Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Too thick to read

It appears that a huge row has bubbled up in Denmark prior to the launch of the Yes and No campaigns for their September referendum. The bottom line is that the PM, despite promising otherwise earlier decided not to send a copy of the treaty to every household citing the cost. The financial arguments have been augmented by the normal arrogance of the pro side.

This story really kicked off however when Kristian Thulesen Dahl Chairman of the strongly nationalist Danish People’s party and chairman of the Parliament’s Finance Committee discovered that the Prime Minister’s office had not, as promised to the Finance Committee, sought any concrete tenders on the market to print and distribute copies of the Constitution.
It then became apparent that the PM’s office had miscalculated the costs by a mere 115 million Danish Kroner. Not knowing what that mean lets put it into perspective that is 15,5 million Euros or 10,6 million pounds. Not a lot you might say, until you work out that that translates to an electorate of about 4 million or £2,50 each. Now he admits the costs wuold be a mere 30 million kronor or 4 million Euro or about 2 3/4 million pounds. That is significantly less than £1 each.
Big maths error – go back to the corner of the class and wear a big pointy hat.

The row continues with the Peoples Party now being supported by the leftist Socialist People’s party and a great swathe of public opinion intheir demands that the treaty be mailed to each and every voter.
The elite opposes this of course.
A classic example being Charlotte Antonsen a liberal MP and party European Spokesman wrote to the Ekstra Bladet (11th May) claiming that that not many people would actually read the Constitutional Treaty if it was delivered to all households. Thus it would be no point in sending it out.

A final decision has yet to be made.

No comments:

Twitter