Crocuses, candidates, coastal winds

Spring is here at last.

The snow has melted, the sky is blue again, and in the mornings the sun shines dramatically over the rooftops, as if someone had activated the Instagram filter ‘Scandinavian confidence’. Sometimes you can even go without a jacket. Sometimes. Let's not exaggerate.

The first crocuses are sprouting.
And the election posters.

Copenhagen will soon be voting.

Faces upon faces

We will refrain from any name jokes at this point. Even though it is tempting to comment on candidates with surnames that in English... Name jokes have always been cheap. We know that from our own experience. They can sometimes hurt.

What strikes us instead is that
it feels like 75 per cent of the posters show female faces. And often very young ones.

From our perspective so far, that is remarkable.

The posters themselves are surprisingly unexciting. Usually a face. The party name. Maybe a short slogan. Often not even that. No rhetorical barrage. No ‘Now more than ever’ capital letters. No apocalypse in 72-point font.

A smile. A name. Done.

One could almost think that politics here is something that people are trusted with – not slogans, anger or provocation.

The newspaper for newcomers

To help us find our way around, we were given a newspaper for newcomers to the city in English when we registered. The issue was a kind of political onboarding light.

Who is running?
Who has a chance?
What do they stand for?

What is striking is that the three parties with the best chances are led by women. And the interviews surprisingly often focus on social issues. Education. Cohesion. Urban development. Care. Climate. Cycling. Everyday life.

Even conservative parties argue on social grounds.
And the Liberals do strike an economically friendly note, yes – but there is no great fervour for freedom. No tirades against the impositions of the state. From our perspective, the impositions in terms of taxes and transparency are certainly scandalous for some people in our country. The most controversial topics in the newspaper tend to be suggestions such as: perhaps cheaper car parking?

You read that and think: is that the controversy now?

Chicken or egg – only Scandinavian

The question inevitably arises:
Which came first?

The socially influenced political culture that has given rise to a wide variety of female candidates?
Or the many women and atypical political figures who have shaped this culture?

Not a question for this diary. And certainly not for a quick weekday thought between crocuses and coastal winds.

But it is an exciting question.

Because somewhere between election posters and the morning sun, the impression creeps in that political debate can also be quieter. Less testosterone-driven. Less apocalyptic. Perhaps even with a basic trust that the other side is not automatically the downfall of Western civilisation.

We are observing

We are still new here. Politically fluid, culturally in learning mode.

We'll tell you about our onboarding into Danish society – with authorities, numbers, digital identities and surprising moments – another time.

For now, we're just observing.

How posters are put up.
How discussions are held.
How arguments are fought – or not.

And perhaps we'll learn that spring is not just a season, but sometimes also a tone of voice.