 'the Kurt Strand glance' when repeating a question. Paradox: I asked for it. Don't mess with the master.

Meta-Comment No. 6

How do you stop what you didn't set in motion? All I ever wanted was simple and true. I just want the real deal. But sometimes reality beats the hell out of fiction. Since I was unable to stop the joke I created Paradoxical News. I'm happy to entertain. The joke is mutual.

Political Journalism

Get educated! Now even the politicians themselves throw this piece of advice back at journalists. This past week I was busy making interviews for a project at the Danish parliament. The quest is to find out how political sources view journalists and the interview situation. Among others I interviewed former leader of The Social Democrats (A), Mogens Lykketoft, and Anne Baastrup from The Socialist People's Party (F). Both were longing for more educated and better prepared journalists - so they wouldn't have to explain every political issue beginning with Adam and Eve. And more general knowledge in the political science department.

And apart from the tax commission's press conference, I attended an open consultation with the current Minister of Finance, Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Karen Jespersen, Minister of Welfare (of course we have such a minister), both from The Liberals (V), and requested by opposition members from The Social Democrats (A) and The Red-Green Alliance (Ø). About economy and cutbacks in the municipalities. With the ministers overruling every punch line, referring to local rule in the municipalities. This song was much the same as heard many times before over the past years. And no less true.

It must be a great job to be Minister of Finance. Just set the economic frame, with all 98 municipalities to fight over the fixed amount of means, because they are liable in solidarity not to excede the overall budget. Much like department managers in any modern private company fight each other for budgets. With, say, the research department criticizing the marketing department for being a redundant cost centre - and vice versa. Paradoxically the 'open' consultation was more like a dead end consultation.

For a more elaborate overview of the political scene in Denmark, please see:
http://paradoxicalnews.blogspot.com/2008/10/cliff-notes-to-danish-politics

Taxes - And How to Get Around Them

Trickle-Trickle. According to popular right-wing policy dynamic effects through tax reliefs are the solution to any economic problem. To kick-start the economy. To maintain economic sustainability. And what the heck - to make wealthy people happy. The song goes something like this: if you relieve the well-off of taxes they will work more and create jobs for everybody else. Thus creating a trickling effect - or dynamic effect - downwards in society and on the economy as a whole.

Every party in the opposition has bothered the current government about either the tax stop or reversely to look at tax reform. Nobody dares to say it, but everybody knows that the tax system cannot be touched before after the current plan towards 2010 runs out. So it's mostly to gain political momentum along the lines of 'I told you so' in the long wait till then. In other words, it's a polical dance around the scene until the budget negociations for 2010 starting this summer.

Today the tax commission published its report with suggestions to the government to our future economic problems. And the wise chairman, Carsten Koch, assured everybody at the press conference that the commission suggestions were not based on dynamic effects. But were all fully financed through tax reform, removing the middle tax entirely, and adding supplementary green taxes. And then. In the future there will be more (non-working) elderly people - to be financed by graduately reduced numbers of people in the work force. Only half of the future problem with lacking work force will be solved through this tax suggestion, about seven billion DKK. The rest - it turned out - would be assured by convincing people to work more, through tax reliefs. Overlooking the fact that several surveys show that people are not likely to use tax reliefs to work more. Three out of four would rather spend more time with their families. Still, isn't that what some people call dynamic effects? I'm sorry, I'm just paradoxed here.

The students were to have their student grants reduced from the fully financed six years (one year more than candidate level) to just four years. Whether they are to work at McDonalds or become poorer students, there is no sure way of saying. The winners seem to be the really poor and the really wealthy. Whereas the middle income house owners will gain less, and pay more over time. Perhaps a reprimande for the past couple of years of overspending on house loans and blown up house prices?

There is something for everybody in this reform: Greener economy, relieving the poor, creating dynamic effects, making the wealthy happier. This should satisfy political parties from The Socialists (F), The Social Democrats (S), The Social-Liberals (B), to The Liberals (V), The Concervatives (C), and The Danish People's Party (O). Each with little bits and pieces to match their political agendas. The only losers seem to be middle income people, students, house owners, and private companies. But hey, aren't those the ones to make the economic wheels run, now and in the future? Let's see how this tax reform plays out in the political negociations to follow.

For further information, see:
http://www.skattekommissionen.dk/
http://paradoxicalnews.blogspot.com/2008/12/dynamic-debate-or-comic-relief.html
http://paradoxicalnews.blogspot.com/2008/10/cliff-notes-to-danish-politics