2010-08-05

A short notice on developments in Danish politics this summer

Here's a brief account of some entertaining controversies facing two party leaders in Denmark, written by Flemming Juul Christiansen of Aarhus University.

 

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A short notice on developments in Danish politics this summer. Two of the party leaders are in trouble:

 

First, there's the Social Democratic leader, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, who is married to Stephen Kinnock, son of the former Labour leader. He works in Switzerland. A month ago it turned out that he also paid his tax there, and that the couple had told the Danish tax authorities that he was in Denmark less than 33 weekends each year, which is what he has to be in order to comply with the rules. However, soon after, the couple stated that he would now pay tax in Denmark, and the case seemed to be over. Until last week, when it was revealed that a year ago, in order for Kinnock, as a foreign citizen, to own a house in Denmark, the couple had told the Danish Ministry of Justice that he was in Denmark all 52 weekends during a year, which was approved. Now, the problem is that the couple in writing has told two different public authorities things that cannot both be true at the same time, and which has financial gain as a possible motive. This could very well be illegal, and they risk a fine.

 

Thorning-Schmidt has issued a statement regretting their "carelessness", and that they are sending the Ministry of Justice precise information. She has otherwise remained silent in the case and so have the Social Democrats' allies, the Socialist People's Party and the Social Liberals. This is a sign of them sticking to her as their best card for winning the next election. There is no likely Social Democratic successor. From the government side, only party spokespeople, not ministers, have commented on the affair. Leading articles in today's newspapers are quite critical towards her, though, pointing to the legal side of the matter as a major blow to her credibility.

 

Second, there's the foreign minister and leader of the Conservative Party, Lene Espersen. Unlike her Swedish counterpart, Carl Bildt, Espersen did not participate in a recent EU summit. Ever since she failed to attend a meeting with, among others, Hillary Clinton over the Arctic back in the spring, her meeting activities have been scrutinised by the press.

 

She replaced her popular predecessor, Per Stig Møller, who is an icon for the left wing of the party, for no other reason than personal ambition; she stated that in public. Furthermore, she wanted to escape all the heavy burdens of legislation in the Ministry of Trade. Fairly predictably, this admission has created problems for her. Over the last 10 years, all Danish foreign ministers have missed this meeting in July. So, Conservative spokespeople speak about a witch hunt. She is trapped as foreign minister. She needs now to attend every possible meeting, and will thus have even less time at home as party leader, where she is criticised for having no vision. Furthermore, she can't abandon her post without losing too much authority as party leader.

 

As with the Social Democrats, however, there is no likely successor.

Connie Hedegaard, who would have had some support from the left wing of the party, has become European commissioner in Brussels.

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Malin Stegmann McCallion                                      Dr Malin Stegmann McCallion
Fil Dr, Universitetslektor                                           Senior Lecturer/Assistant Professor 
Statsvetenskap                                                             Political Science
Karlstads universitet                                                   Karlstad University
Universitetsgatan 2                                                     Universitetsgatan 2
651 88 Karlstad                                                              651 88 Karlstad
                                                                                            Sweden

E-post: malin.stegmann-mccallion@kau.se      Email: malin.stegmann-mccallion@kau.se
Tel: 054 – 700 1205                                                       Telephone: +46 (0)54 700 1205

 

 

 

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