\u00bbThis is just bloody fantastic,\u00ab enthuses Martin Krasnik, journalist for the Danish newspaper Weekendavisen at the University of Copenhagen’s debate meeting about the coming British election Tuesday . <\/p>\n
Indeed, Thursday\u2019s election, with its unexpected twists and microphone scandals, has roused enough students to fill the Ceremonial Hall. <\/p>\n
The hall is decked in the garb of an East-End street party, with wall-to-wall Union Jack bunting, although the crowd is predominantly Danish speaking, perhaps because most of the programme is in Danish. <\/p>\n
Or maybe the Brits are keeping quiet, contemplating Thursday\u2019s big decision: Cameron, Brown or Clegg? <\/p>\n
However, rather than a discussion of the of the three candidate\u2019s policies, their chances of winning, or their election mishaps, the debate becomes more of a discussion of the pros and cons of the British \u2018first-past-the-post\u2019 system of voting (see fact box to the right).<\/p>\n
Nick Archer, UK Ambassador to Denmark, opens the event, but is quick to point out that his role is that of \u00bba member of the audience.\u00ab <\/p>\n
His lips are diplomatically sealed on the question of who ought to win the British election and why; a not entirely comfortable situation for the Danish speaking Brit: \u00bbIt will be frustrating to listen to four Danes speak about an election in my country, among my people, and have to keep my mouth shut,\u00ab he quips. <\/p>\n
Then, Mads Qvortrup from the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom sets the tone for the event with a a ten minute crash course in the British electoral system.<\/p>\n
He is followed by Jens Rahbek Rasmussen, from the University of Copenhagen\u2019s Department of English, Germanic and Romance Studies, who summarises the logic of the British vote: apparently it is something of a mystery for the average Dane.<\/p>\n
The advantage of the British system, he says, is that it gives a strong government which is able make decisions without asking anyone, a kind of \u00bbelected dictatorship\u00ab.<\/p>\n
It also hold small extremist parties out, so extreme right-wing parties like the British National Party could never come to any degree of power, he explains. <\/p>\n
Martin Krasnik stands up to take the podium, in true British parliamentary style. His enthusiasm for all things British is infectious, as he takes us through Cameron\u2019s modernisation of the Conservative party, or \u00bbthe Nasty Party\u00ab, as Labour calls them. <\/p>\n
Superficially, Cameron has created a more diverse and inclusive Tory party, with more homosexuals, women and ethnic minorities than any other party, \u00bband much more than today\u2019s panel, when it comes to that!\u00ab jokes Krasnik.<\/p>\n
But under the multicultural fa\u00e7ade, the new Conservatives are still upper-middle class products of Oxbridge (Oxford and Cambridge universities, ed.) and private schools, he explains. \u00bbBritish conservatives are truly conservatives. They don’t take to change easily.\u00ab <\/p>\n
Finally, Ole Helmersen, of Copenhagen Business School tackles the economic issues surrounding the election. <\/p>\n
\u00bbThis election has been focussed on personalities as though it were a bad version of X-factor, rather than the economic realities facing the new government,\u00ab he says, pointing out that the party that wins has to face a recession economy and run a country with the highest private debt, per person, in Europe. <\/p>\n
In the ensuing debate, the panel touches on a number of issues that have dominated the British election so far: Britain\u2019s position in Europe, how the British public feel about politicians and the red hot issue of immigration.<\/p>\n
Indeed, on the subject of immigration, Liberal party leader Nick Clegg, who has enjoyed a boost in popularity in the run-up to the election, has caused something of a stir, by voicing plans to give all illegal immigrants amnesty, so that they can contribute with taxes to the national government.<\/p>\n
Journalist Martin Krasnik thinks he knows why this radical suggestion has been received relatively calmly by British voters:<\/p>\n
\u00bbWhen Clegg says that he wants to give a half million illegal immigrants amnesty, and the voters don’t run away screaming, it seems like Brits are more sceptical of politicians than they are of immigrants. They are just so sick of politicians. All of them,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n
It’s a good thing there are just two days to go. <\/p>\n
The election debate is rounded off in true British style, at a reception complete with afternoon tea in bone china cups, and, of course, scones.<\/p>\n
luci@adm.ku.dk<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Debate on the looming UK election was a crash course in how voting works in Britain, and high tea with the Ambassador<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":22802,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus","expression-news_article"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n