POINTS SYSTEMS

The politics of running Denmark's minority right-wing Government have their own ritual. Needing to pass a Finance Act each year, but knowing that they don't have the votes to get it passed on their own, Ministers hold discussions with the other parties. Those with the opposition last about five minutes, before the real negotiations start with the Government's steadfast supporter, the extreme right-wing Danish People's Party. Since their votes would give the Government a majority, the DPP uses its electoral muscle to get its pet causes passed; support for pensioners, more police and prisons, and (above all) restrictions on immigrants. The last are given added prominence whenever the finances look a bit ropey; there is nothing in Denmark more guaranteed to distract attention from budget cuts than a "debate" about the supposed overrunning of the homeland by perfidious Muslims.

This year's dance was no exception. With the public finances showing a huge black hole, and unemployment high and still rising, there was a need to draw attention away from the pressure on social services and welfare. This duly arrived in the DPP proposal, accepted by the Government, to tighten the notorious "24 year rule". This prevents immigrants from coming into the country in order to marry or be with their existing spouse unless they are 24 years old. The official theory is that this discourages arranged marriages with people from conservative (i.e. Muslim) cultures. My view is that it is just a ruse to limit immigration. Anyway, the new proposal is that in future, not only will the immigrant have to be 24 years old, but a points system will create a further barrier; only those with higher education, or special skills, or a good command of a world language, will be allowed in.

The proposal is not law yet. The points system has not been thrashed out in detail, and there have already been disagreements about what was agreed (eg is Chinese a world language? Obviously yes, but the DPP says no). However, it has already achieved its primary purpose of deflecting attention away from more unpleasant domestic matters. And it has had the added benefit of splitting the opposition, which had otherwise seemed more united than for many years.

Both the Social Democrats and left-wing Socialists are divided on the issue. The top leadership, not wishing to be "out-immigrated" by the right, say that they can see merit in the proposal, provided that the points system is "fair and reasonable". However, the rank and file are against it on principle, and make the point that in a country whose constitution specifically gives everybody the right to marry whom they wish, no points system could be considered fair and reasonable if some present or future spouses are excluded. Interestingly, the latter group includes some Social Democratic mayors in the heavily immigrant West Copenhagen suburbs. As they say, it would be politically stupid to introduce laws that might end up penalising Danes more than the immigrants they are supposedly being protected from. The trickle of Danes - often female and well-educated - appearing on television to bemoan the fact that the new rules would mean that they can't marry the - ill-educated - love of their life, and will therefore have to move abroad, has already begun.

The opposition leadership is obviously hoping that the points system will die in the trenches of the details, allowing them to portray themselves as pro-Danish in the lead-up to next year's compulsory general election. However, judging from reactions that I have seen, they have merely shown themselves to be parties bereft of principles. The real winners of the whole sorry affair have been the DPP, who have shown themselves - yet again - to be both the cleverest and most repellant political party in the country.

Walter Blotscher