Jacob Christensen

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Even more dynetrivsel. But what if we have a heatwave?

Let me just note that Denmark will be losing two political parties: Borgerligt Centrum will be defunct before really getting organised while the June Movement will be calling it a day in the early autumn.

So, what are the implications? Well, BC in my view would have been yet another of the many splinter parties scattered around on the political scene, so I don’t really think that losing it will mean a lot to Danish politics. I mean, Retsforbundet and Dansk Samling are in fact still around.

The next question is if the combined forces of Anders Samuelsen and Simon Emil Amnitzbøll will be able to haul Liberal Alliance over the 2% threshold or if LA will be as forgotten as … say … Liberalt Centrum come 2011. That the Social Liberal Party has lost most of its traditional right wing and is now squarely fixed in the Red Corner is another matter. Maybe the Conservative Party will be the new home for the old right-wing faction of the SLP?

The relationship between the June Movement and the People’s Movement against the EU was always tricky. Basically, JM could be seen as less Euro-sceptic than the PM, but it is telling that the new MEP¹ for the PM is also a member of the Red-Green Alliance while Kjeld Albrechtsen, the chairman of the JM, is a prominent member of … the Red-Green Alliance. In a way it is more surprising that Denmark could sustain two anti-EU movements for 15 years.

1. Yes, I know that Søren Søndergaard also sat in the outgoing EP as a replacement for Ole Krarup [↩]

Going out of business in Odense C. Maybe I should grab the camera and do a series of “Closing Sale” pictures? (But things are not that bad in Rosengårdscentret. In Copenhagen it seems to be the other way around, it is likely that rent levels are as much part of the explanation as the general economic slump).

An obiturary for the bank still known as Fionia Bank. The shareholders are not happy.

I couldn’t find “The Last Mall” or “Everything Must Go” on YouTube, so here’s Kid Charlemagne with Steely Dan. The only pop song including the word “obsolete“, as far as I know.

Nothing to do with Odense, but here is a still photo of Donald Fagen.

Compared to Apple, North Korea is a beacon of transparency. Today we learnt that the Dear Leader His Serene Steveness received a liver transplant “some months ago”.

BBC, Wall Street journal, Daring Fireball (I), Daring Fireball (II)

I’ll admit: Personally, I’m no supporter of the Danish People’s Party but the initial manoeuvring over the UK Conservative Party’s choice of partners in the European Parliament has something ridiculous over it. The Tories have stated that the Danish People’s Party were out of the question because it was too extreme politically.

So, which positions are not too extreme for the Tories?

We urgently need global chemotherapy against Islam to save civilisation. Fair and balanced. (Belgium)

Marching with local SS veterans? A-OK. (Latvia)

Women should not stand for parliament? Sure. The Tories are a modern party. (Netherlands)

Banning gay-rights demonstrations? No problem. (Poland)

I’m sorry, but the only thing to do about British politics is to shake one’s head in disbelief.

I just managed to confuse Iran and North Korea. So just for the sake of sorting things out:

Iran has a Supreme Leader.

North Korea has had a Great Leader, now has a Dear Leader and is looking forward to having a Brilliant Leader.

Roskilde 2009 on last.fm.

HT: Mkkl.

Dynetrivsel.

And no, this is not what you think.

Somebody in the Danish Ministry of Education forgot that the Head of State has to sign acts passed by parliament within 30 days for them to become law. As a consequence, the government has to resubmit the bills to parliament which again has to pass them in three readings before Her Majesty can reach out for the fountain pen.

Somebody must be looking for a hole to disappear in.

As parties go, both the Social Liberals and New Liberal Alliance have been pretty unstable outfits for the past couple of years. Now the latest defector from the Social Liberals, Simon Emil Amnitzbøll, have given up hope of running his own party and has joined forces with New Alliance. This means that the government now formally can count an extra MP in its parliamentary base.

If Pia Christmas-Møller decides to call it a day, her seat will revert to the Conservatives and the government gain another MP.

Still, the big news of the week is probably that the government has entered budget agreements with both regions and local councils without the opposition being able to make a lot of noise about it.