2009-02-24

Scandinavian Politics: new Danish PM?

Hej to all on the Scandinavian Politics list,

While the fate of its car-making industry is the hottest story in Sweden
(and it looks pretty grim), the following - courtesy of my colleague
Flemming Juul Christiansen of the University of Aarhus - is what's
happening, and what might be about to happen, in Denmark.

-----

The Danish government today presented its tax reform proposal. It will
reduce taxation, especially for people with high incomes. The stated
purpose is to create incentives for work. The reform is underfinanced to
begin with, in order to help the economy. But in the long run – there
are in-built effects until 2019 - it is financed by increased taxation
on fat in foods, pollution, tobacco and soft water, as well as reduced
value of deductions. A proposal to cut student subsidies did not become
part of the proposal. The government is almost certain to have the
support of the Danish People's Party for a proposal very close to the
one presented.

At the same time, rumours abound as to why the prime minister, Anders
Fogh Rasmussen, has announced that he himself tomorrow will take
questions in the Folketing and thereby have a reason to make 'a special
announcement'. The speculation is that he will resign to become general
secretary of NATO. In that case, his successor would be elected at the
beginning of April. But that is not completely certain. If Fogh
Rasmussen does depart, there is no doubt that it will be the finance
minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who is also vice chairman of the Liberal
Party, who will take over. He would be the third consecutive prime
minister with the name Rasmussen.

-----

Nick Aylott.
--
Dr Nicholas Aylott, senior lecturer (docent) in political science
School of Social Sciences, Södertörn University, Stockholm
SE-141 89 Huddinge, Sweden
www.sh.se/samhallsvetenskaper

Please feel free to forward this message to anyone who might be
interested. To join the Scandinavian Politics mailing list, send a
message to me, the convenor (nicholas.aylott@sh.se). If you want to send
something to the list, or if you don't want to receive these occasional
messages, just let me know. See also www.psa.ac.uk/scandinavia/

2009-02-05

Scandinavian Politics: 2008 report, Nordic politics latest

Hej to all on the Scandinavian Politics list,

This is primarily to let you know that our group's annual report and
application for further funding from the PSA has now been submitted. It
can be found at our group's website - which, incidentally, has been
revamped somewhat, with what I hope are much better archives of previous
messages and files (Google apps really are fantastically useful), and a
new URL, too (see below).

Remember that this PSA funding is dependent on our maintaining activity.
So if you have an idea for a Nordic-politics-related seminar or workshop
during 2009, several hundred pounds from our specialist group might be
available.

Moreover, even though we won't formally have a panel there, around £150
is available to postgraduate students (and possibly others, too)
attending the PSA conference in Manchester in April 2008, to help with
travel and the conference fee. All they need to be doing is presenting a
Nordic-politics-related paper. Those interested should get in touch with
me as soon as possible.

Now just a few extra words about politics in the Nordic countries - and
for once it isn't Denmark where the most interesting things are happening.

In SWEDEN, trouble is brewing in two of the government parties, the
Christian Democrats and the Centre, on the subject of energy policy. A
few days ago, the Christian Democrats' leader announced that it was
reversing its opposition to the construction of new nuclear power
plants. Now it sounds likely that the Centre could do the same - which,
given the party's profound historical opposition to nuclear power, would
be a huge policy turn, guaranteed to spark deep internal opposition.
(The other two coalition parties, the Liberals and the Moderates, are
both keen on nuclear energy.)

More intra-coalition difficulties, though of a somewhat different type,
have emerged in NORWAY. In revising the country's blasphemy laws, the
Centre Party leader wanted to extend the prohibition of racially
offensive language to include a ban on (and this could be a dodgy
translation) "sigificant attacks on religion or perspectives on life".
Naturally, this proposal was coldly received by defenders of free
expression in (nearly) all parties.

For the sake of coalition unity, Labour leader and prime minister, Jens
Stoltenberg, promised not only to back the plan, but even to enforce his
party whip in parliament to get it through - which provoked more
ill-feeling, voiced publicly by, among others, former party leader
Thorbjørn Jagland. Even as Stoltenberg stuck to his position, however,
the Centre's leader was deciding that the proposal was politically
untenable, and she then withdrew it. Embarrassment all round.

But, of course, ICELAND remains the centre of attention. Its new
minority government, comprising the social democratic Alliance and the
Left-Green Movement, took office at the start of the week. New elections
are planned for April 25th. The new prime minister is the Alliance
leader, Jóhanna Sigurdardóttir, and one of her first moves was firmly to
encourage the three governers of the central bank to resign. (For what
it's worth, Sigurdardóttir is apparently the world's first openly gay
head of government.)

Incidentally, thanks to Mary Hilson for reminding me that a good source
of news from Iceland is the Iceland Review (www.icelandreview.com). (Its
RSS feed stopped abruptly just the Iceland banks collapsed, so I'd
assumed that it too had gone under. But the feed's address had just
changed.)

Nick Aylott.
--
Dr Nicholas Aylott, senior lecturer (docent) in political science
School of Social Sciences, Södertörn University, Stockholm
SE-141 89 Huddinge, Sweden
www.sh.se/samhallsvetenskaper

Please feel free to forward this message to anyone who might be
interested. To join the Scandinavian Politics mailing list, send a
message to me, the convenor (nicholas.aylott@sh.se). If you want to send
something to the list, or if you don't want to receive these occasional
messages, just let me know. See also www.psa.ac.uk/scandinavia/

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