News from Denmark

Today’s main headline involves a series of threatening letters that have been posted to some one hundred foreigners in the region of North Jutland. According to DR online, these letters carry images of Adolf Hitler and Rudolph Hess and warn the recipients (all of whom are foreigners) to leave Denmark before the ‘war against bastards’ begins. The police have described the letters as disgusting racism, which will not be tolerated, though they admit they have no leads on who sent the letters, which were anonymous. The leader of Denmark’s nazi party has denied any responsibility for the letters describing them as ‘an unsuccessful method of encouraging immigrants to leave Denmark’.


The political landscape in Denmark has shifted further in recent days. During the turmoil of the Mo’toons affair the polls indicated a dramatic shift to the right but in the last two months the numbers indicate a return to the previous equilibrium with the social democrats gradually making up their losses during various domestic political battles (education reform, social welfare reform etc). Now however, the Radikal Venstre party have said they will not, under any condition, support the current head of the Social democrats, Helle Thorning Schmidt.
This statement of ill will has surprised many onlookers since the two parties have joined in a common line during the ongoing welfare reform talks, but according to Margrethe Vestager, who is a high standing member of the Radikal Venstre (is sometimes referred to as the ‘Crown Princess’) the split is due to the Social democrats having adopted the governments policy of no more taxes. (This is a policy the Conservatives vetoed as a precondition for their cooperation, when the government was first joined in 2001) The next election is in 2009, so today’s announcement doesn’t really add up to much except as yet another indication of Marianne Jelved’s (leader of the Radikal Venstre) ambition to become the next Prime Minister.