Posted at 6:00 a.m.
There is a typo in your title. You meant “lack of vision “, is not it ?
No, we were talking about mink, as in “mink coat”. Yes, because it is a little because of this charming little furry beast that there are early elections in Denmark, on 1er november.
Oh good ? You intrigue me…
Mette Frederiksen became Denmark’s youngest prime minister in 2019, a victory without appeal. At 44, this socialist is comparable to Brigitte Nyborg, from the Danish political series Borgen. It shines with its modernity and its use of social networks. But she lost points last year when she gave the go-ahead to cull 17 million farmed mink due to COVID-19 contamination that was feared potentially threatening to humans. . A controversy that has dragged on since like a ball and chain.
Oh dear ! 17 million?! But it’s huge!
And how ! The Danish population was moved by the plight of herders and the heartbreaking images of mountains of sacrificed mink. It became even more serious when we realized — too late — that the government had no power to order this massacre. It was later shown that M.me Frederiksen had not intentionally broken the law. But this case still led to the resignation of its Minister of Agriculture and the reprimand of a commission of inquiry. Not insignificant: Denmark was until now the largest European exporter of this sought-after fur.
Hence these elections…
Yes. In September, the right and far-right opposition began calling for early elections. They will finally take place because of an ultimatum from the Radical Left, an allied party, which threatened in June to bring down the government by a motion of censure if elections were not called.
What are M’s chances of winning?me Fredriksen?
It is far from won. According to the polls, the “red block” (left), led by the social democrats of Mme Frederiksen, would be between 47 and 50%, while the “blue block”, which includes the liberals, the conservatives and three nationalist parties of the radical right (anti-immigration), oscillates between 49 and 50%. Another poll gives 86 seats out of 179 to the red bloc and 85 to the blue bloc. “These are very close elections. The tightest we have seen in a long time,” insists Kasper Møller Hansen, professor of political science at the University of Copenhagen. “There is more volatility than ever and a lot of undecided. It’s very exciting, because you can’t predict anything. »
How Mme Can Frederiksen win?
By creating alliances… but which ones? Part of the answer may be found in former Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen’s new Moderate Party, which wants to be both right and left. “He decided that he would place himself in the middle and that he would be purple”, summarizes Kasper Hansen. Mr. Rassumssen is only awarded 6% of the votes, but he could make the difference and play the kingmaker. “His votes will be decisive, slice Mr. Hanse. If it goes to the red side, it will be a red government. If it goes to the blue side, it will be a blue government. For the moment, he leaves no clues about his choice. He says he will espouse the politics of reason…”
And what is the “politics of reason”?
Who knows. But it is true that that of Mme Frederiksen is thought-provoking. It is clearly on the left for social and fiscal policies, but on the right for its muscular migration policy. Like the Conservative Party in the UK, it wants to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, which has human rights bodies screaming. However, immigration will not be at the heart of the issues for this election, emphasizes Kasper Hansen, for the simple reason that there are fewer migrants today and “because a majority of Danes are in favor of strict policies in the area “. The ballot will instead revolve around inflation, the climate and the lack of staff in the health system.
Wait, nothing on mink?
To do what ? It remains no more ! But rest assured, it’s temporary. From 1er January, breeders will be able to restart their businesses. Health authorities have ruled that this poses a limited risk, as long as the mink population is “significantly reduced”. Subsidies will be granted to breeders who want to relaunch their livestock… and to those who want to retrain.
Sources: The worldBBC, The GuardianEuronews, ABC News