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More Danes in favour of referendum on the EU

Lucie Rychla
June 8th, 2016


This article is more than 8 years old.

Polls show fewer people wish to remain part of the European community

Some 42 percent of Danes would like to hold a referendum on whether Denmark should continue to be a member of the European Union or not, reveals a new poll conducted by Epinion for DR.

The figure has increased by 5 percent since February when 37 percent of Danes favoured a national vote on the EU.

Kristian Thulesen Dahl, the leader of Dansk Folkeparti, believes the forthcoming referendum in the UK on June 23 has encouraged the Danes to believe the same could be done in Denmark too.

READ MORE: British expats in favour of staying in the EU

Majority says yes to EU
According to the survey, the number of Danes who would prefer to remain in the EU has declined from 56 percent in November to 44 percent today, while the proportion of those who would vote ‘no’ has increased from 31 to 42 percent.

Although a majority would still prefer to remain in the EU, Peter Hummelgaard, the spokesperson of Socialdemokraterne, finds the results “worrying”.

“It would be an extremely bad idea if Denmark left the EU,” he said.

“Opting out of the EU is not in Denmark’s best interests. Our main export markets are in the EU, our economy is dependent on it and if we are to tackle all the challenges – whether it’s the refugee crisis, climate crisis, inequality crisis or tax havens – we have to do it together.”


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A survey carried out by Megafon for TV2 has found that 71 percent of parents have handed over children to daycare in spite of them being sick.

Moreover, 21 percent of those surveyed admitted to medicating their kids with paracetamol, such as Panodil, before sending them to school.

The FOLA parents’ organisation is shocked by the findings.

“I think it is absolutely crazy. It simply cannot be that a child goes to school sick and plays with lots of other children. Then we are faced with the fact that they will infect the whole institution,” said FOLA chair Signe Nielsen.

Pill pushers
At the Børnehuset daycare institution in Silkeborg a meeting was called where parents were implored not to bring their sick children to school.

At Børnehuset there are fears that parents prefer to pack their kids off with a pill without informing teachers.

“We occasionally have children who that they have had a pill for breakfast,” said headteacher Susanne Bødker. “You might think that it is a Panodil more than a vitamin pill, if it is a child who has just been sick, for example.”

Parents sick and tired
Parents, when confronted, often cite pressure at work as a reason for not being able to stay at home with their children.

Many declare that they simply cannot take another day off, as they are afraid of being fired.

Allan Randrup Thomsen, a professor of virology at KU, has heavily criticised the parents’ actions, describing the current situation as a “vicious circle”.

“It promotes the spread of viruses, and it adds momentum to a cycle where parents are pressured by high levels of sick-leave. If they then choose to send the children to daycare while they are still recovering, they keep the epidemic going in daycares, and this in turn puts a greater burden on the parents.”