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This page presents some very personal views on Denmark. However, it should be read in the light of the fact that Denmark is fundamentally a democratic and free country with strong traditions of exercising that freedom. This site is, however critical, in itself a celebration of the basic principle of freedom of speech upon which Europe - and thereby Denmark - is built.

I'm a Dane born in 1960 in Copenhagen. I grew up in the Copenhagen suburbs and emigrated definitively in 1993, aged 33. Hence, this page is based on impressions from the 1970s and 1980s.

And now to the real stuff ...

"There is something rotten in the State of Denmark." William Shakespeare.

The Danes believe Denmark is the best country in the world, that Danish beer is the best in the world, and that anything they do is better than anywhere else in the world. But however contradictory it may seem, between them, they don't like to see others being successful. Thus, they do everything they can to bring down the brightest amongst them. The communist tax system that has brought the highest overall taxation level in the world is an effective way of doing so. As you shall see later, the colour of the national flag corresponds to the political system.

People quoted on this site are real persons, and the stories I have been sent by these persons are shown as I have received them. A few readers who don't like to see certain things on print have accused me of making it up. That accusation is groundless and false. People have sent their stories to me on their own initiative. If I wanted to make a point, I would not make it look like a quote from someone else. Whether the stories told by the persons are true is beyond my possibility to verify.

Read the Disclaimer.

Janteloven
  An Account of Denmark as it was in the Year 1692
  Don't Bang Denmark
  Stories from foreigners in Denmark
  Diagnosed Insane, Locked up in Psychiatric Ward for not Being Average and Modest
The Invisible Denmark Wall
The Taxes
Fraud and Corruption in the Legal System
Exported Products and Foreigners' Perception of Denmark
The Smokers
The Political Parties
The Welfare State
The Unions
The Beer
The Food
The Language
Why?

Janteloven

In order to understand the Danish society, one must be familiar with Janteloven (the Jante law - an invented town from the novel En flyktning krysser sitt spor (A Fugitive Crosses his Tracks in English translation) published 1933 by the Danish-Norwegian novelist Axel Sandemose:

1. Don't think that you are special.
2. Don't think that you are of the same standing as us.
3. Don't think that you are smarter than us.
4. Don't fancy yourself as being better than us.
5. Don't think that you know more than us.
6. Don't think that you are more important than us.
7. Don't think that you are good at anything.
8. Don't laugh at us.
9. Don't think that anyone of us cares about you.
10. Don't think that you can teach us anything.

In the book, those Janters who transgress this unwritten law are regarded with suspicion and hostility, as it goes against communal desire in the town, which is to preserve social stability and uniformity. Thus, don't try to flaunt your wealth if you're one of the few; don't pretend that you're better, smarter or more clever than others, whether it's true or not. If you progress above the average level, be it intellectually or materially, then be discreet about it. That is, unless you're an intellectual of the correct political observance: Extreme left wing. Any attempt not to conform will be punished through extreme taxes, envy, and maybe even sabotage by fellow citizens and the government. This may happen through a variety of subtle ways. People who emigrate are subject to envy and therefore the wrath of the Jantelov, because the only reason for emigrating that a well-conditioned Dane can think of is to avoid paying tax and thereby evading their duty to show solidarity with the less wealthy. Also, by emigrating, you show that you think you are better than other Danes, and that is unforgiveable. Unfortunately, communistic and socialistic indoctrination sets in from an early age. Because of the high taxes, both parents are forced to work and leave their children at institutions, where the personnel has every opportunity to implant the "correct" ideas in the children. Thus, many Danes actually believe in the destructive regime.

As a practical example of the Jantelov, an expat Dane who bought a Renault Espace in Denmark in order to export it elsewhere in Europe, and as such free of Danish taxes, was told by the car dealer that sometimes those at Renault Denmark who prepared the documents required to register the car abroad apparently delayed the documents as a symptom of envy towards expat Danes who bought expensive cars that Danish residents normally cannot afford. It's a true story!

Many countries allow their citizens to vote at parliamentary elections even when expatriated. Not Denmark. The moment a Dane puts his/her Jantelov-disobedient foot outside the Danish border, he/she loses all parliamentary voting rights. This part of the Jantelov is even written in the Constitution. A recent modification allows expat Danes who stay outside Denmark for less than 2 years to vote, though.

Still don't believe me? Then read this extract of the Danish prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen's speech to the annual assembly of Danish Industry on the 27 September 2004:

"Vi skal være bedre til at anerkende, påskønne og belønne de mennesker, der tør, kan og vil. Succes skal ikke avle misundelse, men anerkendelse. ... Der er mange eksempler på, at hvis erhvervsfolk skaber en succes, fremkalder det misundelse, og der er en undertone af, at så har de nok snydt sig til det. Det er den tankegang, vi ofte har været stillet overfor."

And for those who don't yet understand this germanic language, here is a translation:

"We must become better at recognising, appreciating and rewarding those persons who dare, can and will. Success shall not breed envy, but recognition. ... There are many examples that if businessmen create a success, it evokes envy, and there is an undertone that they have probably cheated to succeed. That is the mentality we have often been confronted with."

In December 2005, someone from a Danish company who was looking for a translator and read my professional site that presents my services sent me the following comments:

"Hjemmesiden oser i øvrigt af et ego som virker noget ude af trit med dansk tradition."

In English, this means:

"By the way, your web site oozes of an ego that somehow seems out of step with Danish tradition."

An Account of Denmark as it was in the Year 1692

More than 300 years ago, the English diplomat Robert Molesworth wrote a book based on his years in Denmark: An Account of Denmark as it was in the Year 1692. Thanks to Google Books, this historic book as entirely available free of charge online. Below are a few extracts:

I never knew of any Country where the Minds of the People were more of one calibre and pitch than here; you shall meet with none of the extraordinary Parts or Qualifications, or excellent in particular Studies and Trades; you see no Enthusiasts, Mad-men, Natural Fools, or fanciful Folks; but a certain equality of Understanding reigns among them: every one keeps the ordinary beaten road of sense, which in this Country is neither the fairest nor the foulest, without deviating to the right or left.

Yet upon occasion of the last Poll Tax, I heard that the Collectors were forced to take from this and other Towns (in lieu of Money) old Feather-beds, Bedsteads, Brass, Powter, Wooden Chairs, etc. which they violently took from the Poor People, who were unable to pay, leaving them destitute of all manner of Necessaries for the use of Living.

I suppose by this time an English Reader has taken a Surfeit of this Account of Taxes which the Subjects of Denmark do pay; but it ought to be a great Satisfaction to him to reflect, that through the Happiness of our Constitution, and the Prudence and Valour of our King, the People of this Nation, though enjoying ten times more natural and acquired Advantages than the Danes, which causes more than ten times their affluence; do not for all that pay towards the carrying on the most necessary and just War, the third part in proportion to what the King of Denmark's Subjects do in time of profound Peace.

The King has taken such care by reducing Ancient and Rich Families to a low Estate, by raising new ones, by making all the People poor in Spirit, as well as Purse; that thirty two years has had an effect conducing to his purpose, as much as three hundred could have done: Insomuch that I verily believe, the Danes do now really love Servitude; and like the Cappadocians of old, could not make use of Liberty if it were offered them; but would throw it away if they had it, and resume their Chains. Possibly they would wish them less weighty, but Chains they could not live without. If there be one or two among so many thousands who are of contrary Sentiments, they dare not so much as mutter then to their own Children, nor would be heard with patience if they did.

It is fascinating to read how many traits have remained more or less unchanged for more than 300 years.

Don't Bang Denmark

Don't Bang Denmark is a travel guide of an unusual sort written by the American writer and blogger Roosh V. Roosh V travels around the world to try to find out how best to have one-night stands with local women, then writes books about each country. By their very nature, these books are provocative, sexist, and chauvinist. Before anyone attacks Roosh for xenophobia, it should be highlighted that he doesn't hold American women and the USA in very high regard

I am not mentioning Don't Bang Denmark here to turn the subject of this page into one-night stands. Seen from the angle of The Danish Page, that is simply a side effect of the book, and I do not intend to get into a moral debate about one-night stands or other short term intimate relationships.

The interesting part of the book is that it took Roosh just two months in Denmark to find out in quite some detail how Denmark's infamous Jantelov works. What Roosh discovered meant that out of a long series of similar travel guides about many countries, his book about Denmark became his first 'hate' book. In his own presentation of the book, Roosh mentions "The horrible appearance and personality of the average Danish woman". His advice to readers is not to visit Denmark if skirt hunting is the purpose of the visit.

The following are a few extracts from the beginning of the book:

    After two fun months in Iceland, I decided that another two months in Denmark would be a great experience. I was wrong. ... I realized that Denmark had absolutely nothing I wanted. ... I went on to endure one of the least enjoyable times of my life outside the United States. ... This book is a warning of how bad things can get for a single man looking for feminine, beautiful, sexy women. ... Prepare to read the most angry book I’ve ever written. ... Denmark is one of the few places that made me miss America, and as you may already know, I really don’t like America.

After correctly quoting the ten rules of the Jantelov (see above), Roosh concludes:

    Take a minute to think about the resulting personalities of people who believe in these rules. Combine it with what I mentioned earlier about Danes not being risk takers. Can you imagine the type of conversations that result?
    Painfully boring conversations.
    Everyone is scared of generalizing or giving strong opinions. Risky topics are avoided. Showing knowledge or experience must be done in a light-handed way. All your accomplishments, no matter how small, must be minimized to make them a result of luck instead of hard work or innate talent. You can’t judge those who are less fortunate than you by calling them lazy or stupid. You’re immediately punished for showing any real spark or emotion. You must hide your individuality and conform to what society expects of you.

Later in the book, he gives a practical example of how the Jantelov puts conversation in shackles:

    Even minor game techniques go over poorly in Denmark. For example, let’s take a look at this statement: "When I was in Colombia for six months, I studied Spanish. I got good at it, but now I suck again." A pretty innocent way to show value to a girl, right? Not in Denmark. I’m implying that I’m more well-traveled than her and also more knowledgeable in the realm of language. I’m breaking Jante Law. The girl will punish me by withdrawing from the conversation.
    You’re probably thinking that this is absurd. That’s because you’re from a country like America, England, Australia, or Canada, where that type of statement will be rewarded with female interest. The conversation you’re supposed to have in Denmark should be void of these types of "value drops" while at the same time not teasing her at all, since teasing implies that you’re better than her. Consider that even wearing a tight t-shirt that shows off your muscles comes close to breaking Jante Law because you’re bragging that you’re stronger than someone else. In Denmark, individuality must be destroyed for the greater good. You’re not an individual, just a worthless slug that is just like all the other slugs.

Roosh goes on to explore the masculine style of Danish women that is an indirect result of the Jantelov and the strong Danish feminism:

    One feature of the Danish girl that bothered me the most was her masculine walking style. ... Denmark is the only place where I got out of the way on the sidewalk if a thick girl was approaching, for fear that I might be injured in a possible collision.

    I’ve met girls in Denmark who were more masculine than me. ... I’ve found a species that is even more masculine than American women.

 As you can see, regardless of the fact that any (unlikely) female reader is likely to be at boiling point, Roosh has not forgotten to include a sense of humour in his hate book about Danish women, regardless of what you may think about this type of humour.

At the more intellectual level, Roosh managed to expose the common Danish hypocrisy when it comes to the characteristics of other countries and the Danish intellectual ban on generalisations:

    I used two hater routines in Demark when I didn’t like a girl and wanted to piss her off.
    The hypocrite routine was meant to trap a girl who was trying to call me out for generalizing about Denmark. Early in a conversation, I’d make one of my observations about the country with a barely perceptible tone of annoyance. I’d say, "I’ve noticed that everyone in Denmark likes to wear earthy colors, like doo-doo brown and dark green. Also, the girls here are big fans of dirty military boots." The girl would get annoyed at that statement because I used the word "everyone." There is nothing a Danish girl hates more than when you generalize or stereotype, especially her own gender.
    After she told me I needed to open my eyes to the awesomely unique and androgynous Danish style, I would offer a pseudoapology: "I guess you’re right. I shouldn’t be so quick to judge."
    Let a couple minutes go by then tell her you’re planning a trip to Poland. Say, "I hear the girls there are very nice and charming." Since Danes look down on Poles, she’ll say something to the effect that Poles are dumb, trashy, or ugly. Now you’ve got the bitch. Say, "You’re stereotyping an entire country even though you criticized me for doing the same just a couple minutes ago. Are all Danish girls hypocrites?" Before she can respond, finish her off by saying, "In America, there’s nothing we hate more than a hypocrite."

Danes really believe that Denmark is the best country in the world, but what they actually know about the other countries they criticise is often very little, often based on prejudice. The 'hypocrite routine' above works with almost any other subject.

If you are not offended by books about alpha males seeking women for short term 'consumption', then you can pass some pleasant moments with Roosh's book that does teach you something about Denmark's fundamental culture that most other books won't even mention. Even as a Dane, you can read about how Danish culture is perceived by others. Whether or not you sympathise with Roosh's own character in the book is quite irrelevant in that aspect. Don't Bang Denmark is an unpretentious and light-hearted travel account that would make most literary critics turn their noses up in disgust, but that will only make the book more interesting for certain other groups of readers.

Stories from foreigners in Denmark

An American reader who wishes to remain anonymous sent me the following comment in October 2004:

"I have visited Denmark many many times. I know all about that frightening "Jantelov". What nerve these people have! This lame attitude that their world is perfect and everything else non Danish is rubbish them just proves how out of it they really are. Knowing that this idiotic unwritten law exists in their minds and just to piss them off, I go out of my way to brag about anything and everything. Everytime I would return from DK to the US, everyone would ask how my time in "Amsterdam" was. Is that ignorant? In many ways yes but it also proves how insigificantly small Denmark is to the world. I am convinced that since birth, these people have been programmed like robots. Everyone thinks, acts and pretty much looks exactly the same. Same styles (all stolen from other countries), same attitudes (jantelov) and same ridiculously liberal views (socialism). Forget about being a right winged American. You are an instant outcast. It is hilarious to see the faces of people when I mention something that does not coincide with the programmed computer chip in their tunnel vison minds. Mind you, I have met many wonderful people who live there too. Thing is, the majority of people never wander outside that political safety zone. Chatting with them is pretty much the same as chatting with an talking baby doll. Everyone pretty much says the same thing and political correctness runs rampant to the point where it turns my stomach. Ee can thank the completely biased and ridiculous foreign media for that one. To live there? Um, I'll pass thank you.........or is it "Mange Tak"? I will say that Scandinavia boasts the prettiest women on the planet. I defy any hetero male to walk down the "Strøget" (walking street) in Copenhagen on a sunny spring afternoon and not be completely overwhelmed at the gorgeous creatures that will pass by. That is the best thing about it. Well no, Carlsberg on tap is great too. I hate Faxe and Ceres and only drink Tuborg if there is no Carlsberg. They do have an edge over American brew but so what? Denmark is a perfect example of a country where everyone lives in a lethargic dream world and keep their eyes closed to the fact that their socialistic/communistic government is ripping them off hook line and sinker. With that I will say, thank GOODNESS for the United States where a person can think for themselves, be successful in life and not have to worry if the neighbor who lives 27 miles away is getting jealous of their progress."

Renata told me the following story in November 2004:

"Dear Finn, 
This is renata, we have been in contact before. I would like to write about what happened to our family in Denmark. In June 2000, my Danish husband and I together with three children came to Denmark. Why? According to my husband's opinion, it should have been a perfect country to take our kids. A bit of savings and a move to Denmark, then we could have more time for our family. I understood that we should have more possibilities of doing things together, find secure jobs and very honest people surrounding us. 

This is what happened to us: My husband got a job. Meanwhile, we were living in a rented house in a small town in Jutland. The security of him having a good job was great, as was knowing that everything should work out as planned. Our biggest dream was to own a house with a nice garden so our children could play and finally have a place to call their own. We started to look around for a house which we were able to afford at the time. After a few weeks looking and discussing carefully with the estate agent, we bought our house. There was a lot to renovate and do. We were used to hard work and we were trying to create a perfect humble home. It seemed that my husband's boss was more than jealous, so he told him that there was no more work for him. That was the first lie that we were faced with: The secure job that he never had. Automatically, our situation changed, but a few weeks later, my husband got another job in one of the richest and biggest companies in town. Too bad that his boss was an alcoholic who was very good at complaining and finding problems in everything. My husband worked there for two years and was fired by his boss who retired a month before he decided to fire him. He never had a chance to meet the new boss and keep his job. After that, we were in big trouble. 

At the same time, our daughter was confirmed. In Denmark, confirmation was the step into real and adult life. A few months after the confirmation, at the age of 13, our daughter started going to parties, drinking and smoking. For her, it was okay, because everyone else did it. It went on for a year, and we sent her to a boarding school that she wanted to go to. When she came home for the weekends, she was never home, she was partying the whole time and didn't come home at night. We were looking for her everywhere, but she never told us when or where she was going. She started to cut her arms and be very aggressive. At school, she shared a room with three other girls. Two of these girls were abused by their fathers, and the third was beaten and came from a divorced family. The two girls who were molested were also schizophrenic and had many problems that they shared with my daughter. She had many things to think about and went crazy herself. The community promised to cover the expenses of her school, but that ended up differently. The one who should be responsible for that wasn't there anymore. My daughter also should have had a psychologist from the community, but she only saw him twice. There are drugs and alcohol in school, and everyone pretends not to see it. 

Our economic and mental situation was devastating. We put our house for sale in March 2003. Another estate agent was responsible for selling our house. We gave them the keys to our place and we left for 2 months outside Denmark. When we came back, we had an electricity bill for 17,000 kr. (€2,300) and a cut telephone wire. My husband was going out of his mind. The government would not help us financially because we owned a property [this is a classic example of the workings of the Jantelov. Property owners in Denmark are permanent targets of envy from others, because they are considered rich when owning property. The politically correct behaviour is to be poor and live in rented, social accommodation. Hence, property owners will be harassed by all available means by the administration, at least until they break down and sell. It doesn't matter if the rent is more expensive than the mortgage payments. What matters is that you are not property owner, because by being a property owner, you show that you think you are better than others, according to the wicked Jantelov. In places where rented and owned buildings are next to each other, it can be seen that those who live in the rented flats frown upon the "rich ones" in the owned flats. ed.]. So the first announcement about our house going on forced sale came fast. Then, the estate agent that sold us the house came by to assure us that they would be able to help saving our house by selling it. They convinced us that it was nonsense that the other estate agent was unable to sell a house for so long time, from March to November 2003. So again, the original estate agent acted quickly and advertised our house. Keeping the friendly smiles on their faces, they drove us to "the bottom of the sea". They said that they couldn't help in any way, but they sold the house a week after the auction. Even though we found a family member who was willing to help us and loan us money, one lawyer decided not to accept it. All those people are liars and cheaters, wearing elegant clothes, smiling nicely and ripping your life to pieces with cold blood and no mercy. But the worst is that there is no justice over those people in Denmark. We can't find a lawyer to take our case, because we need 35,000 kr. (€4,700) before anybody will talk to us and take our case seriously. Right now, our family is living out of Denmark with big scars that are very hard to heal. All names and telephone numbers will be given if requested. We went trough living hell surrounded by communists and ignorants, which is something that you can't describe in words, but something that stays with you for as long as you live. The plague of hate, jealousy and hopelessness is what these robot-like people are."

Diagnosed Insane, Locked up in Psychiatric Ward for not Being Average and Modest

It is easy to believe that what I just told you about the Jantelov is just a silly, marginal part of the Danish national character that has no impact on real life, but reality can be dramatically opposite. Not adhering to Danish standards for modesty, including being average and subdued, can lead to a person being diagnosed insane and imprisoned in a psychiatric ward without being given any opportunity of proving himself not insane.

A Danish friend of mine, "JH", who presently prefers to remain anonymous, was running his independent professional activity in Paris. JH is of a creative nature. He used his many skills for a variety of tasks such as conceptual hairstyling, particularly of models for photo shoots and shows, and artistic photo graphic expressions and innovative brand building.

JH's experiences with French mentality were similar to mine: a dishonest landlord who did not maintain the flat, a lying solicitor falsifying documents and manipulating a court procedure, courts and judges who let dishonest behaviour pass (laisser-faire), legal and administrative systems that enforce their rules on you with full force while not respecting the laws and regulations themselves, etc. You can read more about France on the French page. As self-employed, JH also had experiences similar to mine: taxes and social charges that can be higher than your income, ten different social charges to pay, each one calculated differently, endless red tape, business unfriendly civil servants who turn their back as soon as they know you're self-employed etc.

As I, JH was finally burnt out of many years of stress by such a hostile system and backward, fossilised mentality. He was evicted from his Paris flat and returned to his native Denmark by train on 17 November 2008. To overcome the stress, he sought help at the local psychiatric emergency unit. The staff offered him psychiatric treatment with medication which he refused as he believed what he needed was psychological or psychotherapeutic help without medication. However, the public Danish health system only covers psychological crisis help if the patient is aged 18 to 37. Other age groups are restricted to medication, unless they have the financial means to pay for psychological help themselves (Politiken article in Danish). Not content that he refused their medication, they sent the police out to his home to arrest him on 16 December 2008 and take him to a closed psychiatric ward. As they needed an excuse to lock him up, they said in the report that he was suffering delusions and that he was psychotic.

The doctor in charge of this was from Bosnia. Although Danish speaking, there were severe linguistic problems between patient and doctor. The medical journals show that the doctor misunderstood parts of what the patient said, then drew the wrong conclusions. Also, the doctor simply didn't believe what the patient told about his experiences in France and his professional project. Admittedly, JH has an unconventional personality that can be difficult to follow, particularly for conventional people brainwashed never to question the system or think out of the box.

The following doctors simply read the journal without questioning it. Thus, one Bosnian doctor is enough to lock up a person in Denmark. One thing is speaking Danish, but even speaking fluent Danish cannot compensate for not having grown up in Denmark and experienced the culture and mentality.

JH's 'delusions' were describing life in half-corrupt, disorderly and artistic Paris - a universe neither Danish nor Bosnian psychiatrists know a thing about or can even imagine exists and therefore think JH has invented - and his business projects, which were completely misunderstood. As just one example of facts having been deformed, and also of these psychiatric doctors' general ignorance of the outside world, it was written in the journal that JH had been deported from France because of court proceedings, a claim that was obviously untrue. As a European citizen, JH cannot be deported from any European Union Member State unless he poses a threat to public order, for example by blowing up buildings. Taking part in court proceedings is not a threat to public order, even in France (in fact, there is no such thing as public order in France; everything public is all rather chaotic, but that's an entirely different story).

The hospital journals show that the staff didn't believe JH had been a self-employed entrepreneur in Paris regardless of his having shown them documentation to that effect. Most Danes have this unrealistic, rosy image of France as a country of culture and gastronomy which has very little in common with reality - these Danes are in fact the ones who have delusions. They are not used to massive administrative abuse in Denmark, so they just think you make it up when you report what actually takes place in a country such as France. These psychiatrists didn't have to prove anything. When they didn't understand something, they just invented their own interpretation and then locked him up. A sane person being locked up for being stressed, he then had to prove that he was not insane. Some sane people would risk going insane in such a situation. To add insult to injury, the forced medication caused severe allergic reactions. As in Siberian prisons under the USSR, or as in the former Eastern Germany, nobody cared.

JH's way of expressing himself verbally and graphically does not conform to the Danish standard model and some people might say he walks with his head in the clouds or is a dreamer. Cristina Gardeazabal called him "eccentric" in her article reporting from the Ethical Fashion Show. Others in fashion might call him original. In the fashion world such terms are often seen as a compliment. The medical report says JH has "increased self-esteem" as if that were a sign of mental illness. Some Danes may seriously believe it is, because having increased self-esteem is a severe violation of the Danish Jantelov according to which you are not entitled to believe you are anything special. I've spoken to JH and exchanged e-mails regularly over many years and never got the impression he should be insane. Just different - not a personality suitable for a job as administrator or bean counter. But do you know any mathematicians who work with fashion styling? So why should people who specialise in artistic fashion styling have to conform to some administrative-bureaucratic-logical model for expression cut out by those in power? That's clearly his crime in Denmark. There is no place for people who don't think and act like the five million other Danes, unless you are one of the self-proclaimed left-wing 'artists', in which case anything goes, for if something is socio-communist in Denmark, then it must be good. The USSR also locked up people who dared to think differently. Denmark is of course not the USSR but a part of our brave new European 'democracy' where you have freedom to say anything that doesn't offend those who decide. 

I certainly disagree with some of JH's views and his ways of expressing them, but let me quote Evelyn Beatrice Hall: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".

What further shocks me is the reaction I got when I told this to Danish friends and family: "Well, he must be insane then". "Isn't he a bit bizarre" (understood: That must be his own fault). Someone who knew him: "Should I do anything or write to him?" (gosh, if you were locked up in the psychiatric ward, why would you possibly want anyone writing to you?) As Danes are conditioned from they are small to believe that what the system does is for their own good, they can only conclude that if the system says the man is insane, then he must be insane and it is for his own good he is locked up. They are afraid to interfere with the system. Books like "Brave New World" and "Nineteen eighty four" spring to mind.

The day after having been locked up, on 17 December, JH indicated to hospital staff that he wanted to file a complaint about unlawful confinement, detention and forced medication. Staff in the psychiatric ward then provided him with a complaint form to the general national health care complaints board ; a totally irrelevant form and board, since only the psychiatric patients' complaints board is competent in such a situation. How could staff in a psychiatric ward possibly know that? Denmark has the world's best health care, or at least that's what Danes are brainwashed to believe. On 28 December, JH's patient advisor realised that the hospital had not posted JH's complaint, and he discovered that the wrong complaint form had been used, and the wrong complaints board addressed.

JH finally met the psychiatric patients' complaints board on 8 January. Thanks to the mistakes and negligence committed by the psychiatric ward, the board only received JH's complaint on the day of the meeting. The two assessors who accompanied JH had severe difficulties making sense of the Bosnian doctor's poor Danish and requested several times to the chairman that English be used instead, request that was repeatedly ignored. In their decision, the board stated they had received JH's complaint too late. They based their report exclusively on the contested hospital journals written by the Bosnian doctor, turning down the complaint. They did nothing to prove that JH should have been insane.

JH was released on the 9 February 2009 after 55 days of illegal psychiatric imprisonment. The release came a few days after finally having been appointed a different doctor. JH sued the hospital. For a medical opinion, the judge consulted the report from the psychiatric patients' complaints board who had earlier pronounced themselves on the question. In court, JH’s solicitor presented solid arguments and documentation. JH received the court decision on 9 October 2009. In his decision, the judge responded to not one single of JH’s arguments but simply, as a parrot, copied the psychiatric patients' complaints board’s undocumented claim that JH had been insane, claim in turn based on the hospital journals' undocumented and contested claims based on one Bosnian doctor's misunderstandings. No independent examination was requested by the court.

JH appealed but the appeal trial was a farce, being almost a copy of the lower court trial. For a medical opinion, the appeal court appointed the medico-legal council to pronounce themselves on the question. The council never met, communicated with, examined, nor appointed anyone to examine JH but exclusively based their opinion on the same hospital journals written by the same Bosnian doctor who was unable to properly understand the fine points of what JH told her, so they obviously arrived at the same flawed result. The appeal court again simply based their decision on the medico-legal council's undocumented report without responding to a single of JH's many arguments. The appeal court also refused to admit witnesses who could have strengthened JH's case and confirmed the linguistic and cultural problems with the Bosnian doctor.

One shall not believe one has the right to argue one's case in a Danish court, particularly if the arguments are inconvenient for the system. This is a very nasty sort of institutional corruption that is absolutely poisonous and very difficult to detect and document. Denmark is perceived as a low-corruption country, but only in the sense of traditional corruption of handing over a bag of money to obtain a service. In terms of judicial independence securing civil rights, Danish justice scores very badly. If you read these judgements, as I have done, you will see that the judges' discussions are entirely one-sided, very short, and that they simply ignore everything the 'wrong' party says, since it has already been determined in advance who is right and who is wrong when one party is the system. In French justice at least, a judge is at fault if he or she does not reply to a claimant's or defendant's argument. You will find similar examples over and over again on this page. It isn't just a coincidence.

At no point did any court, the psychiatric patients' complaints board, or the medico-legal council solicit an independent psychiatric examination of JH. Both courts declined JH's request for an independent psychiatric evaluation. In other words, both courts solely based their decisions on the accounts and documentation provided by the defendant.

JH asked for leave to appeal to the supreme court. It was denied. The whole trial was a sham and a complete joke from start to finish. If just one doctor decides to lock you up, then the whole medical and judicial system will stand behind him or her, whatever the patient says or documents. The doctor doesn't have to prove anything. No proof shown to court could possibly override what the doctor says. You will be denied any possibility to prove yourself right. Such is the state of Danish justice: no better than a banana republic or a country ruled by a mafia. The mafia of doctors can do what they want and according to justice, if you are a doctor, then you are always right and you don’t need to document your claims.

JH has appealed this disgraceful court decision to the European Court of Human Rights where Denmark has already been put in its place more than once in the past. Unfortunately, this is likely to take about five years, starting 2011.

It can be sarcastically argued, in fact, that if a person is aware of the Jantelov and still displays any sign of originality in Denmark, he must be crazy doing so, knowing that such behaviour is unacceptable in Denmark.

Comments? Go to the Visitors' Book.

A more subtle example of the workings of the Jantelov is the law for foreigners voted in 2002 and amended in 2003. According to the law, a foreign spouse to an expat Dane returning to Denmark cannot obtain the right of residence in Denmark if the family as a whole is more attached to a foreign country than to Denmark, unless the person already living in Denmark has held Danish nationality for at least 28 years (EU/EEA excepted due to the right of free movement). Also, a foreign spouse of less than 24 years of age cannot expect to be given a residence permit at all. In order to obtain a visa for his/her spouse, the Dane must furthermore provide a bank guarantee of 50,000 DKK (6,711 €), and his income must be higher than a government-defined amount to prove that he can support his spouse, the level of income defined being higher than what is in many cases sufficient in real life. They must also dispose of a suitable dwelling, but the requirement is administered with such rigidity that couples are being denied entry to Denmark because 2 square metres were missing. A delay of 6-8 months while evil servants in the evil Udlændingestyrelsen (Directorate for Foreigners) deal with the applications provides for further problems for married couples. A young Dane who has married abroad and lived a number of years in the country of his/her spouse (or elsewhere) will thus find it nearly impossible to return to Denmark with his family. As we see from the Jantelov, any expat Dane who may have had success abroad will be seen to have neglected his/her Jantelov obligations and as such should expect no mercy from Denmark or other Danes. It is a sadistic pleasure for the evil servants working in the administration to deny a Danish-foreign family the right to repatriate to Denmark or - even better - to ruin their family. As seen by other Danes, the expat has only himself to blame, as he could have avoided his problems by doing as the majority of Danes - remain in Denmark and marry a Dane - instead of going abroad because he believed he was better than the average Dane. Danes can thereby justify their belief in the Jantelov by pointing out the disasters waiting for those who do not conform. 

In July 2004, a report from the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights criticised the Danish government for this. Below are some extracts from this report:

I (7): "Some of the provisions analysed below may, moreover, prejudice the effective enjoyment of certain rights guaranteed in the European Convention of Human Rights and other international treaties."

I (10) (discussing the application of age criteria): "These provisions do not in my view guarantee the principle of equality before the law."

I (11): "I was also informed of cases where the application of the law resulted in differentiated treatment depending on the economic situation of the persons concerned, which again raises serious concerns in terms of equality before the law, in particular, regarding the respect for Article 14 of the Convention, which prohibits discrimination on grounds such as property. ... The requirement of a bank guarantee of 50.000 DKK [6.711 €] - which is only released after seven years and insofar as it has not been used for possible social assistance for the couple - can be very difficult to obtain for persons with low incomes and few possessions. Moreover, the requirements are re-assessed every two years, and if the person residing in Denmark has in the meantime become unemployed or had to move to a smaller apartment, the residence permit of his or her spouse can be discontinued. Being under a constant threat of separation from one's spouse or having to move abroad in order to continue family life, inevitably creates a significant strain and anxiety for the persons concerned. Such restrictive criteria risk conspiring against the efforts to encourage greter integration."

I (17) (about the problem of children between 15 and 18 not having an automatic right to residence): "Such a situation fails to secure the legal certainty that ought to surround the determination of fundamental rights."

Many such married couples consisting of a Danish expat and a foreign spouse having found themselves unwanted in Denmark have sought refuge in Sweden or Germany, countries that respect EU's immigration rules for EU nationals and their foreign spouses. Such couples have then been able to work in Denmark by commuting across the borders. However, in breach of EU's rules for free movement of EU nationals and their spouses, Denmark has refused them entry to settle and live in Denmark. In  May 2006, the leading Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten asked the European Commission to state if the Danish government's practice was legal, to which the Commission gave the obvious reply that it is not. It is clear that human and family values are not important in Denmark, and particularly not when it comes to protecting such values and rights for those who have dared doing anything unusual.

The government is justifying the harsh and inhuman measures with the need to curb immigration and notably Turkish citizens living in Denmark but going back to Turkey to marry. They also want to curb forced marriages. It is somewhat ironic that the measures now force many Danes to marry someone else than they want just because their chosen partner is a foreigner. There is no end to the hypocrisy and inhumanity of the Danish government in this issue. The restrictions were a demand from the government's only support party, Dansk Folkeparti (Danish People's Party), a right-wing anti-immigration party. Without curbs on immigration, the government would have lost its necessary votes from the far right. Trashing a number of Danish families was the price to pay for remaining in government. The choice was easy for any power-hungry politician.

I do not pronounce myself on the need for curbing immigration or not but only on the unacceptable impact on Danes marrying foreigners.

The Taxes

Denmark is the master of tax. According to international statistics, Denmark has the highest overall taxation in the world. The following is a selection of the taxes:

• A complex system of income taxes takes up to about 70% of peoples' salaries.
• Plundering of personal pension funds. One of the underlying principles is that the funds are allowed to grow with the inflation plus 2-3%. Any revenue above that is confiscated as tax. In fact, the calculations are so complex that it's impossible for anyone to verify them.
• Not content with plundering Danish residents' pensions, the Danish government is little by little introducing Danish income tax on retired Danish expats' pension payments. It is the norm that pensions are taxed in the country of residence, so emigrated pensioners would pay tax in the country they emigrated to. It makes sense, because expats use the public services of the country they live in, not Denmark. That rule was written in many of the double tax agreements Denmark has signed with other countries. But Denmark started pestering foreign governments to obtain the right to tax these pensions instead of the country of residence, and they succeeded in many cases. Some countries like Spain and France have refused this racket, and the Danish government is now threatening to give notice on these tax agreements as they did with Portugal some years before. With no double tax agreement in force any more, Denmark can legally tax away at their expatriated Danes. It is a so-called conservative government that is doing this. Read: socialist, the only type of political party that exists in Denmark. The amounts of tax involved are insignificant compared with the state budget, but it's a matter of envy - the Jantelov is still observed, also by the so-called conservative prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen whom I have quoted elsewhere on this page for having said: "Success shall not breed envy, but recognition".
• The Value Added Tax is the highest in the European Union with 25% on all products and services, food and children's articles included.
• Excise duties ("punktafgifter") add some extra tax to specific products like alcohol, tobacco, chocolate, soft drinks, packaging, matches and petrol. The excise duty is calculated on the goods and the VAT, resulting in a system where one pays tax on tax.
• Car registration tax of 180% of the car and the VAT (the first 45.000 kr. (6,000 €) are taxed "only" at 90%, and there are deductions for some safety equipment). Note that this includes a "tax tax" because the registration tax is also calculated on the VAT.
• Annual road tax.
• Tax on car insurance.
• Fuel tax.
• Energy taxes.
• Green taxes.
• Driving licence tax.
• The European Union's most expensive television licence of 1894 kr. (254 €) a year.
• Various stamp duties, such as 600 kr. (80 €) for a passport.
• Tax on the number plates for cars of about 1200 kr. (160 €).
• Full income tax on all savings interests and capital gains. Many countries have taxfree schemes to encourage individual savings. Not Denmark.
• Property tax. 
• Another tax on owned property. This used to be called tax of lejeværdi af egen bolig (letting value of own habitation). The communist principle behind it was that the habitation represents a potential taxable letting income. The letting value was calculated on a progressive scale from 2.5% to 7.5% of the public valuation. The letting value was added to the personal income before income tax was calculated. Thus, one paid tax of an income one never had. The principles have now been changed in order to hide the fraudulent nature of this tax. This tax is due even on properties abroad owned by residents of Denmark, and even if such properties abroad are already taxed in the country where they are.
• Inheritance tax.
• Emigration tax.

Note: Foreigners and Danes who've lived outside Denmark for some years may benefit from a fixed low rate tax for up to three years under certain conditions. This would apply typically to specialist contractors coming to work on a particular project, and who leave the country when the project is finished. These would also be exempt from paying the standard rate of car registration duty. For more information, an extensive guide can be downloaded from PricewaterhouseCoopers at http://www.pwcglobal.com/.

Fraud and Corruption in the Legal System

When the Government wishes to impose a new tax, it doesn't matter if the principles behind the new law conform to the constitution, European legislation, human rights or other treaties. What matters is the money, and that the government can get away with the fraud. Even if some citizens should win at the supreme court ten years later, many will have been discouraged.

It's worth noticing that even if the citizen is right according to the letter of the law, the courts will often introduce their own interpretation. That is, if you followed a law and made perfectly legal financial and fiscal arrangements, then the courts may go against you if they find that the sole purpose was to pay less taxes. This practice without any foundation in the law has been going on for a long time at the lower and middle levels of the court system. This might be explained by the fact that it's the Minister of Justice who promotes judges. In order to benefit their own careers, many judges presumably try to avoid offending the government in delicate cases. But once a judge is promoted to the highest level, which is the supreme court, then only his peers can touch him. This difference has meant that to get a correct decision without political interference, one has been forced to continue to the supreme court. It may no longer be so. There is now a tendency for the supreme court to join the club of political judges.

The Danish constitution states that the three powers must be separate, that is the legislative power, the judging power, and the executive power. It is clear that this system of promotion leaves an open floodgate between the executive power and the judging power, to the detriment of the citizens' legal protection.

If you don't believe me, then read this article by Jesper Berning, the well-known Danish lawyer who defended Jesper Bonde Nielsen and won against the State. The article is in Danish. The site JR's Debatsider has in fact a whole collection of articles concerning the problems with Danish justice. Recommended reading for everybody, and in particular those who still believe that Denmark is ruled by law.

While Russia is trying to recover from lawlessness and introduce a proper legal base, Denmark is drifting towards lawlessness, as promoted by the highest powers in the country. There is already a centralised computer system monitoring all financial, and many other affairs of the citizens. Thus, the citizens are exposed to attacks from the state at any time. George Orwell's "1984" was introduced in Denmark little by little.

Denmark is politically and legally corrupt, and you have very little chances of ever making any progress there.

Tax authorities, as supported by the whole, corrupt establishment including the courts, will spare no means to wrench every penny out of you, once they've got you in sight. Innocent people have been driven to suicide, nervous breakdown and financial ruin by the tax authorities and their evil servants. 

A gruesome testimony written by Bernt Sørensen, one such victim who had emigrated from Denmark in 1956, tells how misinformation from the tax authorities lead him into a trap that cost him his entire savings from 30 years' work abroad. Arrested by the police and sentenced by the local court, High Court and Appeals Court for non-existing crimes, no one has been willing or able to tell the victim what crime he committed. As already said, it's all a question of envy and money. The real crime this man committed was as a Dane to emigrate and be successful and make it visible in Denmark. Danish version..

The case of Stephen Hoath - a Briton who had been living in Denmark for 13 years - may be familiar to some readers. A Google search will reveal plenty of articles and a petition. Stephen Hoath's nine-year old daughter had been molested by a convicted paedophile, Villy Andersen. He reported it to the police, who didn't want to act because of lack of evidence. After the first incident, the paedophile kept telephoning Mr. Hoath to harrass him, his wife and daughter, saying that he would 'get' the daughter in the end, as Mr. Hoath couldn't watch over her 24 hours a day. Each time, Mr. Hoath reported it to the police, but they did nothing. One day when Stephen Hoath met the paedophile by chance, he lost his temper and shot Mr. Andersen dead. Stephen Hoath was sentenced to 14 years in prison, which was lowered to 12 years on appeal in March 2004, in biased and unfair trials called a sham by his lawyer. In politically correct Denmark, one must try to understand the criminals' feelings and protect criminals against unfair punishment (unless it's a case of tax evasion, which will be treated with no mercy). A bit of compassion for the victims is of course in its place, but one must understand that it would be unreasonable if criminals were to suffer just for the comfort of the victim. The sole fact that you have been a victim of a crime doesn't make you any better than the rest, according to the Jantelov, and so you shouldn't expect any special treatment. If you try to take the law in your own hands, as Stephen Hoath did, you will feel the full wrath of the Jantelov. I don't defend shooting someone else - he shouldn't have done it, of course. But why wasn't the paedophile locked up, and why didn't the police do anything? It is understandable that Mr. Hoath lost his temper in that situation. If he should be punished, then it would have been reasonable with a symbolic punishment. Not 12 years! He has been diagnosed with a terminal illness and was given 5 more years to live in 2002. His daughter will almost never see her dad again. How can this be called justice? It's yet another example of this inhuman, cruel, disgraceful country with the name of Denmark, calling itself a "welfare state". Stephen Hoath was transferred to a British prison in 2004 on his request, only to find out that conditions there are horrible; freezing during winter and no sign of compassion. His marriage went down the drain, and he is now even further from his daughter.

Read the Daily Telegraph's article from November 2004.

Another example of evil servants' abuse happened when a Dane living and working in Germany regularly visited his Danish girlfriend just across the Danish border. After having regularly spotted him crossing the border in his German registered Mercedes, customs and police officers confiscated the car and demanded payment of Danish registration tax of 200%. The customs officials obviously could not let the provocation that a Dane drove a foreign-registered Mercedes in Denmark unchallenged. That was a serious breach of the Jantelov. The case ended up at the European Court of Justice, where Denmark lost and had to hand the car back and pay compensation.

A bicycling Frenchman in Denmark, Pierre Deschamps, had his bicycle run over several times by an aggressive and impatient Danish motorist. The Danish motorist got impatient that Pierre Deschamps wasn't moving his bicycle quickly enough when a red light turned green and then drove into the bicycle and later over it. Police was called by both parties, but they refused to send a car because nobody was seriously injured. The police prosecuted Pierre Deschamps because the driver claimed to have been punched twice in the face. The driver was interviewed by Police a few minutes after the incident but there is no mention in the police report of any signs of violence. Independent witnesses support Pierre Deschamps' explanation, whereas no independent witness has seen Pierre Deschamps hit anyone. There is no proof that the driver was punched. Nevertheless, the police prosecuted Pierre Deschamps - who had been run over - and the court sentenced him to 30 days' prison, reduced to 30 days' suspended prison on appeal. This surreal story shows that Danish justice has nothing to envy southern European justice - or third world justice - in terms of random prosecutions and judgements and injustice.

Danish police could seem to pick who to prosecute by random. Many years ago, when my late father - together with other cars, turned left when the left arrow turned green at a major junction, his car was torpedoed from the right by a car running a red light. At least one witness supported my father's explanation. But the police prosecuted my father. Contrary to Pierre Deschamps, he won in court.

Recent examples of dishonest legislation from Danish governments are:

• AMBI (ArbejdsMarkedsBIdrag). A 3% tax added in parallel to the VAT of then 22%. The European Court of Justice ruled this tax illegal. A few companies tried to sue for compensation. The government cashed 50 billion kr. (6.7 bio. €) in on this scam. After the ruling, the government removed the tax and increased the VAT to 25%.
• Illegal limitation of personal import of beer for personal consumption. European Union legislation provides citizens with the option of buying their goods where they like. Goods bought and taxed in another member state cannot be taxed when imported into another member state by an individual for personal use. Denmark illegally limited the quantity of beer to 10 litres in 1986. Five years later, the European Court of Justice ruled this illegal.
• Import from another member state of many articles for personal use became subject to VAT during a short period in the eighties. This wild west law defined that any purchase which was not "normal shopping" was subject to VAT. To make a mockery of out this circus, a newspaper telephoned several different customs offices and got as many different interpretations of "normal shopping". The EU persuaded the Danish government to repeal this illegal law soon after.
• To escape the crushing taxes, people sometimes organise particular investment schemes. Just as often, the government will change the laws retrospectively or disrespect double taxation treaties to damage these schemes.
• Civil servants are obliged to put money into a particular pension fund. Everybody are entitled to old age pension. But an amount similar to the old age pension is deducted from the payments from their pension fund when they retire. This scam has not yet come to the courts, and however strange it seems, the negotiators from the civil servants' unions have accepted the scam. There is little doubt that the negotiators, the unions or both have been corrupted by the governments.

Exported Products and Foreigners' Perception of Denmark

However mean the Danes may be between them, they are incredibly proud of anything produced in Denmark, and all exported products are covered in little, red, Danish flags, the Dannebrog, and "Denmark" or "Danish" is written all over the place. Of course, all that makes no difference to foreign customers, who've never heard anything about Denmark. Asked about Denmark, a Brit or a Frenchman would ask if it's part of the EU. The informed reader will know that Denmark joined at the same time as Britain and Ireland, namely 1 January 1973. If you show a map of Scandinavia to a Brit and ask him to point out Denmark, he'll show you either Norway or Sweden.

People outside Scandinavia usually believe that Denmark is a quiet, orderly fairy tale like country, with a welfare system that takes care of everybody in a fair way. Little do they know about all the crime, the record high taxes, the people dying while awaiting life-saving operations, the mean Jantelov, the envy, and the corruption.

The Smokers

One of the first things that struck me when I visited Denmark in June 2006 was how people are smoking everywhere. That is in stark contrast to other civilised countries such as France, the UK and the USA, where you are unlikely to be confronted with smoke in offices and public places. According to this site, 28% of the Danish adult population is smoking daily. In the EU, only the Spanish, the Dutch, the Luxembourgish and the Greek have a larger percentage of daily smokers. In Canada and the USA, only 17% and 18% respectively are daily smokers. This is contradictory to the common belief that the Danes are very conscious of environmental and health issues. During the public debate in the 1970s about whether to introduce nuclear energy or not, it was noted that one of those opposed to nuclear energy due to cancer risks had been photographed with a pipe in his mouth. The Danes ended up rejecting nuclear energy, preferring to pollute the atmosphere with fossile fuels and tobacco smoke which together are killing more Danes annually than nuclear energy has ever killed worldwide. Denmark is far behind other civilised countries when it comes to legislation protecting the rights of non-smokers to breathe clean air. This may be due to a liberal attitude according to which people should not be subject to restrictions, but the majority of non-smokers are paying the price for this pseudo-liberalism. I have worked in Denmark, the UK, Luxembourg and France, but Denmark is the only country where I have had to tolerate smoking in the offices.

Smoking in public places is today outlawed in Denmark, as it is becoming common in other countries.

The Political Parties

Alll the Danish political parties are socialist or communist or a combination. There are at least 10 of them. One of the socialist parties is named the Conservative People Party for historical reasons. You may find this description absurd, but the explanation is that the whole political spectre in Denmark has been slided to the far left. On an absolute political scale, British "New Labour" is more to the right than any Danish party. Denmark has had socialist rule as long as anyone can remember (despite the so-called Conservative Party having been in power), and it's one of the most socialist countries in Europe. Because of the huge number of political parties, governments are always in minority. This assures a continued line of socialism. Political parties or not, the country is mostly governed by the administration, where socialist-communist parties have planted socialist-communist dinosaurs in key positions for decades. Even if a purely conservative government came to power, it would take ages to rid the administration of them.

The Welfare State

Denmark is a paradise for people who don't like to work. The welfare system is designed to assure that anyone not working has at least the same standard of living as those who do. Thus, there's no incentive to ruin your spare time by looking for work. In fact, more than half of the population is financed by the working minority, who must pay for pensioners, unemployed, social security clients, single mothers, immigrants and the civil servants who count about half of the working population. By promising and giving money to these groups, the socialist-communist parties have managed to keep themselves in power at the cost of the working minority that are slaves of the government and those financed by it.

By contrast, the part of the welfare system that's being used by the working population, is being starved of money. Thus, the health system has slid further and further down when compared with similar countries. Danes are brainwashed to think their health system is the best in the world and they like to criticise the British system, but the British system has been improving and is certainly not worse than the Danish now. This is the case despite the population paying the world's highest taxes. People who don't fancy dying while awaiting a life-saving operation either have to pay cash at one of the new private hospitals (private hospitals were illegal until the eighties) or abroad or pay for private medical insurance.

The welfare state was built with borrowed money during the sixties and the seventies. The government gross debt reached €101,000,000,000 at its highest. With a population of 5,300,000, this amounted to 19,100 € per citizen, new-born babies included (figures from 1996, source: Eurostat Yearbook 1997). Thus, a large part of the high taxes went to paying interest on the debt.

Over the last ten years, moderate governments have successfully reduced the debt significantly, to €59,000,000,000 (10,700 € per person at a population of 5,500,000) gross. The debt had in fact been reduced to half that number, but the global crisis that started in 2008 quickly doubled the debt. Thus, Denmark's economy is presently, in 2011, in a far better shape than many other western countries, including the USA, France, Italy, Greece, the UK, Portugal and Ireland, just to mention a few, at least what public debt is concerned. Whatever one may think about the Danish welfare model, the high Danish taxes, and the Danish version of socialism, their model is economically working quite well, to a certain extent because the Danes are a very homogenous people that are brought up to believe the system is good for them, including an acceptance of the belief that outrageous taxes are necessary to make their society work. However, people believing in economic liberalism and reasonable taxes may find it difficult to adapt well to the Danish system.

Nevertheless, a Fiscal Risk Index, developed by risk analysis and mapping firm, Maplecroft, published on 23 February 2011, knocked the feet away under the future of the Danish welfare model by placing Denmark as the country seventh most at risk worldwide, in the group "extreme risk". The index identifies countries that will come under increasing economic pressure in future years due to low birth rates, high life expectancy and state commitments to look after ageing populations. "Without significant adjustments, such as raising taxes or reducing spending, countries risk going bankrupt," the report says.

The Unions

Manual workers are expected to be members of the communist union in power at the workplace. Even though there's no legal requirement to do so, anyone refusing membership is considered an outlaw by his colleagues, who will refuse to work with him, smash his car (if he could afford one in the first place), damage his property, terrorise his family and go on illegal strike until the outlaw is fired. Firing him is of course illegal, but many companies see themselves pressured to do so in order for the business to survive. Public services, like the Copenhagen City Hall, have been seen to fire employees who refused to join the unions as well. They know it's illegal, but since the communist and socialist mayors sympathise with the unions, they find that it's ok.

The Beer

Beer is Denmark's national drink, drunk at any time, anywhere, at any occasion and for any excuse. Danes like Danish beer from Tuborg, Carlsberg and maybe Faxe and someone seen drinking a foreign beer could be considered a bit of a weirdo, committing an act of treason. There are some exceptions: 1. It has become trendy to drink special brews from Danish micro-breweries or the main Danish brewers. 2. Near Germany, where beer is imported to Denmark in large quantities to save on the beer tax, it is acceptable to drink cheap German brands of beer. Needless to say, Danish beer consumption per capita is among the largest in Europe.

The Food

Denmark's contributions to cooking are flæskesteg (roast pork prepared with the rind on it, served with sweet/sour red cabbage, boiled and caramelised potatoes and a brown sauce), hakkebøf (steaks of minced beef, served with boiled potatoes, fried onions and a brown sauce) and frikadeller (fried meat balls made of minced pork and veal, served like the hakkebøf). As opposed to the brown sauce served in Britain, the Danish version sometimes has a taste.

Lunch is open sandwiches prepared on slices of rye bread. Any sort of meat, including what was left of the dinner the day before, may be used on the smørrebrød. In particular, marinated herrings in spicy sauce is popular. The lunch is washed down with Danish beer, and at weekends with snaps (an alcohol made on potatoes and with various herbs like cumin). The snaps must be served ice cold.

The younger generations are increasingly revolting against the fatty diet, which is replaced with pizzas, pastas, and other foreign food.

Danish is a germanic language, so it bears some resemblance to German and Dutch, while Norwegian and Swedish are very close to Danish. It means that Danish follows the German habit of glueing words together, giving very long words such as stærkstrømsregulativfortolkningsproblem (interpretation problem regarding a power current regulation). This word passed my Danish spellchecker!

Apart from its German roots, Danish is really a blend of imported words from Roman languages, notably French, Greek, English and many other places. Often, the initial pronounciation is still in use. Given the many different language roots and rules for pronounciation, there is often no direct relation between the spelling of Danish words and their pronounciation. In a Roman language like French, the pronounciation of the vast majority of words follows a set of fairly simple rules. In Danish, you have to learn the pronounciation of many words by heart, because you cannot apply a simple set of rules. This makes it very difficult for foreigners to learn Danish.

As for the numbers, the Danes - like the Germans - pronounce the 10's and 1's in opposite order:

23 is treogtyve - three and twenty - just like the German Dreiundzwanzig - what a mess! The Swedes are more clever and use a logic system: totitre - two ten three.

That is a question you will frequently hear in Denmark. Danes are often meticulous and have an unusual sense for detail. They want to understand why things are like they are, how things work and the details of things. They will not take "because it is like that" for an answer. In TV broadcasts of major events, for example involving royalty or visits of foreign heads of state, there are hours and hours of broadcasts on the main State TV channel, showing all the aspects that can possibly be filmed and explained. This satisfies a genuine interest amongst Danes to understand what they see. This interest in detail is partially the reason why Danish products and services have obtained an international reputation for quality. It also partially explains why Denmark has been a leading country when it comes to improving environmental standards. Once a Dane understands the pollution around him, he simply cannot accept it.

Some Danes are so happy about their country that criticism like what you will find on this page is seen as an insult. In November 2007, I received this comment from a Dane: "You clown. Move from denmark, if it is that awful. I thought that your brites [sic] where gentlemen, but your are a disgrace." Well, this guy thinks the British are still gentlemen as in the early 20th century - and many people around the world think the Danes are tolerant of others and other opinions. But, to return to this eloquent opinion, I AM Danish, not British, and I DID emigrate in 1993, having had enough. To be happy in Denmark, you have to like and accept the uniform way of thinking that the socialist welfare and envy system has built up in the 20th century. Criticism and other ways of thinking are not accepted, but it's not the state that will censure you - as in certain countries - but the individual Danes, as this fellow here just illustrated.

This page is a subjective description of certain aspects of Denmark as I see them. It is neither balanced nor complete. Should it be balanced? Is existing literature praising Denmark balanced? Why should a text only be balanced when presenting negative views but not if it presents positive views?

If a factual description of Denmark is what you're after, then I suggest reading the US State Department's fact sheet about Denmark, which is one of the best I've come across.

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