The last month or so has seen a flood of articles and a TV2 documentary about Herlufsholm, the country’s oldest and most illustrious school, which was founded in 1135 by the Danish naval hero Herluf Trolle and his wife. #HeadmasterToo!In the spirit of #MeToo, various alumni have come out of the woodwork to tell their…
In mid-November last year I was lucky enough (or unlucky if you prefer) to turn 64. Lord of the stringsAround the same time the hype was in full swing to promote the 50th anniversary of the Beatles album ‘Let it Be’ – tying in with Peter Jackson’s documentary ‘Get Back’. In true Jackson style the…
It’s that time of year again – no, not Hallowe’en but council and municipal election time. This year, a number of candidates, especially those standing in the rich municipalities around Copenhagen, have hitched themselves to the ‘security’ bandwagon. A recent opinion poll carried out for TV2 by Megafon revealed that 31 percent would feel more…
The summer ‘silly season’ has become the time for political parties and their supporters to roll out inflammatory ideas knowing they will get lots of coverage, as there is precious little other news around except sport. At present, the comment columns of Denmark’s serious newspapers seem dominated by ‘culture warriors’ determined to combat the sins…
A new year and a new beginning – at least that’s the accepted wisdom. Always half-empty But when it comes to this kind of thing, I’m very much a ‘glass half-empty’ man. Bitter experience has taught me not to get my hopes up too high; I’d rather be pleasantly surprised than bitterly disappointed. A recent…
We all know the drill by now. You’re waiting at a bus stop and the bus hoves into view: cue rummaging in bag to find mask. Of course you should spray your hands with spirit first and not touch the mask, but most people don’t. Then follows an increasingly uncomfortable bus ride on which your…
May 5 saw the 75th anniversary of Denmark’s liberation after WWII, with substantial TV coverage and reminiscences of the war years. Coincidentally, this year also marked the centenary of Southern Jutland’s reunion with Denmark when land lost to Germany in 1864 was restored through a peaceful plebiscite. Had it not been for the restrictions imposed…
One thing you do at your peril in Denmark, it seems, is belittle the country, its customs or its food. Scandinavian airline SAS found this out the hard way the other day when its advertising bureau &Co launched a new campaign video entitled ‘What is truly Scandinavian?’. After a promising start with the title, things…
Having lived in Denmark for over 40 years, there are fewer and fewer things that still make me feel truly British. However, one such event is coming around shortly – no, not Halloween nor Guy Fawkes Night, but the annual Christmas Pudding making weekend. In the Gadd kitchen, the last weekend of October becomes “some…
Spring has sprung and along with the nice weather we have seen Rasmus Paludan – self-styled ‘soldier of freedom’, ‘protector of the weak’, ‘guardian of society’, ‘light of the Danes’ and leader of Stram Kurs (Hard Line) party – in full cry. This trained lawyer tours Denmark staging demonstrations in primarily immigrant areas, burns or…
DR, the Danish state broadcaster, recently confirmed how many redundancies it will be making in the wake of the austerity measures agreed by Parliament. The cuts will reduce the organisation’s state grant by 20 percent up until 2023. In human terms, 205 employees have been given notice, 64 have agreed to leave voluntarily and 87…
Once again Dansk Folkeparti has lobbed a pre-silly season hand grenade into the political debate, and cake has been the weapon of choice. DF MP Kenneth Kristensen Berth was shopping in his local Bilka when to his horror he spotted a cake iced with the words ‘Eid Mubarak’ that the supermarket chain had produced to…
