Socialists May Return to Power in Denmark

[pampango]

Denmark’s ruling coalition of conservatives and liberals is likely to be unseated in elections this week as the opposition social democrats hope to secure a parliamentary majority of center left parties. After a decade of right wing government, the Scandinavian country is expecting a change although major reforms could be complicated by coalition politics.

Denmark’s conservatives were able to govern with the parliamentary consent of the far right Danish People’s Party, an anti-immigration platform that has consistently polled at around 11 to 14 percent of the vote. Unlike the other two major parties on the right, the populists are wary of entitlement reform and liberalization and draw considerable support from pensioners.

Raising more revenue was not an option for Venstre. Instead, it enacted a reduction in the top income tax rate from 59 to 51.5 percent in January of last year. Overall tax revenue amounts to 49 percent of gross domestic product nevertheless—an extremely high figure even among northern European countries.

Negative growth and its implications for fiscal policy exposed the rift that had always existed between two governing parties and their allies in the People’s Party. They may be far to the right on immigration and security issues; their national conservatism borders on a protectionist economic stance which conservatives nor liberals can embrace. The People’s Party’s staunch support for existing welfare programs moreover made it nigh impossible for the ruling parties to implement meaningful reforms.

http://atlanticsentinel.com/2011/09/socialists-may-return-to-power-in-denmark/

Would be nice to see a Socialist-led coalition retake control of Denmark and eliminate the influence of the DPP on Danish politics.

[Dawson Leery]

1. Inequality has grown in Europe this past decade.

In this past decade, Europe has turned to the right side of the aisle for their political leaders.
Coincidence? I think not.