December 31st, 2021

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On your marks … (photo: Pixabay)

We had hoped that 2021 would be the year when vaccines got the better of the pandemic. Oh well, here’s looking at you, 2022.

More of this, less of that
In Denmark we are not afraid anymore, but also not complacent. Another mutation, this time Omicron, and there’s this feeling that it’s starting all over.

More tests; more distancing. No Xmas parties; no travelling to exotic beaches. The tourists are disappearing, and so are our chances of going skiing later this winter. 

We expected to be back to normal, but really we’re far, far away. If anything, 2021 has confirmed that this is the new normal. The pandemic is here to stay for a long time with mutations, booster vaccinations, travel restrictions as far as we can see in 2022.  

Nowt to rattle the cage
But life must go on. Nicolai Wammen, the finance minister, has just landed a budget law deal with the support of the red bloc. There are no dramatic initiatives, rather a sensible deal with the five left-wing parties providing the necessary 90-seat majority. 

The blue parties were not consulted but will probably vote in favour because they had little better to offer. 

Konservative was pushing a tax relief agenda, but nothing came of it. Likewise Venstre and its push for more individual freedom and a more agile policy on foreigners who want to work and integrate here. While Dansk Folkeparti has a bitter pill to swallow: most of the Danmarks Radio cutbacks it fought so hard for have been rescinded. 

The budget is in place, and the economy of the kingdom is sound.  

Splash leaves ripples
Meanwhile, the government faced an issue in the Bay of Guinea after a Danish warship shot dead four pirates and captured another four. 

There are more than 50 Danish cargo ships in the area at any given time, so it’s good that these pirates were stopped. But now we have the problem of what to do with the culprits. 

No country wants them, so either they will be put back out to sea or brought to justice in Denmark. The latter would create a lot of political noise – particularly if they end up one day as Danish citizens. 

Given that the government is getting blamed for sending the warship without international backing, the whole story illustrates the need for more international legislation and execution. Maybe we can spearhead that development. Then some good will have come from it.

So merry Xmas to you all and a happy new year as well. Remember: keep on expecting the unexpected.