The Danish Debate

Bjørn Lomborg, MEP Karen Melchior and cannabis activist Cutter – A reportage from Folkemødet

Last weekend more than 100,000 people descended on the towns of Allinge and Sandvig on the island of Bornholm. They’ve come to The People’s Democratic Festival, Folkemødet [https://folkemoedet.dk/], to hear people talk. Several hundred tents are pitched throughout the two towns and inside them people can be found debating, day and night. The hosts are political parties, media, lobby groups and NGOs. All use the opportunity to pitch their agenda and engage their audience. I spent three days at Folkemødet, soaking up debates, drinking beer in the harbour and talking to as many people as I could. So this episode is slightly different. It’s a reportage of my long weekend, made up of five short interviews, and sound that captures the atmosphere. Among the guests is economist Bjørn Lomborg [https://twitter.com/BjornLomborg], newly elected MEP Karen Melchior [https://twitter.com/karmel80], and cannabis activist Cutter Mehri [https://www.facebook.com/cuttermerhi]. /Contact and feedback/ Please get in touch with feedback or ideas for future episodes. Are there any topics or issues in Danish society you want covering? Email me: peter@mothertongue.dk Otherwise you can find us on twitter, @thedanishdebate [https://twitter.com/TheDanishDebate], or instagram, @the_danish_debate [https://www.instagram.com/the_danish_debate/]

The Left win but remain deeply divided

Denmark has moved to the left. With a turnout of 84.6 percent, the left wing won a large majority in the Danish parliament on Wednesday’s general election. The next prime minister is likely to be Mette Frederiksen, leader of the Social Democrats, who, with the support of 91 MPs, holds a 2 seat majority. Lars Løkke Rasmussen, leader of the Liberal Party (Venstre) only has the support of 75 MPs, and has stepped down as PM to allow Frederiksen to try and form a government. But the drama is only just beginning. Forming a government with her three allies on the left is going to be a challenge. And just because the right wing lost power, it doesn’t mean they don’t see the election as a victory, of sorts. I’ve absorbed all the news and analysis I can find after letting the dust settle. And I’ve whittled it down to four major headlines. 1. If you can’t beat them, join them 2. The left is split on immigration and economic policy 3. The Danish People’s Party are decimated 4. The right wing lost, but stand strengthened 5. A record number of votes were lost To read the full article with GRAPHICS, click here [https://www.thedanishdebate.mothertongue.dk/home/episode-8-the-left-win-but-remain-deeply-divided], or follow this link: https://www.thedanishdebate.mothertongue.dk/home/episode-8-the-left-win-but-remain-deeply-divided [https://www.thedanishdebate.mothertongue.dk/home/episode-8-the-left-win-but-remain-deeply-divided] So what's next? Negotiations could take a few weeks, and in the meantime, there will be plenty of politics to discuss. How will the Left align on immigration? How will they raise money for their policies? And will voters be prepared to pay to realise their green vision? This coming weekend I head to the political festival Folkemødet where I will be speaking to as many politicians, commentators and ordinary people that I can. /Contact and feedback/ Please get in touch with feedback or ideas for future episodes. Are there any topics or issues in Danish society you want covering? Email me: peter@mothertongue.dk Otherwise you can find us on twitter, @thedanishdebate [https://twitter.com/TheDanishDebate], or instagram, @the_danish_debate [https://www.instagram.com/the_danish_debate/]

Election day – Martin Krasnik looks back on the campaign

Today is election day, and Danes finally head to the polls after four weeks of campaigning. But what have we learned so far? And while the polls point at a left wing victory, do we really have any idea what sort of government we will get? We speak to Martin Krasnik, editor-in-chief of conservative leaning Weekendavisen about why retirement and immigration are always the key issues in Danish elections, why no party has talked about fixing a tax authority that is riddled with scandal, and why it was right to call Rasmus Paludan a Nazi. /Contact and feedback/ Please get in touch with feedback or ideas for future episodes. Are there any topics or issues in Danish society you want covering? Email me: peter@mothertongue.dk Otherwise you can find us on twitter, @thedanishdebate [https://twitter.com/TheDanishDebate], or instagram, @the_danish_debate [https://www.instagram.com/the_danish_debate/]

One week to go – Countdown to the general election

We take a quick look at the results of the European Parliament elections and discuss the winners, the losers, and the candidate who, despite winning one of Denmark’s coveted 14 seats, decided he never really wanted the job in the first place.  🤷🏻‍♂️ And we speak to Karina Kosiara-Pedersen, an Associate Professor at the Department of Political science at the university of Copenhagen about the lay of the land with just one week to go before the general election. /Contact and feedback/ Please get in touch with feedback or ideas for future episodes. Are there any topics or issues in Danish society you want covering? Email me: peter@mothertongue.dk Otherwise you can find us on twitter, @thedanishdebate [https://twitter.com/TheDanishDebate], or instagram, @the_danish_debate [https://www.instagram.com/the_danish_debate/] Sound by Mads Jaeger.

The EU elections – The Danish Peoples Party on borders, bureaucracy and immigration

Rasmus Munch Søndergaard from the Danish People's Party explains the party's views on Europe, especially on the need for strong outer borders. This is the third episode on the EU Election. In the previous episode I spoke to Peter Laugesen, a journalist and co-founder the project Our Europe, who shared his unique insights into the state of Europe, the reality of life for young people across continent, and why far-right groups that target the young should be listened to. In the first EU Election episode, we set the scene with Maja Kluger Dionigi, a senior researcher at the pro-EU think tank Think Europe. /Contact and feedback/ Please get in touch with feedback or ideas for future episodes. Are there any topics or issues in Danish society you want covering? Email me: peter@mothertongue.dk Otherwise you can find us on twitter, @thedanishdebate [https://twitter.com/TheDanishDebate], or instagram, @the_danish_debate [https://www.instagram.com/the_danish_debate/]