Over five weeks ago, we had a general election that established an unusual balance between the red and blue bloc in the Folketing.
Mette in the middle
In the middle, former prime minister Løkke Rasmussen tinted his new party, the Moderates, a purple shade to become a stepping stone between the blocs. However, his effort was one place short of being decisive.
Now Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who won as a social democrat but lost in efforts to consolidate the red bloc, sits in her ivory tower and receives supplicants who want to join her interim government – the kind we haven’t had in decades.
It mainly depends on the Liberals, a centre-right blue bloc party that struggled in the election and is still coming to terms with losing key profiles and experience.
Lars left out
Will it be resolved before Christmas? No one can tell. But they are still talking and they will inevitably soon be drafting the White Paper that will pave the way for a new-look government.
Primarily, it will consist of the Liberals and the Social Democrats, together with a few other supporting parties – most likely the Radicals. Conservatives and SF have lost interest in joining the government, and the Moderates are not invited, which leaves Lars Løkke Rasmussen on the opposite side of the intermediate government he so strongly advocated.
While we wait, everything is peaceful around Christiansborg. The tradition is that the Folketing, until a government can present itself without a majority against it, is (to use an ice hockey term) ‘in the penalty box’.
Climate on the agenda again
Meanwhile, other alarm bells have been silenced. Gasoline prices are almost back to normal. Natural gas remains expensive but is readily available. Firewood is on the market at normal prices. Inflation is high but has stopped accelerating.
This means that when we return to being governed, we can expect the real problems to be addressed.
Climate change has not disappeared and must be addressed. COP27 saw a funding pledge from rich countries – those whose development was aided by lots of CO2 emissions – to the poorer countries most likely to suffer from the climate anomalies. We haven’t seen the money yet, but at least facing the problem is something.
And Ukraine too
The other big issue is security in Europe. The Ukrainians are fighting bravely, and the Russians are encountering severe problems at the front and increasingly at home. Now we will see what effect the Ukrainian winter has.
Historically, armies have a habit of underestimating the impact of winter. The Ukrainians have already survived so much, and their Western friends seem determined to support them.
So, apart from a miserable football performance in Qatar, which we will not soon forget, we wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Source: The Nordic Page