THE DANISH GENERAL ELECTION (6)

The election may have been on 15 September, but it was not until today that Prime Minister-designate Helle Thorning-Schmidt could formally announce a 3-party Government made up of her Social Democrats, the Socialists to their left and the Radikale Venstre to their right. As I said would be the case, the negotiations between the parties were protracted and difficult, and required serious compromises. The Radikale Venstre's deal with the former Government to scale back efterløn was, by force of necessity, accepted; which in turn meant that the proposed "12-minutes extra" policy was dropped. The idea of extending the working week from 37 hours to 38 (hence 12 minutes extra a day) was the left's alternative to efterløn reform, but was always a fairly weedy policy, since it would only have come about if the unions and employers had wanted it (and that seemed, for different reasons, unlikely). The weakness of their flagship policy on the economy was - in my view - the main reason the Social Democrats had such a bad election, so I suspect that deep down, Ms. Thorning-Schmidt is quite relieved to be able to ditch it. In return, she gets approval for a stimulus package, a traditional Keynesian pump-prime of infrastructure spending.

After nearly three weeks stuck in a hotel thrashing out a plan for Government (running to 70+ pages), things almost got derailed at the last minute when it came to the doling out of Ministerial posts. Ms. Thorning-Schmidt's loyal lieutenant, Henrik Sass Larsen, withdrew from consideration after the intelligence services had cast doubt on his security clearance because of links to biker gangs. Since he had been widely tipped to be Finance Minister, this was quite a blow. As it was, the new team of 23 includes only two people who have held Ministerial office, and has two Ministers still in their twenties, covering the heavyweight portfolios of health and taxation. Apart from the country's first female Prime Minister, it also has the country's first Minister from an ethnic minority. A fresh team; but also an inexperienced one.

New Governments do things differently in Denmark from the U.K. A couple of the Cabinet, though having political links, are not M.P.s; and five Ministers arrived at the palace to be sworn in by the Queen on bicycles rather than limousines. The tradition is that the outgoing Minister then formally presents the new Minister to his/her department and they exchange gifts, all in the glare of the T.V. cameras. Having to say nice things to an opponent who has just ousted you must test one's emotions and political skills. 

Finally, amid all the excitement and media attention of a switch in Government after 10 years, it must be remembered that it is a minority one, dependent on the very left-wing Enhedslisten to get its policies through Parliament. In a day of gushing commentary, they were conspicuous by their absence.

Walter Blotscher