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Danmark
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Clean bottoms all round as Danes make bidets compulsory
AP Elsinore
The Danish Folkehuset has voted to introduce the controversial 'Bidet Bill' into law making it compulsory that all new and existing homes and premises install bidets within the next decade with those on low incomes eligible for a grant to cover the cost. The law will also mean the gradual phasing out of lavatory paper throughout the country as part of concerted environmental agenda to use less paper and also as part of a public hygiene initiative.
The bill was surrounded in controversy since it was first mooted, with rival camps pitched in a public relations battle involving a proliferation of TV, radio, and internet advertisements and petitions. It also became a favourite topic of conversation on day-time chat shows and amongst comedians, and many seem split on whether the country is a laughing stock or blazing a trail.
Opponents say the bill is 'political correctness gone mad' and that it's 'fascist'. They say installing bidets should be left to individuals to decide, not the state; that they're too expensive; and that they take up too much space. Mrs Dummere, a housewife from Yngby, was incredulous. "This house hardly has any room to swing a cat, never mind shove a bidet in it! Plus, I haven't the time to sit there all day washing my backside, I've got things to do. It'll be of no use to me whatever, it's just like an extra lavatory. I might just use it to wash my socks in or put a house plant in it".
However, supporters of the law have welcomed it as a sign of civilised progress.
Jan Kristofferson, a public hygiene specialist, said "We spend millions every year clearing out blockages after people have used too much lavatory paper, our sewerage system can't cope with the onslaught. On top of that, using tissue paper is hardly '21st century' now is it? The advent of the bidet is a sign of modernity and civility, and is an apt replacement for the inferior tissue paper and it's inability to provide decent hygiene."
Although the bill provides for enforcement with special officers on the nicknamed 'bidet beat', supporters have voiced concerns of the difficulty of enforcing the law, and fears of a black market in lavatory paper with criminals smuggling it in from abroad and charging extortionate prices.
AP Elsinore
The Danish Folkehuset has voted to introduce the controversial 'Bidet Bill' into law making it compulsory that all new and existing homes and premises install bidets within the next decade with those on low incomes eligible for a grant to cover the cost. The law will also mean the gradual phasing out of lavatory paper throughout the country as part of concerted environmental agenda to use less paper and also as part of a public hygiene initiative.
The bill was surrounded in controversy since it was first mooted, with rival camps pitched in a public relations battle involving a proliferation of TV, radio, and internet advertisements and petitions. It also became a favourite topic of conversation on day-time chat shows and amongst comedians, and many seem split on whether the country is a laughing stock or blazing a trail.
Opponents say the bill is 'political correctness gone mad' and that it's 'fascist'. They say installing bidets should be left to individuals to decide, not the state; that they're too expensive; and that they take up too much space. Mrs Dummere, a housewife from Yngby, was incredulous. "This house hardly has any room to swing a cat, never mind shove a bidet in it! Plus, I haven't the time to sit there all day washing my backside, I've got things to do. It'll be of no use to me whatever, it's just like an extra lavatory. I might just use it to wash my socks in or put a house plant in it".
However, supporters of the law have welcomed it as a sign of civilised progress.
Jan Kristofferson, a public hygiene specialist, said "We spend millions every year clearing out blockages after people have used too much lavatory paper, our sewerage system can't cope with the onslaught. On top of that, using tissue paper is hardly '21st century' now is it? The advent of the bidet is a sign of modernity and civility, and is an apt replacement for the inferior tissue paper and it's inability to provide decent hygiene."
Although the bill provides for enforcement with special officers on the nicknamed 'bidet beat', supporters have voiced concerns of the difficulty of enforcing the law, and fears of a black market in lavatory paper with criminals smuggling it in from abroad and charging extortionate prices.