Jacob Christensen

Election Quiz Results, originally uploaded by jacobchristensen.

My result from Berlingske Tidende’s election quiz. The interesting point is that I usually end up in a leftist position in German or US equivalents, but in Denmark (and Sweden) I’m a centrist

Short notes about yesterday’s debate on Danish TV2 between Anders Fogh Rasmussen and Helle Thorning Schmidt.

I my opinion the debate can best be considered a draw: I don’t expect that any of the party leaders lost votes from the debate but I didn’t see any of them winning a subject decisively.

Throughout the campaign, Fogh and the Liberals have tried to push the government’s proposals for a quality reform of welfare services as the campaign’s main topic. They have succeeded inasmuch that voters according to Gallup see welfare as the most important issue – on the other hand I haven’t really seen the Liberals being able to win this competition in a clear way. Fogh’s performance yesterday also came across as relatively weak – at least to me.

Thorning Schmidt, on the other hand, is also playing a defensive game: Her party is trailing in the polls and with voters opting for the Socialist Party, the Social Democrats could be headed for their worst result since 1920. In terms of policy, Thorning Schmidt’s promise not to raise either income, property or business taxes was an indication of the Social Democrat’s weak position.

Fun note of the day: Fogh did not wear a tie in the debate, making host Jes Dorph-Petersen the most formally dressed participant.

The Social Liberals’ political broadcast on DR1 focused on environmental policy and sustainable development with questions about tax policy pushed in by DR’s interviewer. Maybe Morten Østergaard could need a bit extra media training – during some points he almost sounded like a tape recorder. Margrethe Vestager is more experienced and was much more at ease with the situation.

Next update on Sunday evening or Monday. Enjoy your week-end.