A slice of cake for all: the Borgen guide to lasting coalitions
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Version 0 of 1. When trying to analyse modern politics, many people find it helpful to turn to fiction. Yet, ironically, when writing the Danish TV political drama Borgen, we often found ourselves overtaken by real life. We felt at times that the fictional world we created – a world of Birgitte Nyborg, her spin doctors and attempts to forge centre-left alliances – was frankly more realistic than the absurdities taking place inside the real-life Danish parliament. In the coming days, party leaders at Westminster may be attempting to carve out some sort of government in the new post-election landscape. I’m no political expert; I’m a playwright and a screenwriter. And I’m Danish. One of my great heroes, the American writer Hunter S Thompson, referred to himself as a political junkie. I think I merely qualify as a hitchhiker in the world of politics. Almost a thousand years since the Dane Knud den Store (Cnut the Great) was crowned king of England, we are again seeing the spectre of a very Danish phenomenon in British politics: rule by coalition. You see, Denmark has not experienced single-party government in almost 35 years. During the past century we have had 29 governments – and hardly any composed of a single party. Coalitions are not only the order of the day in Denmark; they are a way of life. Perhaps a strange one, and certainly ineffective at times. Democratic on the outside, but only when acted out by responsible politicians who share political power with great care. So here is a Danish guide to the new and fascinating world of coalition governments. We should perhaps begin by looking at a few of the positive side-effects of politics Danish-style. The World Bank in 2014 ranked Denmark as the seventh richest country in the world. There is arguably also less of a gap between the very rich and the very poor in Denmark. We have low unemployment and a labour system built on the principles of flexibility, security and equality. Before I start to sound like somebody from the tourist board , I should perhaps also mention that we are among the highest-taxed countries in the world. We have a 180% tax on cars, for example, which means a Volkswagen Polo costs about £25,000. But apart from that, Denmark – on the surface at least – looks like the model of a state Labour has been arguing for. Denmark was even cited by the SNP when arguing for Scottish independence, and in many ways the SNP often sounds like something most Danes would place close to our own Social Democratic party. So why has Ed Miliband so far ruled out a coalition with the SNP? In my country you would almost never hear a leading politician ruling out an obvious coalition partner. They would typically say “there are many differences between our two parties, but we will not rule out negotiations after the votes have been cast...” Perhaps Miliband’s message has been code for telling British voters he would prefer Westminster to return to the days before coalitions. Coalitions areviewed by many in the UK as a continental monstrosity that should never have been imported to Britain. “England does not love coalitions,” as Benjamin Disraeli is reputed to have said. But maybe politics is changing. As a writer, it sometimes seems to me that the big defining political moments, in Denmark or elsewhere in Europe, are stories of the past more than stories of the present. When we vent our frustration that politicians from different parties all sound the same, we are perhaps disappointed that they are not acting out scripts from a time when the world was painted in brighter, more polarised colours. The current Danish coalition, led by the Social Democrats, is repeatedly accused of being too rightwing. They are not playing the parts of “proper” Social Democrats, some say. But what is a proper Social Democrat in 2015? What, indeed, is a proper Labour politician in 2015? Somebody with an Oxbridge education and the soul of a 1980s coalminer? One of the effects of the changing, less polarised political landscape in Denmark is that the centre ground is becoming the main battlefield for the two big parties. Both seek ways of luring the undecideds into the blue or the red camp in parliament. The somewhat disturbing result is that the Social Democrats sound like the Liberals and vice versa. After the last Danish election, three parties formed a new coalition, ending almost 10 years of Liberal-Conservative rule. The parties were the Social Democrats, the Socialist People’s party (which has a very green profile) and the Danish Social Liberal party. The latter is the party that in many ways resembles Birgitte Nyborg’s moderate party in Borgen; in UK politics the equivalent might be the Lib Dems. When they tried to carve up the spoils of government between them, the cake was not cut evenly. The Social Liberal party proved the best negotiators and gained the most influence, even though the government was led by the Social Democrats. The Socialist People’s party got a very raw deal, having to constantly explain to voters why it had compromised so much. They dumped their leader, resulting in even worse press and terrible polls. Eventually, they had to leave the coalition after losing almost two-thirds of their voters. We told almost the same story in season two of Borgen, when Birgitte Nyborg’s bullying of a coalition partner ends with the Green party pulling out of government. This is the key lesson: the cutting of the cake is crucial. Everybody needs their piece, or at least feel equally cheated. The famous Thatcherism, “I’m extraordinarily patient, provided I get my way in the end”, is not something that belongs in the coalition engine room. Even though coalitions are not a natural part of British political life, you are steaming full speed into these waters. Centre parties in Denmark are the true coalition experts. They know that the more people you invite to the table, the more difficult the coalition. Can you imagine a Con-Lib Dem government needing the support of Ukip? Try to cut that cake evenly. Or how would you like a Lib Dem/Lab coalition with the Greens and the SNP wanting a slice of the action? In my country we have had numerous governments with three or even four parties that still didn’t have a majority in parliament. No wonder the art of compromise is so highly regarded in Denmark. In the years of political turmoil and crisis in the 1970s, we had our perhaps strangest coalition ever: a Social Democrat-Liberal government. That would be the equivalent of the Tories and Labour together. Can you imagine that? Probably not. Yet once you are in coalition waters, nothing seems impossible. So, as the horrors of multiparty government loom into view, remind yourselves that Denmark is at least, according to the surveys, the happiest nation in the world. And, above all, don’t panic. • While polls remain open please refrain from disclosing your voting choices. Any comment declaring how you cast your vote will be removed by moderators owing to restrictions on polls and reporting, set out in article 66A of the Representation of the People Act 1983. Once all polling stations have closed this restriction will be lifted. Thank you for your cooperation. |