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Danes overwhelmingly in favour of lifting Danish Defence Reservation

Christian Wenande
May 19th, 2022


This article is more than 2 years old.

Almost 60 percent of respondents said they would vote yes if the referendum was held tomorrow … but a lot of people are still on the fence

Dawn of a new Danish defence order? (photo: Forsvaret)

On June 1, Danes will vote on abolishing the Danish Defence Reservation – a referendum that if approved will increase Danish military spending and allow Denmark to join EU-led conflicts.

Judging by a new Megafon survey conducted on behalf of TV2 and Politiken newspaper, a considerable majority intend to vote in favour.

The survey showed that 59.1 percent of respondents intend to vote in favour, while 40.9 percent are opposed. 

However, the survey also underlined that many (29 percent) have yet to make up their minds or don’t want to vote at all. The doubters are evenly spread out between the ‘yay’ and ‘nay’ sides.

READ ALSO: Danes to vote in June 1 referendum on ‘historic’ rise in military spending

Three parties against
The primary reason for having doubt is lacking knowledge about the subject and being unsure about what Denmark will gain by abolishing the Danish Defence Reservation.

Another concern is that Denmark could find itself in military operations that it doesn’t want to take part in.

Looking at the political spectrum, the only three parties not in favour are Dansk Folkeparti, Enhedslisten and Nye Borgerlige.

The government (Socialdemokratiet), Venstre, Konservative, Radikale and Socialistisk Folkeparti are all in favour of voting yes – a key argument being that Denmark needs to adjust in wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Take the referendum vote test (in Danish) on DR.dk to see where you would land if you were able to vote.


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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.”