Centralisation the second

The Parliament is in Copenhagen. Every ministry is in Copenhagen. The National Museum is in Copenhagen. The National Archives are in Copenhagen. The largest University of the country is in Copenhagen. Everything is in Copenhagen.

The small schools in the provinces are closed. The small hospitals as well.

Apparently the government is deliberately pursuing a strategy aiming towards concentrating everything around the biggest cities in the country. The overall thought behind this is that the more expertise is concentrated on one spot, the better therapy, education and so on.

But is this really the case and at what cost does it come at?

The outskirts of Denmark, which by now include everything except Copenhagen and Aarhus, is in a poor health. Jobs are few or non-existing. The small villages have been stripped of state institutions such as schools or day care. Maybe that’s the reason why young people and families with children choose to leave the villages in order to get everyday life to function.

In Germany the outskirts are flourishing. Every tiny village has a day care, school, tennis court and many small clubs. And of course the indispensable ALDI. And people live there, young, old, children; because the rent is cheap and everyday life is possible.

This is due to a specific strategy pursued by the German government. As opposed to Denmark the strategy is about spreading public jobs and support local communities. When the Parliament moved from Bonn to Berlin, several other state institutions moved the other way. This is the reason that Bonn is still a living, breathing city.

Four years ago a technical university opened in Remagen, a city with a population of 10.000. This would be unthinkable in Denmark, but nevertheless works south of the border.

The question is, is it too late to turn around this development in Denmark? Moving the tax department to Ringkøbing was a start, but the general picture does not point towards decentralization. One can only hope, that Fælleslisten is able to convert their goals into votes, and that these votes are heard. Otherwise an important part of Denmark will be lost.