SHAKESPEARE SAID IT BEST – AT 8:47 A.M. ET:  "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark," Will Shakespeare said.  I'm afraid it's true.

Denmark is a fine country.  It has been a stalwart ally of the United States, and its government, unlike the execrable regimes of Norway and Sweden, has not gone the way of bowing down before the Islamists and descending into self-righteous boasting.  But we may be on the verge of a setback in the one Scandinavian country that has continued to share our values.  From AP:

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Danish voters appeared set to elect their first female prime minister Thursday and end 10 years of pro-market reforms and a hardening of immigration laws.

Nearly all polls leading up to the vote have predicted a majority in the 179-seat Parliament for the left-leaning opposition led by Social Democratic leader Helle Thorning-Schmidt.

Two surveys released Thursday also showed that her "red bloc" would unseat the minority center-right government led by Lars Loekke Rasmussen and stem the influence of its anti-immigration ally, the Danish People's Party.

Please note the term "red bloc."  They do this sort of thing in Europe. 

"Now we have the opportunity to change Denmark and get a new majority. We must grab this opportunity," Thorning-Schmidt, 44, told reporters after voting in Copenhagen.

For the past decade, the government has relied on the backing of the anti-immigrant Danish People's Party, enacting reforms to make Denmark more business friendly and less welcoming to asylum-seekers from developing countries.

In consensus-oriented Denmark, there is broad agreement on having a robust welfare system financed by high taxes, but the government and the opposition differ on the depth of austerity measures needed to keep Denmark's finances intact amid Europe's debt crisis.

Thorning-Schmidt wants to dodge some of the government's welfare cuts and raise taxes on banks and the wealthy. Loekke Rasmussen has ruled out any tax hikes.

Looks like Denmark will go the way of Greece.  Hey, failure isn't a disgrace, is it? 

"We need sound public finances without raising taxes," Loekke Rasmussen, 47, told reporters after casting his ballot in Graested, north of Copenhagen.

A Megafon poll Thursday gave the opposition 51 percent of votes and a five-seat advantage over the government in Parliament. The gap was 13 seats in a Ramboell survey.

COMMENT:  The Danes tend to be sane people, and I'm surprised at this turnabout.  I hope it doesn't take the Danish people long to realize that socialism is dead and national bankruptcy is not a noble goal.  In the meantime, I hope the new government will be sober in its foreign policy, and maintain close ties with the U.S.

September 15, 2011