Enhedslisten and the struggle for socialist politics in Denmark

As I live in Copenhagen and rarely get to Iceland, my active participation in the exciting work of the Socialist Party of Iceland (Sósíalistaflokkur Íslands) is very limited. Here in Denmark, however, there is also a very exciting socialist struggle underway that I believe Icelandic socialists should follow closely. To understand the situation on the left wing in Denmark, one must first briefly discuss the Social Democrats and the strong position they have taken. In Denmark, there is a tradition of bloc politics where the blocs are divided into blue and red. On the blue wing, it is Venstre (which is not on the left but is a right-wing neoliberal party) that leads the bloc. In the red bloc, the Social Democrats are by far the largest and hold the leadership.Neoliberalism offered by the Social Democrats

The government of the Social Democrats, Radikale Venstre, and SF (Socialistisk Folkeparti) took power from Venstre and the right in the 2011 elections. However, that government largely continued exactly the same neoliberal policy. Especially the cuts to the welfare system, which the right-wing government had already made significant progress on. The measures that provoked the most protests and resistance included, for example, proposed cuts to student grants, cuts to funding for the University of Copenhagen, and especially the sale of an 18% stake in Dong Energy – Denmark's state energy company – to Goldman Sachs. This sale of such a large state stake to the infamous investment bank did not sit well with most people and led to such fierce protests and disputes that SF withdrew from the government coalition, and the party's leader, Anette Vilhelmsen, resigned.

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Helle Thorning-Schmidt, leader of the Social Democrats, managed to keep her government together until the 2015 elections, but there the red bloc lost, and Thorning-Schmidt resigned. Lars Løkke Rasmussen, leader of Venstre, once again became Prime Minister, and Mette Frederiksen took over as leader of the Social Democrats.

From the ashes of neoliberalism into the fire of right-wing populism

After that, the Social Democrats have taken a sharp turn towards the extreme right. However, this is not necessarily a development that came entirely out of the blue. In the 2015 elections, the Social Democrats very noticeably flirted with xenophobia, and their complicity, of course, goes back even further. But the Social Democrats under Mette Frederiksen have abandoned all pretense of social democracy and social values. They are loyal servants of capital, and to gain support in other ways, they now pursue an immigration policy and a refugee policy that gives nothing away to the fascist party DF, while also inventing new enemies such as academics and artists, whom they blame for society's misfortunes. During this term, they have put forward one misanthropic proposal after another, until very recently, Mette Frederiksen and Thulesen Dahl, leader of DF, appeared together in the media and spoke about a strong basis for cooperation between the parties. The largest party on the left wing has thus gone to bed with an extreme right-wing party that preaches racist ideology and pure malice.

Leadership and the face of real socialism

Enhedslisten – or the Red-Greens – is the only true socialist party in the Danish parliament. It was founded in 1989 from three other socialist and communist parties. The party is the most left-wing in the Danish parliament and has a clear anti-capitalist policy. Its main struggles are for a socialist revolution and economic system, changes to property rights, and withdrawal from the European Union. The provision in its program that explicitly calls for revolution has, however, been under revision, but initially there was a provision for armed revolution – something that various members have been inconsistent about and that has been much emphasized.

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Enhedslisten is also in close cooperation with other socialist organizations and thus acts as a kind of leadership and face for the radical left. Most notably, Sosialistisk UngdomsFront, which is an independent youth movement of socialists and is prominent in various protest actions. Both former and current leaders of Enhedslisten, Johanne Schmidt-Nielsen and Pernille Skipper, along with several other MPs from the party, began their political careers there. Enhedslisten also represents the Communist Party of Denmark (DKP) in parliament, and the Trotskyist organization Socialistisk Arbejderpolitik – which also represents Denmark in the Fourth International – merged with it (the current leader of Enhedslisten, Pernille Skipper, comes from there).

Powerful female leaders

The party was in an influential position during Helle Thorning-Schmidt's term. Despite not being part of the government, it supported the government while at the same time harshly criticizing the ongoing neoliberalization. It must also be borne in mind that despite DF having waged the harshest fear-mongering against foreigners, virtually all major political parties have been complicit, whether they have directly supported a harsh policy against immigrants and asylum seekers or remained silent. Enhedslisten has been by far the most prominent in this struggle, which could even be called anti-fascist. They have also always been at home in criticizing capitalism, inequality, and defending the most vulnerable. The last two leaders, Johanne Schmidt-Nielsen and now Pernille Skipper, are both very powerful speakers and formidable opponents in debates. All of this has meant that they have been steadily gaining support, from 2.2% in the 2007 elections to today, where they are polling at around 9.5% support.

Internal criticism and the question of government participation

But now that the red bloc is expected to win the next elections, several disputes have arisen within the party. Enhedslisten will then likely be the second largest party after the Social Democrats, according to current polls. But if various members of Enhedslisten are to be believed, Mette Frederiksen cannot take the party's support for granted – something considered unheard of in left-wing politics in Denmark. Whatever happens, it is safe to say that the next period will be difficult, and it will test the party's socialist principles like never before.

Enhedslisten has also recently been under attack, and it came from within its own ranks. Mikkel Bolt, an academic and well-known spokesperson for the radical left, recently wrote an article in Information accusing Enhedslisten of having effectively betrayed its original policy of socialist revolution. According to him, the most ambitious thing the party stands for now is merely minor adjustments to capitalism – policies that are insufficient in the state we find ourselves in today. Bolt says that the only option is to dissolve the party so that it does not hinder a real socialist struggle. This criticism has sparked lively reactions and debates, and these discussions are still ongoing as of this writing.

Jóhann Helgi Heiðdal