Danish Election!

[Jens]

Today at 1 PM, the Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen is giong to amounce that an election will be helt at the 8th of February!

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Any polls?

[Jens]

The Danish parties are:

The Government:

Venstre, Danmarks Liberale Parti (Left, Denmarks Liberal Party)
www.venstre.dk

Konservative Folkeparti (Conservative People's Party)
www.konservative.dk

The Centre Parties:

Kristendemokraterne (Christian Democrats)
www.kd.dk

Radikale Venstre (Radical Left - Don't let the name confuse you. It's a social-liberal party)
www.radikale.dk

The Left Parties:

Socialdemokraterne (Social Democrats)
www.socialdemokratiet.dk

Socialistisk Folkeparti (Socialist People's Party)
www.sf.dk

Enhedslisten (Unity List - former communists and left socialist)
www.enhedslisten.dk

The Right Party:

Danish People's Party
www.danskfolkeparti.dk

[Jens]

Current standings in the People's Diet are:

Government and support:

Venstre: 53 (56)
Konservative: 16 (16)

Dansk Folkeparti: 22 (22)

Opposition:
Socialdemokraterne: 52 (52)
Radikale: 9 (9)
SF: 12 (12)
KD: 4 (4)
CD: 1 (0)
Others: 2 (0)
North Atlantic reps: 4 (4)

[Jens]

Any polls?

Latest Poll:

Gallup institut for Berlingske Tidende:
V: 57
K: 14
DF: 21

SD: 55
R: 12
SF: 12
EL: 4

KD: 0
CD: 0

88 mandates is needed for a majority

[Jens]

Catinét Receach for Ritzaus Nyhedsbureau

V: 59
K: 16
DF: 21

SD: 48
R: 11
SF: 12
EL: 4

KD: 4
CD: 0

Catinet gives you polls from the last 6 months. It is one of the better poling firms

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Any chance of an upset?

[Jens]

Any chance of an upset?

Perhaps. The last election was very radical (Venstre becomming the largest party, DF doubbleling) but the PM is smooth and it looks like the Socialdemocrats will run a clean campaign
- I'm not sure that that is the clever thing. 3 MP's has left Venstre since 2001. One because he is on trial for embesselment and irregularities in Farum, the city where he was mayor; one for sexually harassing his secretary; and the last for having sex with a minor.
The former enviromental minister donated large amounts of money to his old school and his constituency. The former Tax minister failed to do anything about a tax hole. That cost the government 2-3 billion DK kroner. The current minister of finances has bought several farms but failed to live there and tried to limit the access to a public trail on his lands. Both quite illegal things.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Any chance of an upset?

Perhaps. The last election was very radical (Venstre becomming the largest party, DF doubbleling) but the PM is smooth and it looks like the Socialdemocrats will run a clean campaign
- I'm not sure that that is the clever thing. 3 MP's has left Venstre since 2001. One because he is on trial for embesselment and irregularities in Farum, the city where he was mayor; one for sexually harassing his secretary; and the last for having sex with a minor.
The former enviromental minister donated large amounts of money to his old school and his constituency. The former Tax minister failed to do anything about a tax hole. That cost the government 2-3 billion DK kroner. The current minister of finances has bought several farms but failed to live there and tried to limit the access to a public trail on his lands. Both quite illegal things.

If that sort of stuff happend over here, Venstre would be dead in the water

[Jens]

Any chance of an upset?

Perhaps. The last election was very radical (Venstre becomming the largest party, DF doubbleling) but the PM is smooth and it looks like the Socialdemocrats will run a clean campaign
- I'm not sure that that is the clever thing. 3 MP's has left Venstre since 2001. One because he is on trial for embesselment and irregularities in Farum, the city where he was mayor; one for sexually harassing his secretary; and the last for having sex with a minor.
The former enviromental minister donated large amounts of money to his old school and his constituency. The former Tax minister failed to do anything about a tax hole. That cost the government 2-3 billion DK kroner. The current minister of finances has bought several farms but failed to live there and tried to limit the access to a public trail on his lands. Both quite illegal things.

If that sort of stuff happend over here, Venstre would be dead in the water

He is smooth, and the media is quite conservative and has a weakness for a "Strong Leader" (probably the German influence ;-) )

[Platypus]

That is a very short campaign (only 'till the 8th)...

[Tory]

Which party will you vote for Jens?

[Jens]

Which party will you vote for Jens?

SF- I've been a party member the last 10 years :-)

[Jens]

That is a very short campaign (only 'till the 8th)...

That is a classic in Danish politics. The term limit is 4 years, but in nearly every election the PM has dissolved parliament before the term limit offen when the government had the momentum

[minionofmidas]

The polls are basically saying that nothing much will change.

Oh, except for EL (who's that?) and the possible death of both the small center-right parties.

[Jens]

The polls are basically saying that nothing much will change.

Oh, except for EL (who's that?) and the possible death of both the small center-right parties.

EL= Enhedslisten (Unity List) - a party originally constructed on the aches of DKP, the Danish communist party and VS, the Left Socialists along with some smaller left wing parties. Today a left wing socialist party

but Martin, if just some 2-3% changes the government might loose their majority with Danish People's Party and force them to govern with the centre. That would be a change to the better, not perfect but better ;-)

[minionofmidas]

The polls are basically saying that nothing much will change.

Oh, except for EL (who's that?) and the possible death of both the small center-right parties.

EL= Enhedslisten (Unity List) - a party originally constructed on the aches of DKP, the Danish communist party and VS, the Left Socialists along with some smaller left wing parties. Today a left wing socialist party

but Martin, if just some 2-3% changes the government might loose their majority with Danish People's Party and force them to govern with the centre. That would be a change to the better, not perfect but better ;-)

Much better.
But that would actually take quite a bit of change...that's 96 seats for the three of them in that poll.

[J. J.]

Does the monarch have any role in goverment, other than symbolic?

I know in Norway, the King has a vote in the Cabinet.

[Platypus]

Prince Freddie can have a vote in my cabinet...(I'm just joking to p*ss off Peter)

[Silent Hunter]

Which parties are in the PES voting group in the European Parliament?

[Jens]

Does the monarch have any role in goverment, other than symbolic?

I know in Norway, the King has a vote in the Cabinet.

The Queen has only a symbolic role, since Christian X fired the government in 1920 and caused the "Easter Crisis."
The only role the monach plays is after the election there is the "queen round" where each party points at a prime minister candidate and the queen then givens the one with the most votes the job of forming a government. Actually it is possible for the current government to stay in power even if it looses its majority. As long as there isn't a majority against it, it stays.

[Colin]

Can you give me a brief description of the parties, Jens?

[Jens]

Sure! (If anybody CET-timers et.al. wonders about the late hours, this is written, I just came home from a election planning meeting. I going to be in charge of a voting place for the first time - and it's one of the biggest in Denmark - well how was it you reprogrammed those voting machines ;-)

First of all, the system
The Danish electoral system is a proportional system where any party that gets more that 2% gets elected. This means that we have many parties, between 8 and 11 the last 30 years. Main Denmark elects 175 members of the People's Diet, Faroe Islands 2 members and Greenland 2 members.
The 175 mandates are divided into 135 district mandates and 40 additional mandates. the 135 district mandates are elected in 103 districts (some city districts have more that 1 dm) and the additional mandates are added on to reflect the actual percentage any party recieved. The system used is the modifided Sainte-Lagües and that is too bloody complicated to summarise, but generally the mandate spred accurately reflects the vote (aka no wasted votes)

Currently there is 9 parties in the Diet. These are:

Unity List: Old commies and left socialist

Socialist People's Party: between commies and social democrats. Used to be against EU but has resently desided to support the new constitution. Still a lot of old leftwingers that don't like US, EU, WTO, IMF and other capitalist pigs ;-) and younger well educated people. SF is also the green party

Social Democrats: A lot like Labour, but troubled by disagrement about immigrant (or as some call them, foreigners). Used to be a workers party, but these days workers are disappearing!

Radical Left: Not really radical or left (long story). Social liberal party. Used to be the broker in Danish politics, but the new majority i 2001 changed that. Lots of intellectuals and city folks.

Christian Democrats: centre Christians. Only party that is having a hard time with abortion, gay rights and other issues that are big in the US. Still much more moderate than most US Christian groups

Conservative People's Party: Classic social conservative. God, King and Country. Tries to be a passioned party, but suffers from internal strife and lack of personalities

Left, Denmarks Liberal Party: Sort of libetarian but not really. Used to be the farmers party. These days its for fiscally conservative that what lover taxes. But that would not give them the power so they also support the wellfare state. (Don't ask me how that works, cause I don't know)

Danish People's Party: Xenophobic, rascist, pseudo welfare lovers with a twist of fundamentalist christian biggots!! (Do not like these under any circumstances and any US GOP that claims that he/she would support this party, is going against the basic values of his and my country)

Not in parliament:

Centre Democrats: Conservative centre, don't really like commies, nor rascists. Previously been surviving on popular candidates


(It can't really be brief when there is 10+ parties running)

[ilikeverin]

I'd either be in the Socialist People's Party or the Radical Left

Go both of them!

[J. J.]

I'd probably be CD or CPP.