The people have spoken, the bastards.
"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.
- Winston Churchill.
Yesterday was both a good and bad night.
Good, because we had terrabyte over for election night w/ chili con carne and chocolate fondue. Chilling out on the couch while following the various party leaders being attacked with microphones and stupid questions and the counting, region by region.
Good because the voting percentage was high. This means that people could be arsed to actually vote instead of going 'what the feck does it matter anyways?'.
Good because Socialist People's Party had a massive success. "It's not every day you double your members and mandates in Parliament", said the party leader Villy Søvndal. We laughed a bit when TV2 called him Chairman Villy, but they can be forgiven I suppose.
They have definitely grown out of the 90's dogmatic trenches and now added 'humanist' to their socialist moniker, as we heard Søvndal state to his happy crowd of SF members. And they can no longer be brushed away as economically irresponsible.
But bad, bad, bad because:
* The populist nationalists, Danish People's Party, gained a mandate. 25 total! Every seventh voter has placed their vote on the pianists, as they are nicknamed. Tight immigration policies, harsh anti-Muslim rhetorics, opposition to anything EU, UN and transnational (except for minimal Nordic cooperation), but a better welfare society for the old and sick.
If you ask me, the epitome of shortsightedness. Also the least ambitious party regarding the environment. But since the voters have favored them, this means that they represent a certain sentiment in the population. That sentiment I could explain in 2001, when they got in around 9/11 and perhaps during the cartoon crisis - but today I don't understand their overly protectionist attitude and petty nationalist rhetorics.
* Fogh continues to be Prime Minister and the Liberals (Americans: liberal doesn't mean left-wing here) and Conservatives will stay in government with support from Danish People's Party. Although, to gain a full majority, they need support from New Alliance - and... one mandate from the Faeroe Islands.
You see, Greenland and the Faeroe Islands each have two seats in Parliament. Even though more and more issues sort under their respective home rule, and almost every law has a paragraph explaining that it doesn't apply to them. But they still have an equal weight in Parliament until we change the Constitution following an actual independence declaration.
* I'm sad that the Social Liberals (similar to the British Liberal Democrats) lost 8 mandates, because I actually think they make much more sense now than when I abandoned them in the middle of their elitist plans. I know however that this loss should be seen in the light of their major success last election and now they're back to where they've been the past 30 years.
In fact - after they split into the left and right divisions with the right forming Ny Alliance - it's actually pretty good. Let's hope they can form a majority with SF, the Social Democrats, Ny Alliance, Enhedslisten and a few more to make an ambitious plan for better environmental health. Something that's better than Pia's "Well yes, people should remember to save energy".
And let's hope they can actually make people understand that we need research and science in order to progress*. After all, even the most progressive parliament always legislates reactively, as laws are made in response to new possibilities and challenges.
It seems that Lone Dybkjær gets in anyway. Good, she is sorely needed.
* What I REALLY don't get is why the Conservatives kept their 18 mandates. Their only pastime is to whine about tax cuts, tax cuts and tax cuts. Does it all really amount to two things: keeping immigrants away and paying less tax?
I. Am. Ashamed.
Sure, the economy is good and it will probably stay that way. But the price...oh dear, the price.
For a rundown of the election by someone more impartial and who actually knows something about politics, this link should serve you.
* Those of you who have played Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri can probably guess which faction I always choose.