The Copenhagen Report

I would suggest that if you only had 22 minutes to watch TV each weekday, and perhaps even listen to the news, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart might be about the best way to spend that time. Living in Copenhagen, one never has available quite the full range of American TV shows available to watch (which doesn't mean you're necessarily missing much), luckily The Daily Show is one that happens to be broadcast twice daily in Denmark, on DR2 (or you can just click over to www.thedailyshow.com to see a streamed version of every episode).

This past week has been one of the most memorable weeks in the shows history, as Jon Stewart has unflinchingly targeted his satirical guns at CNBC, the cheerleading and often mindless 24-hour American financial network, for 'missing' the fact that the market had become wildly overinflated, which included the stock valuation of countless companies. This attack by Jon Stewart in turn prompted Jim Cramer, host of one of CNBC's popular shows, to lamely fight back, which lead to an invitation to appear on The Daily Show on Thursday.

For anyone with a passing interest in journalism, have a look as Jon Stewart pulls off his comedian facade to give a little lesson in how to give a hard-hitting, uncompromising interview. It's quite a piece of work - a true moment of zen.

And if you did happen to catch the show and see Thursdays episode, it's worth taking a second view of the full, unedited version of the Jim Cramer interview (embedded below), which The Daily Show posted on their website.

The walls were was shaking, the earth was quaking....last night in Copenhagen. Quite a few woke up wondering just what the neighbours were up to. In fact, the shaking woke me up too. And indeed it was an earthquake 4.7 richter scale at 6.20AM - the biggest earthquake in Denmark in 23 years. Hmmm, how about that. Earthquakes are extremely rare in this area - not surprising given how flat the regions is. The epicenter was in Sweden, some 65 km away from Copenhagen.

Click here to read about it on the USGS Earthquake Warning Center site.

I have to admit that I was something of a rare species, in my surroundings, back in 2000 during the last Danish referendum on whether to replace the kroner with the euro. At the time I was attending Copenhagen Business School, where support for the Euro was about as close to unanimous as one can get. Business types, you know. Myself, I was quietly something of a skeptic. Actually, it wasn't really because I was against joining. My position was that Denmark was in the enviable position of being able to afford to wait. Denmark had stability and a solid economy, after all. Which is to say, it was the 'Euro Club' that had to prove itself to Denmark, not the other way around. So why rush it? Why should Denmark rush into the scheme before the euro had proven itself as a functional currency?

So to be clear, this was by no means true opposition to the euro, more of a strategic 'what's the harm in waiting a couple years?'. A type of passive opposition. In case you didn't figure it out, the euro was voted down in Denmark.

Those couple of years have long since passed and as it turns out the euro has long since proven itself. There is really no need for Denmark to hold out any longer, and plenty of reasons to go for it. And probably it won't be long before the question is put to the public. These days, the financial crisis has brought a significant softening of public opinion in Denmark, with the majority now shifting towards a position in favour of the euro.

It seems unlikely that Danish Prime Minister and EU-superfan Anders Fogh Rasmussen will be able to resist holding a vote on the matter much longer. Now dear Anders admittedly does his best to temper his displays of excessively-overt EU enthusiasm, lest he talk himself out of his position of leader of his own party by overtly coveting a 'higher' position elsewhere in Europe, or provoke disquiet among his not-so-silent coalition partners, the embarrassingly racist Dansk Folkeparti, should they sense he is becoming a bit too overzealous about something that simply doesn't fit into their bellicosely juvenile vision of 'Danmark for Danskerne'.

Ironically, it is the very issues that the government didn't dare to address during the last referendum that are now fueling euro support. Those being any arguments grounded in economic logic - such as the point that simply adopting a currency that the Danish kroner is already tied to anyway isn't such a risk, when it comes down to it.

The fact that in the recent weeks, the National Bank was obliged to increase the interest rate spread between the euro and the kroner during the financial crisis was the real kicker that really shifted opinion. When people in Denmark, with homes and apartments already deflating in value by the day, realised that they were now also paying as much as 1.5% extra for the privilege of holding their loans in kroner instead of euro, finally a certainly logic which was previously drowned in nationalist sentiment snapped with a nearly audible 'cracking' sound (of course, that may actually have been the sound of shareholders jaws dropping open and hitting the ground when Roskilde Bank was suddenly nationalised and their stocks become instantly worthless), and almost overnight the shift the brought supporters of the euro in Denmark into a majority position.

So bring on the euro referendum. It might just be the occasion the government needs to shake the moth-balls off of those EU flags - flags which the Danish government seems to have a morbid fear of flying for even an hour longer than necessary each year, lest they be interpreted as some sort of anti-Denmark sentiment by the more rabid elements of the Danish population.

More about it here in a recent article from The Guardian.

The Danish island of Samsø was subject of a recent highly complementary profile in The Guardian, focusing on the incredible 'green' approach being taken by the inhabitants of the Danish island, who are now living 'off-the-grid'. Yep, no mainland electricity, the island is self-sufficient thanks largely to wind and solar power.

I've visited the island a couple of times, both visits occurred a few years ago, and I've been planning to get back every since. Samsø is an island whose reality more-or-less matches the romantic images phrases such as 'island life' can conjure up (assuming those romantic images involve Northern-Scandinavian type islands, of course). I mean, Copenhagen is also on an island, and I sometime jokingly refer to the idea of 'island-life' when talking about Life in Copenhagen because frankly this is not the sort of 'island life' people typically think about when using a phrase like 'island life'.

On Samsø, there's basically one small town of note, with a couple other smaller ones not so much of note. The best bet is to bring a bike (or rent one) to get around - but leave yourself plenty of time as it will take more than a day trip to get the most out of the island. Beaches are everywhere, there are some fantastic camping spots, it's as idyllic as anywhere in Denmark, and, the real icing on the cake, the island produces some of Denmark's most outstanding fruit and vegetables. Bring a pocketful of coins and be sure to stop at the farm produce stands dotting the roads of the island during the summer months to grab some mouth-watering produce. For example, I will always remember the eye-opening experience that a fresh Samsø onion (yes, an onion...) once provided me. Since that fateful day, I have found myself only able to cast a condescending eye upon mere supermarket onions, such a fresh onion snob I have since become. Okay, I may be over-dramatising just bit, but really, they are damn tasty onions.

So anyway, check out the article and the stunning accompanying pics. It's the kind of piece - particularly the photos - that's so compelling that if you're in right frame of mind, you mind find yourself fighting the urge to book plane tickets to Denmark (and ferry tickets to Samsø).

23,000 kroner x 0,0075% pay increase this year x 60,0% after tax
= 100 kroner per month (approximately)

or

23,000 kroner/160 hours x 0.0075% pay increase this year x 60,0% after tax
= 0.675 kr/hour (approximately)

Yes, a little bit of math to start this blog entry - please forgive my occasionally rational thought process. The outcome of these little calculations is essentially the reason why nurses in Copenhagen went on strike, and remain on strike several futile weeks later.

It's all about 100 kroner per month in salary (after tax) or .675 kroner an hour.

To put this another way: if you were offered 149.33 kroner per hour for a job, but demanded 150 kroner, would you turn the job down!!???

I'm not trying to be clever here, just a bit sensible!

Of course, the nurses union possesses, how shall we phrase this delicately, a questionable level of competence. This opinion, admittedly, stems from the fact that the author's girlfriend was once a nurse, though she gave up that profession some years back in frustration and has never looked back since (a decision which the author fully supported) thanks to chronic understaffing, questionable pay, and barely capable management. Thankfully, she was never a member of the union.

The same nurses union that nonetheless did manage to recently build themselves a rather swanky new headquarters right in the heart of Copenhagen on the waterfront.

Some background on the strike, which continues with no sign of a breakthrough in sight: the nurses union in Copenhagen came up with the idea that nurses should receive a 15% pay increase over the next 3 years. Now, to be clear, I am FULLY in support of this. In fact, I would suggest they should have demanded more.

Here's why:

Most importantly, I genuinely believe they deserve such a raise, which leads to the second issue, which is that the union's demand for 15% and negotiating tactics surrounding this demand were doomed from the start. If they had demanded 20% or 25% then there would have been something more meaningful to negotiate over.

You see, the Copenhagen Kommune had already offered the nurses a 12.8% raise over 3 years. That meant the 2 sides were a mere 2.2% OVER THREE YEARS (meaning a mere .75% per year) apart - or 100 knoner a month each year, or 300 knoner a month after 3 years. Please refer back to the math at the beginning of this post to understand the math behind this calculation.

The Copenhagen Kommune has chosen to be tough, and its the nurses who are getting screwed. They are the ones losing pay - because there is no way their strike pay (which is soon running out) is covering anywhere close to their full salary. And it will take them years to make up this lost salary even if their union succeeds with their demands.

Sadly, the nurses at this point have little to gain whatever the outcome, since there is barely anything on the table to win. Let's hope they come to their senses soon. And this is without even mentioning the affect all of this nonsensical posturing has had on the patients.

The Danish daily newspaper Politiken is currently running an outstanding - and much needed - campaign entitled 'Jeg er dansker' ('I am Danish'). It features daily photos of 'typical' and 'less-typical' Danes. These less-typical Danes have all to often, in recent years, been cast as something - anything - but truly Danish by a minority of Danish politicians (and their supporters). Sadly, these politicians at this point have all but managed to hijack not only the issues and agenda, but also much of the language of the ongoing 'discussion'.

Nowadays, when one hears talk in the Danish media of what (and who) is traditionally Danish and so forth, it is almost left assumed and unsaid that what this means is precisely as it has been defined - in a frustratingly monopolistic way - by this small xenophobic minority.

Of course, it didn't help that the one political party that tried to stand up against this issue with their heart and soul quickly fell flat and rather hard on their faces owing to their own inept clumsiness when put to the electoral test - and have since remained laying on the ground with heavily bleeding noses.

Anyway, well done Politiken. This is an issue which the volume needs to be turned up higher and higher in the coming months and years. Of course, if Politiken was really clever they should probably take out these same ads elsewhere, as readers of very liberal Politiken are probably the least likely to be the ones espousing the problematic viewpoints, or voting for the most troublemaking of the political parties in this area.

Thank you very much! This is one link to The Copenhagen Report that, in my mind, I've always wanted - but yet that came completely out of the blue.

Fantastic. In fact, I'm chuffed (link for non-Brits).

You see, if I was to answer the timeless question (in many versions), "which newspaper would you take with you if you were stranded on a desert island" (you know, that question...) I would most certainly say The Guardian (though I must admit I would miss the sports section of The Toronto Star).

Incidently, on a related note, if stranded on the same island and forced to choose between having an iPod filled with music and a sexy female companion of my choice, I'd take Pernille Rosendahl (one of my favourite Danes...formerly of the Danish band Swan Lee, these days The Storm) without a moment of hesitation) and allow her to serenade me to sleep every evening. Ahhh...

...and now back to normal blogging.

Or not. To follow up the last post, this was the scene in the heart of Nørrebro last evening. The same place that continues to take a whacking in the media owing to all the so-called rioting, protesting and such.

On the ice rink at Blågårds Plads last night as I cycled by, I was attracted by the sound of reggae music, and the sight of families and children skating and playing on the ice. A DJ was playing at a small stage set up on one end of the rink, and bright spotlights illuminated the ice. It was a great atmosphere.

Of course, this was a stark contrast to the portrayal of an unsafe area of the city, out of control and in the grip of violent and out of control gangs and 'rioters' and the like.

Unsafe? Dangerous? Yeah, if you slip on the ice and manage to crack your head open, perhaps.

Don't believe a word about Nørrebro being out of control these past few days - anyone talking such talk is talking from their ass. Nothing more, nothing less (as I mentioned in the previous post).

Central Nørrebro is probably the most vibrant, lively, diverse and generally amusing area of the city to hang out, and a great place to live (even if Vesterbro remains my personal favourite...). The worst part is that around Denmark, those who rarely, if ever, have set foot in the area have been fed such a nonsensically different view over the past days and months from the media. But what can you do?

Below: more scenes from the rink...

by: Tim Anderson (timothyanderson2005@gmail.com)

There has been a lot of talk about the violence around Nørrebro lately. It can be heard on the streets, behind closed doors and not least of all from the talking heads in the media. It is essentially nonsense.

There has been something of an 'uprising' in Nørrebro over the past days, though the reality is it's the same old crowd generally found hanging out somewhere around Stengade and Griffenfeldtsgade (and sometimes around Blågards Plads later in the night). The police have a pretty good beat on the area (it's like 3 small streets) since there's always always a few people lurking around looking 'unsavory' - though I would prefer to use the term 'bored'. It's a feature of every city of any size.

Speaking of bored, that is a fair description for the media in Copenhagen as well. It's forgivable - they've got a lot of print space and air time to fill, and some weeks there's just not a lot going on. So when something happens, like a loud protest in Nørrebro, packs of hungry journalists and photographers are quickly dispatched (sometimes they arrive even before the events have begun, in anticipation) and producers and editors greedily lick their lips knowing there will be plenty of tasty morsels with which to fill airwaves and column inches.

The latest round started a little over a week ago when a car was torched and a couple garbage containers were lit on fire. This may sound a bit disturbing, but seriously it was pretty tame - I happened to be cycling by the incident when the garbage container was on fire. I wasn't alone - plenty of pedestrians and cyclists were in the area. And as (unintentional) proof of how innocuous it was (and overblown in the media) - even in one of the photo published by one of the major newspapers in Denmark, Politiken, intended to show how crazy the situation, a young couple could be seen sauntering by the burning overturned garbage bin holding hands (apparently passing by on a evening walk). Yet if you heard or read the media coverage you'd imagine the street was ablaze half the night, and the situation out of control.

There is precisely one purpose that these fires are started (and cars are torched) - and that is to get the police to show up. It's basically the equivalent of seeing a frog and poking it with a stick to make it jump. The fun is knowing there will be reaction, and having the power to provoke it. Nothing more, nothing less - it's not about theft and violence, and it's not about the Muhammad cartoons though it is always easy to mention those in the same breath as the fires.

One also must understand that in the area of Nørrebro in which this typically happens (as is the situation in the rest of Copenhagen), the nature of the urban layout means it is a relatively simple exercise for the police to patrol and control - and maintain a heavy-handed handle on the situation (which also tends to provoke things further, it must be openly acknowledged).

They just place their vehicles along all the side streets, follow the herd of demonstrators ('rioters'), both in front and behind and that's about it. Yes, windows can potentially get smashed and garbage containers can be set alight, but nonetheless there's not really any place for the protester to run - anyone trying anything stupid tends to get picked up by police almost instantly. Being in the area when something is going down isn't much of an issue either - a short detour of about one street will generally allow you to steer clear around the whole situation, even at its worst. It's certainly not a war-zone.

And one last point about those 'torched' cars: if you ever park your car on Stengade, you're an idiot anyway - no sympathy from this quarter if it gets damaged or worse torched one day. Seriously, find a smarter place to park - choose another of the hundreds of other streets in the city, plenty of which are extremely close by...

And of course, all of this subsequently makes a nice story for the lazy international media to grab ahold of, but that doesn't make their portrayal any more accurate or realistic...

It has been another ugly few days in Danish politics. Two members of Ny Alliance, the flailing political project which has essentially now done precisely the opposite of what it set out to do, left the party over the past days. That's 2 out of 5 of the party's elected members - or 40% if you are one for numbers. Ouch! This is a party that is flushing itself down the toilet, albeit taking a few flushes to get the job done. The leftover skid marks will likely be all but forgotten as they are worn away - perhaps rather quickly at the rate things are going.

Somehow, something went wrong for Ny Alliance when it came to agreeing upon on a strategy, back when the election was called back in the fall (and since), regarding exactly how to stand up to the Dansk Folkeparti's usual mild-to-extremely racist tactics, views and demands (not to mention the government's own particular - and often rather peculiar - manner of handling or 'appeasing' these). You see, this was what Ny Alliance detested above all else.

It seems that Gitte Seeberg, one of the founding members of the party (who left the party last week) was in favour of taking a strong stand and not being part of the governing 'block' (yes, the one that included the not so sweet-smelling, highly xenophobic Dansk Folkeparti). On the other hand, Malou Aamund, who left Ny Alliance earlier today, wasted no time in immediately joining Venstre, the Prime Minister's party in the governing coalition, suggesting that she essentially agreed with the government on mnay things, including the line that the new Immigration Minister has been taking regarding the asylum seekers in Denmark - who are stuck without being able to work in Denmark's happy immigration camps (which has been perhaps Ny Alliance's biggest issue from the start).

And then there is poor hapless Naser Khadar, the party leader, fumbling to hold it all together, whatever is left. He just has never really managed to get past repeating that Ny Alliance stands for an alternative to 'Block' politics in Denmark (which is to say either supporting the governing 'block' consisting of Venstre and Konservative as a coalition supported by Dansk Folkeparti, or joining the essentially toothless minority opposition 'block' of the Social Democrats, Socialist Folkeparti and Radikale Venstre), as opposed to actually finding a productive way to overcome this 'block' mentality. The formula he came up with was to join the governing block. So much for originality.

So now the government coalition in Denmark with the help of the supporting Dansk Folkeparti has a clear majority once again, thanks to Malou Aamund (and without even needing Ny Alliance for support, as they briefly did when one of their coalition MP's deflected her party to become an independent a few weeks back). Meaning it's back to the same old, same old.

It all looked like it might turn out so different back when it all began for Ny Alliance, which was not all that long ago...

An amusing article about Christiania (and it's much discussed pending, or possibly pending, demise) appeared in the Comment is Free section of The Guardian the other day ('Farewell to Freetown'). Check it out if you have a few minutes.

Even if containing a few basically minor factual inaccuracies, it's a pretty solid and original analysis. It's always nice to get a bird's eye perpective on issues so close to home and see them cast in a different light.

I liked her suggestion that as a consequence of Danish society, being so relatively homogenous and universal in it's approach to "housing, education, homewares and even clothes" that "the flesh itself is the only remaining beacon of individuality". Hence, the popularity of tattoos (and interesting hair styles) here.

I think it's true - I'm pretty sure the per capita average of people with tattoos in Denmark is one of the highest in the world, though I can't prove it.

When this 'universal approach' is combined with the values of efficiency and casualness, so prized in Denmark, you end up with a sort of explanation for Christiania's existence as the casual side of efficient Copenhagen - but with otherwise shared values. Meaning, in truth the two aren't so far apart.

"Put simply, the Christiania/Copenhagen divide is no more than a geographical illustration of the tattoo principle. In this binary world, Copenhagen is clean-cut, civil, stylish, cool. Christiania is scruffy, loose, warm, old school. Both pride themselves on being tolerant, community-focused and environmentally friendly. Their residences, which seem the antithesis of one another, are in reality living out the same essential principles."

And also I like her simplified analysis of Christiania as a a "microcosmic study of social evolution" - how Christiania's self-government emerged out of the necessity to provide the basics that such an open society, as perhaps originally envisioned, couldn't, regardless of whatever romantic spin is put on the way Christiania's society is structured.

"The process by which an internal government developed to regulate the freedom shows how residents were forced to compromise their anything-goes approach in the same way that all communities first find their laws. It was an organic occurrence, fuelled partly by the necessity of presenting a united front to the larger city, and partly by the effects of the drug trade. The liberated town required rules on how it would stay liberated, and though still relying heavily on the goodwill of its citizens to create welfare and respect property rights, a ruling council was made responsible for creating schools and daycare centres to service the generation born within their borders."

Still, it sucks to see that dusk is likely starting to fall on Christiania, even if it will be quite some time yet before darkness sets in, once and for all.

So finally the truth comes out. One of the most seemingly inconsistent positions staked out by the Danish government in recent years has been its unwavering support for the Iraq war. Though the mainstream media in Denmark was by-in-large too cowardly to shout it, anybody who spent a few minutes thinking about it (or doing a bit of internet surfing) could easily figure out just why the Danish government opted to unconditionally support the American crusade, and continue to do so.

The answer was and is Denmark's largest company, Maersk.

Shipping giant Maersk had signed contracts with the American military before the war in Iraq was even declared. Now, at last, the value of these contracts over the last few years have come out. And the numbers are huge.

Seems dear old Maersk signed contracts with the American Defence Department totalling some 17 billion kroner (2.3 billion euro). That's a rather staggering amount.

No wonder those questionning the Danish government's loyal support of the Americans stood little chance of swaying the decision-makers. Questions surely would have been raised, in Denmark and elsewhere, if Maersk was reaping such profits from a war that the Danish government was officially against.

And that's not all.

According to American records, orders from the American Defence Department made up 97.2 percent of all the American government's contracts with Danish businesses. If the Americans had decided to direct this business elsewhere, Danish business, or more precisely Danish military suppliers (essentially Maersk, though there are others) would have suffered dearly.

Besides, it's so easy to profit from an invasion of a country that you know so little about. And such a comfort to know that once you're done making your money there, you'll be able to return to the comfy confines of your home, with nary a worry about the consequences your actions will have had on the lives of those actually living there. Let them pick up the pieces.

by: Tim Anderson (timothyanderson200@gmail.com)


basketball playing boys and girls at lunchtime - near a private muslim school in Nørrebro in Copenhagen...

Muslim headscarves have become a rather hot subject of late around Denmark.

Recently, there was the case of Enhedslisten parliamentary candidate who suggested she would wear her headscarf in parliament if she was elected an MP.

It's not only Denmark. Headscarves have become quite a political issue around Europe. In France, they're banned in public schools.

Yet the idea of passing such laws, in Denmark and elsewhere, just don't quite seem right. It smacks of intolerance and ignorance, and issues like censorship come to mind as not exactly unrelated ones.

A few points.

First, a bit about the comment, contributed helpfully by the leader of the Danish Racist Party Dansk Folkeparti, that Muslim headscarves should be banned in Denmark.

Um, why?

Yes, we all understand that in many Muslim countries the rights of women have been thoroughly and appallingly trampled on. However in Denmark, this is quite simply not the case.

It's like banning pink button shirts because somewhere in the world pink button shirts are worn by oppressed people. In short, it's a pretty unprogressive viewpoint to take.

There has also been much talk in the Danish media about the childcare worker who wanted to wear a burqa to work.

This is a far more sensitive issue then the previous one, and I'm going to take a qualified position on this one that many will probably disagree with. Though I intensely dislike the idea of a woman feeling there is a need for them to cover her face for any religious or cultural reasons, I haven't seen the evidence to demonstrate that such a covered woman couldn't nonetheless be a successful and competent childcare worker. I'm doubtful that it exists.

Still, this has been the conclusion of Danish prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who has clearly stated that children should be able to see the faces of those who take care of them, and thus childcare workers in Denmark should not wear burqas.

As I said, I'm not entirely sure about the merits of that one, though there may well be something to it.

Because I can't help but think that having young children in contact with such a person is a clear acknowledgment that every person in the world is different, and in countless ways. It might just help them as they grow older and are truly confronted by just what this really means.

This seems more progressive then simply trying to create an environment as neutral, though entirely unrepresentative, as possible. And given that a fair number of burqa-wearing women can be seen walking the streets of Denmark everyday, for example around Nørrebro in Copenhagen, well, it really is a reality that is pretty close to home.

Still, I acknowledge that I may have to revisit my views on this one in the future.

And in the meantime, I'd just love to see someone like Kate Moss popularise some sort of muslim-inspired headscarf or burqa for all occasions that suddenly became the rage for young western women everywhere to wear anytime they felt like it. She could be just the one to do it, judging by the current success of her TopShop line of fashion.

by: Tim Anderson (timothyanderson2005@gmail.com)



It's time to return to the subject of Christiania, the 'hippy enclave' in Copenhagen that has existed since the early 1970's. Since writing the last article about Christiania for this blog over two years ago, Getting the Christiania vibe...or not, plenty has happened, though little has changed.

Christiania hit the news once again last week, thanks to the actions of the police who moved in unannounced to knock down an abandoned building there. To be clear about my view on things, there are a few occasions when police presence is required in Christiania. Probably about 5% of the occasions when they actually show up there.

It's good business for the police, at the behest of the authorities who give the orders, to carry out these sorts of muscle-flexing actions - show up and tear something down - since it tends to provoke a few locals, along with the various outsiders who take an interest in these things (and in particular the ones always eager for a chance to perpetrate various violent activities in the name of protest). This in turn give the police and the relevant authorities a justification for the continual (and otherwise purposeless) patrols of the area, and the rather significant chunk of change spent on them. Because without such actions, more people around Copenhagen might be inclined to question whether this was really the best use of budget money.

At least all that budget money spent over the past 3 years by the police patrolling Christiania hasn't been entirely misspent. The police have managed to attain the distinction of being basically the greatest (and most consistent and persistent) causers of unwelcome nuisance and disturbances in Christiania over this period of time. Call it a success, or just call it irony.

The residents of Christiania gamely battle on, as they have for over 30 years. Is there something worth protecting in Christiania? Is it really just a bunch of aging hippy squatters hanging on to a dying dream? There certainly is more to Christiania then first meets the eye.

While most outsiders, like myself, tend to see Christiania as a fairly cohesive collective of hippy types (and indeed this is how the residents are typically portrayed in the media), this description doesn't really stand up to a cursory stroll through the area.

Above all, it is easy to forget just how many families call Christiania home. Christiania is filled with families. Children of all ages can be seen running and cycling around, playing in gardens and so on. They seem pretty content and I would posit they have a pretty good life. So while it's easy to imagine Christiania as a bunch of long-term squatters, this stop being the case long ago. When hundreds and hundreds of people have invested decades building and maintaining the area, any pre-existing land claims - in this case government land that was abandoned over 30 years ago - become rather tenuous.


30 years of care: roof and window repairs in Christiania...


bikes and toys and lots of space - the perfect place for a family...

Christiania is really like a small city within Copenhagen, a city with its own distinct areas, each distinct from the others. Because Christiania can seem like such an incoherent and rather unkept place, it's easy to overlook the subtle and not-so-subtle differences that lie within.


there's treasure in that trash...um, maybe

The central part of Christiania is the commercial center. It's a relatively busy place - chaotic and full of diversity - particularly on sunny days and weekends. There is plenty of activity - restaurants, cafes, nightclubs, shops, museums, even a sauna, and much more.


the local vegetarian restaurant at Christiania - an excellent place for a simple, tasty meal

And, of course, there are the drug dealers selling hash and marijuana. Here one also finds a lot of people hanging around who just seem to be there because they really have nowhere else to go and nothing else to do. I suspect for many residents of Christiania, the central area is not a place they spend much time. Furthermore, I'm also suspect that many residents feel they have little in common with those who frequent and inhabit this part of town. But this is only a hunch.

Just like most urban centers, the commercial center of Christiania is not only for business - the density of residents living in this central area is relatively high, as well, as the housing mostly consists of small apartments in multi-story apartment buildings.


urban apartment dwellers...


and more apartments...



The way of life in the central area of Christiania is in total contrast to that of those living in the outlying areas. Or if you prefer, the more 'suberban' areas of Christiania.

Moving away from the central area of town, quickly the apartment blocks give way to one or two stories buildings and individual houses. There is still not a lot of personal garden space to be had, but at least there is garden space. It's more then most living elsewhere in Copenhagen have. Those living in these areas of Christiania are nonetheless within close striking distance of the central part of the area.


central living in Christiania...

Wandering further eastward, the area becomes more forested.



Here, most of the houses are close to the water, many with a view overlooking it. Those living here have significantly more peace, quiet and isolation then those in the more central areas of Christiania. Not coincidently, the most, ahem, idiosyncratic dwellings are found scattered along the paths. And it is also here that one can momentarily forget that a city called Copenhagen even exists.


'if the government ever takes our land, well, I'll just cut these ropes and float away'...


'...and I'll just take off into the heavens...'


'...maybe with him'.

Yes, even in socialist Christiania, there is are clear distinctions - not everybody can have the perfect piece of property for their home, some are luckier than others - depending upon what you're after, of course.





What is clearly evident that a good number of those living in Christiania have invested a hell of lot of time (and money) into their homes. And there are quite a few who haven't, as well.

In fact, Christiania is divided into two distinct parts. All that I have described until now would be one half - let's call it the mainland. The second half lies across the channel, linked by bridge with this mainland area. In this area, though there is much more space, groups houses tend to be clustered together. That is, what can be seen is several small sub-communities that lie within Christiania itself.


almost like a small town, set away from the bustle of the center...


you'd better like your neighbour, or get to pretty quickly...

While example of such sub-comminuties are evident all over Christiania, what is distinct about those found in the most eastern areas on the far side of the channel is the degree of isolation they have from the rest of Christiania. The area is incredibly calm and peaceful, with most dwellings overlooking the water. One gets the distinct impression that, if they chose, the residents in these areas need only rarely, if ever, show their face in the central areas of Christiania. While there are no cars to be found within Christiania, there is a parking area at the most eastern tip, meaning those living nearby can easily take their cars to work or drive to the various large supermarkets nearby in Amager (if they prefer this option to cycling).

Indeed, as one re-enters the central area of Christiania from these outlying areas, particularly on a warm and sunny day, one is immediately struck by all the noise and activity going on. It's quite a contrast to the tranquility of the outlying areas.

by: Tim Anderson (timothyanderson2005@gmail.com)

If there is a couple of words politicians can be counted on to trade upon time and time again, it's hope and change. The formation of the Ny Alliance Party ('New Alliance') yesterday, Denmark's first new political party in the past 10 years (at least the first to actually hold a seat in parliament, that is), is the latest political development offering up the prospect of a bit of hope and dose of change.

There has been a clear and gaping hole in Danish politics since the last election - which the Ny Alliance are cleverly taking the opportunity to attempt to exploit.

In recent years, there has been a lack of parties in Denmark positioned in the very center. The existing political parties essentially form two dominant clusters - one distinctly right of center (the government of Venstre and Konservative, supported by the Dansk Folkeparti) and one distinctly left of center (Social Demoncrats, Socialistisk Folkeparti, and Radicale Venstre). And plenty of Danish voters have become skeptical of the recipe espoused by the left-of-center parties (they were in government for most of the 90's).

The Ny Alliance are positioning themselves as a just slightly right-of-center, very immigration friendly party dead against the racist politics of the Dansk Folkeparti. Given that their new leader, Nasar Khadar, moved to Denmark with his parents when he was 11, you can probably take them at face value on this particular issue.

For Danish voters opposed to basically everything that the overtly racist Dansk Folkeparti stands for (which isn't that difficult...), but uncomfortable supporting the markedly left-of-center parties on the other side, it has been a frustrating situation.

A quick look at Danish politics (and the composition of Denmark's current parliament) will give you an idea of all that is good and bad with multi-party, coalition governments and a system of proportional representation.

There is a scattering of parties in Denmark with elected parliamentary members, meaning a fair amount of choice for the average voter - and a decent opportunity to find a party that snuggly fits around your personal views and beliefs (and actually has a few elected members of parliament to boot).

On the other hand, the downside of the proportional representation system has been put on vivid display in Denmark over the past several years.

Because it has been the racist Dansk Folkeparti that has held the balance of power and propped up the right-of-center Venstre and Konservative coalition government for a number of years, a predictable and frustrating tilt of policy featuring nationalistic and all-to-often zenophobic legislation being passed has occurred, as a means of appeasing this third party.

This is legislation that the majority of the population in Denmark is not terribly keen on - indeed many are outright embarrassed by it.

Nonetheless, not wanting another left of center government for the time being, Danish voters have sucked it up and allowed the existing coalition to continue - even knowing that this essentially amounted to handing the racist Dansk Folkparti the spare set of keys to the car.

But the political events of the past week in Denmark have been an excellent indicator of the potential strength of proportional systems of government.

In countries with first past the post systems (i.e. majority plus one), there is normally only two or three strong parties holding virtually all the seats in parliament, with possibly a very weak fringe party grasping onto one or two remaining seats. Meaning voters in such systems are often uncomfortably forced into a straight jacket when it comes to choosing who to vote for. And the main political parties can often get away with ignoring the demands of various segments of the population for extended periods of time.

However in a proportional system, if the opposition parties are not collectively deft enough to position themselves in accordance with a significant enough percentage of the population, another political party can (and will) emerge to fill in the hole. And in a proportional system, often characterised by minority/coalition governments, even a new political party can potentially gain significant influence quite quickly.

What is required of a new party isn't enough votes to form the government, only that they can mop up a sizable enough pool of disenchanted voters in order to be allocated a few seats in parliament - which can oftentimes prove enough to hold the balance of power. The party holding the 'balance of power' in a proportional system typically has fewer elected members, when compared to a party holding the balance of power in a 'majority plus one' system (which are generally characterised by majority governments, most of the time).

In Denmark, it's exactly what happened when the Dansk Folkparti formed in 1995 and quickly gained strength.

Next election, the magic number for the Ny Alliance to make a real impact in parliament will likely be somewhere around 13% support (the percentage of votes the Dansk Folkparti obtained last time around). It could be much less.

Hence the burst of excitement surrounding the Ny Alliance (and the surge of 14,759 members and counting, who have joined the party in the last 2 days). It may amount to nothing, but with the scent of hope and change now wafting through the air, it certainly has had some affect upon the Danish political climate.

For more on this story, here's a small article from The Copenhagen Post.

by: Tim Anderson (timothyanderson2005@gmail.com)

According to research by the British Council, Copenhagen is home to the second fastest walkers in the world. That is, on average, people walk very quickly. Who would have guessed it?

Yet, somehow I find myself a bit skeptical of this claim. So I got to thinking, maybe, just maybe there is an explanation for these findings - one on 2 wheels.

See, what if the researchers - overzealous to cover a wide range of walking spaces around the city - without realising it managed set up there measurement equipment in such a way that, though managing to avoid clocking car traffic speeds, actually ended up clocking not only pedestrians walking, but also bicycle speeds as well? No way, you sayy! Weeeeell....

Maybe, just maybe, while setting up their measurement devices they got confused and thought many of the bike lanes were actually sidewalks. After all, unlike in most cities, there are bike lanes lining virtually every street in Copenhagen (and not only sidewalks). That would certainly jack up the speed statistics some, wouldn't it?

Could it have happened? Naaaaaw....well, maybe...


zooooom....

So that's it, Danes are the happiest in Europe according to this recently released survey (or at least according to this recently released survey). Really. It's true. The statistics tell the story.


From The Economist.com.

Still, if you ask the average Dane how they feel about this idea, they will almost universally scoff at the notion. The feeling is generally that things could always be better.

However if you ask me, well, I think it could well be true.

Naturally there is always one thing or another could be improved. The amusing thing is that in Denmark, whatever your particular quibble, there's probably somebody already looking into it, working diligently to change things. And you can probably find their phone number and email address. And they'll almost surely get get back to you (and promptly) if you drop them a message. And this kind tends to soothe those frazzled nerves that result from trying to get to the bottom of one frustrating issue or other you happen to be dealing with.

And whenever my life is affected by the diligence of others (and it certainly does happen), it does makes me happy to be here.

But the surveyors already knew all this, of course.

(Or check out this related BBC news story about all the happy people in Denmark.)