Den Danske Tidende : Imperium og Kongeriget &c.

[Polesia]

পররাষ্ট্র মন্ত্রক
Ministry of External Affairs

Vangalan-Danish relations continue to be harmed by Danmark's insistence on membership in the League of Free States, who are responsible for numerous acts of aggression against the People's Republic and countless atrocities and human rights abuses. If the European Defence Federation wishes to protect improved ties with Vangala it should avoid association with Danmark.

 

[Lorraine]

Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs

As I have been informed by the Office of the Controller-General of Commerce of your government's willingness to open talks with Lorraine, I along with the Controller-General, will meet with representatives of Danmark at a time and place of their concenience.

Charles Colbert, Marquis de Croissy
Secrétaire d'Etat aux Affaires Etrangères

 

[Danmark]

Den Danske Tidende
Nationale nyheder i Danmark siden 1714

Gaardsen calls for LFS withdrawal​

ELSINORE - The leader of Danish Social Democratic party, Dr Christian Gaardsen, yesterday publicly called on the coalition government to reconsider its links to the League of Free States and withdraw from the organisation citing serious harm to Danmark's long term interests.

Ending months of speculation and unofficial leaks, the Social Democrats formally broke cover and revealed that withdrawal from the LFS will be one of the key pledges in any national election as they seek to overturn a decades' long foreign policy.

It is the latest upset for the incumbent Statsminister who is facing mounting criticism of his foreign and economic policy and the Social Democrats have made no secret of the fact that they intend to embark on an increasingly populist campaign that seeks to expose the rifts between the Liberal Party and their junior coalition counterparts, the Agrarians.

Gaardsen announced his intentions whilst visiting a school in the Mastenby district of Frederikshavn, the scene of high unemployment in the aftermath of shipyard closures.

He claimed, "Despite increasingly desperate assurances that continued membership is in our national interests and despite wishy-washy claims that Danmark is of like-mind as some of the other members of the organisation, it's increasingly obvious that this is not the case. You only have to visit any of the foreign capitals or read foreign media to know that the instant the name "LFS" comes up, people instantly think along the lines of "genocide", "imperialism", the shame of Jizou, and the corrupt and iron-fisted, uncivilised empires of hell like Sarmatia and Oikawa. No right thinking democrat and government proclaiming to be on the side of moderacy, true democracy and good relations with the majority of civilised Europe can keep a straight face and say all that is commensurate with formal military links to the LFS. Indeed, it's absolutely immoral".

The exact nature of Social Democrat policy regarding the Near Abroad and wider aspects of foreign policy so far remain sketchy which has led to critics slamming Gaardsen as a policy light-weight who is prepared to jump on any band wagon if it garners him and his party more votes even if it damages longer term national interest in the process. The government issued a statement in calling Gaardsen "mad and dangerous". However, Gaardsen rounded on his critics.

"If a morally defunct policy of continuing in the LFS is all the Liberals and their acolytes can think of as being good for this country when it patently is not, then they've clearly lost their authority and intelligence to govern any longer. We need to be on the side of freedom not tyranny, liberalism not authoritarianism, justice not injustice. The automatic support given by some of these regimes to the self-glorifying sabre rattling of Belmont recently just proves my point. We should be condemning such actions for the destabilising actions that they are but all the government does is issue platitudes, trying to be friends with all and sitting on the fence. But then that sums this government up."

The SD's appear to have caught the mood of public opinion which has increasingly moved against the coalition government, with dissatisfaction and criticism of economic and foriegn policy around the LFS. A poll conducted by Freesat last month put approval of membership at a low of 39%. Simultaneously, support for the SD's has consistently increased over the past year. A poll by this newspaper last month put the SD's on 41% Liberals on 34%, and Agarians on 9%.

However, the same poll indicated approval of the government's other foreign policy objectives with general all-round acceptance of overtures to other nations in Germania and the Near Abroad. On the recent news over Belmont, the public narrowly support a tougher stance against its government with a marked preference for Lorraine.

 

[Danmark]

Den Danske Tidende
Nationale nyheder i Danmark siden 1714

Booby-trap device kills 24 soldiers​

ELSINORE - A susbstantial 1000 lb (453 kg) booby-trap device exploded yesterday killing 24 soliders and injuring at least 60 members of the Hamsten Artilleriregiment whilst in a training session in their barracks on Lemmgade, in the north of the Danish capital, Elsinore. The Chief of Elsinore city police confirmed that they received a coded warning minutes before the bomb exploded but that it came too late, giving them little chance to raise the alarm.

The attack drew widespread shock and condemnation from all sides of the political spectrum, with the Statsminister describing it as a "heinous atrocity" and that "the perpetrators of this vile act will be hunted down and brought to face justice". An emergency cabinet had been called and a statement to parliament is due within the next 24 hours once initial results from forensics reports have been conducted.

Although no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, it is widely believed to have been one of the several leftist splinter factions, that have operated in Danmark in recent years, often more driven by internecine rivalry and pecking orders than by any concerted action against their 'common enemy'.

Although the attack is the first major incident of its kind on the armed forces, the consensus amongst many analysts is that it was only a matter of time before a successful attempt was made to launch an assault on the military, even in a symbolic fashion. Indeed it comes several months after a failed mortar attack on a submarine in Fredikshavn military harbour for which 8 were arrested. As a result and following the findings of intelligence reports, security had been raised in recent months as a precaution with a round-up of many known and suspected leftist terrorists. However the ease with which the device was planted and that it escaped detection will no doubt raise significant concerns and questions.

 

[Saracia-Polamar]

Foreign Executive

We send our condolences to the Danish armed forces. The Polascianan government pledges to help our neighbours where possible bring those responsible, to justice.

Dimochka Yakushkin
Leader of the Foreign Executive
& International Ambassador​

 

[Danmark]

Den Danske Tidende
Nationale nyheder i Danmark siden 1714

Leftist Ny Venstre call for Danish 'reorientation'​

ELSINORE - Ny Venstre, the dominant leftist political group in Danmark, has called on the country to withdraw from all international groupings and move towards closer ties with anti-capitalist regimes in Europe.

The announcement came after Ny Venstre's annual conference and is confirmation of a trend and growing confidence in the organisation in recent years. Despite differences between factions of the movement, there is a consensus that continued Danish membership of the Germanian League is detrimental to national interests.

Ny Venstre spokeswoman, Margrethe Hamm, said that "Ny Venstre believes that the capitalist and militarist organisations to which this country is signed up to are a disservice to the Danish working class and have done nothing for us. Our workers and our members are without work and are struggling to survive. But where are the Germanian League? What have they ever done for us? The answer, plain and simple, is nothing. They're more concerned in propagating their bourgeois interests and selfish interests than anything else. The Danish mean nothing to them so long as they are a fig leaf to serve their own ends in European capitalism. Capitalism is no respecter of nations. It is a scandal that our political leaders who claim to have the best interests of Danmark at heart signed up to these organisations. They should hold their heads in shame and resign".

The increasingly bold Ny Venstre, which has gained in recent local elections, most notably overturning a previously healthy Agrarian Party majority of 18,000 in Flenster, in a bi-election to win by at least 21,000 votes, eating into the Social Democrat vote, carried a motion to align and work more closely with leftist and communist governments in Europe along with a reaffirmation of anti-monarchical principles in demanding the abolition of the monarchy and a workers republic.

Hamm: "We say get rid of these baubles of glitter, crowns and fanfare trumpets and have a genuine workers democracy where we all have a place in guiding our own future."

In the aftermath of the bomb attack that killed 24 soldiers, Ny Venstre claimed no responsibility but refused to criticise the the act. Hamm: "We're not in the habit of kow-towing to bourgeois media demands. Our brothers and sisters in arms know their own conscience. Who are we to criticise?"

 

[Wieserreich]

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Reichsministerium des Auswärtigen
Imperial Ministry for Foreign Affairs
​

"His Imperial Majesty and His Majesty's Cabinet of Ministers express their utmost regret for the recent terrorist attack in the neighbouring nation, friend and ally that is Danmark. This tragic loss of innocent human lives, in this case of devoted servicemen who were upholding their duties towards their motherland and families, cannot be condoned.

"The removal of twenty-four lives in such a heinous manner is a cowardly, dishonourable and unmanly act that tarnishes the name of those who call themselves champions of the working class and the people of Danmark. The victims of this attack were honourable Danish citizens serving their country and protecting their families, with the same rights as every other Danish citizen.

"The anarcho-communist Ny Venestre's refusal to condemn such methods as terrorism and violence implicate them by definition to this disastrous act. It regrets us to see a political party with such idealistic motivations to descend into approval of such petty methods, just because of their self-proclaimed refusal to bow to someone they proclaim to be their betters. Most regretably, the spread of dishonest lies and propaganda over the League's silence over Danmark's problems cannot be allowed to continue; they are untrue, false fabrications meant as political leverage to support acts of terrorism and civil conflict.

"Such an act of terrorism is a heinous act of high treason towards the people, nation and King of Danmark, which plagiarises the freedom and rights Danish citizens enjoy. The Wieser Empire stands by the side of the Danish government in this matter, expresses its universal condolences for the deaths, and as a fellow League member state offers a hand of assistance in resolving this issue.

"This public hand of assistance has already been offered through private diplomatic channels as well, and though we are not prepared to disclose the exact nature of our assistance at this time, we assure the Danish and Wieser publics and the International Community that everything will be done with full accordance to the Treaty on the Germanian League, and the free and sovereign will of both the Kingdom of Danmark and the Wieser Empire.

"On behalf of His Imperial and Royal Majesty Friedrich Wilhelm the Second, by the Grace of God Wieser Emperor, King and Prince-Elector of Swabia and Archduke of Saxony, Princely Count of Thießen, and Margrave of Saxe-Einsiedeln; and of His Imperial Majesty's Cabinet of Ministers;"

Regards,
Heinrich Maximilian Graf von und zu Babelfisch
Imperial Minister for Foreign Affairs

 

[Großlausitz]

Das Auswärtige Amt

The Kingdom of Franken will stand by her friend and partner Danmark in these troubled times, of course. His Majesty's Government is prepared to discuss appropriate and suitable responses to this horrible deed via high-level consultations.

Robert Comes
Graf Robert Beaumont von Miltenberg
Minister of Foreign Affairs

 

[Danmark]

Den Danske Tidende
Nationale nyheder i Danmark siden 1714

Cabinet discussed terrorist trials without jury​

ELSINORE - Partial details of recent cabinet minutes where trial without jury for terrorist offences were debated, have been leaked to a well known political blog.

Storting Watch, a popular right of centre blog, claimed that the minutes were from a cabinet meeting held two days after the recent bomb attack which killed 24 servicemen in the grounds of their barracks. The blog editor declined to divulge the source of the leak but rumours suggest that at least one minister is known to have vociferously objected to the plans in what has been described as a 'testy' cabinet meeting.

The leak indicates that there is a strong inclination for adopting trials for terrorist offences and anything liable to be judged as a threat to state interests without the conventional jury integral to trials under the Danish legal system. If the plans are adopted, they will be the first of their kind and will mark a break with a 300 year old system of trial by jury.

In the minutes, Statsminister Hillerod stated that extreme measures are needed to effectively tackle an escalating and increasingly deadly situation whereby predominantly leftist splinter groups associated with Ny Venstre are becoming increasingly rogue and unpredictable. Critics of the jury system claim that it was not designed to cope with the sorts of cases, especially in dealing with highly sensitive state intelligence, that are now being brought before it and that there have been many incidences of intimidation of jury members. Last year, the trial of Mik Pfeffel, a Dano-German, had to be suspended whilst a new jury was convened following attacks on the family of one jurist and threats to other jurists.

Although the minutes clearly suggest that there was no definate plan to implement changes to jury trials imminently, even on an interim basis, it has highlighted the nervousness in some quarters at an increasingly fractious state of affairs and the growing strength of more hardline elements in cabinet and in the main Liberal Party.

The Office of the Statsminister refused to comment on the matter. Similiar refusals came from the press offices of the Liberal and junior Agrarian Party.

The Social Democrats published a statement in response in which they called for the government to keep a cool head in difficult times.

"We always welcome new ways to deal with such incidents like the terrorist acts of late and call for cross party dialogue on the matter. However the government must tread carefully and be whiter than white when seeking to deal with such offences. We must bear in mind that trials should be conducted with fairness as a premium and not be guided by knee jerk reactions to events which although despicable and inhuman, cause Danmark to, despite the good intentions of some in government, sleep walk into the direction of becoming a secretive police state".

 

[Skånskige Statsunionen]

Utrikesministeriet​

We hope that the Danish Government will maintain and reaffirm its commitment to the liberal values that underpin its democracy and not allow the scoundrels of the Ny Venstre to pervert Danish democracy by permitted the violation of the right to trial by jury. Even in our darkest hours, we must reaffirm our commitment to the values that underpin our society or lest we cast ourselves into the void.

In these trying times, one must remember "that courage [is] not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.

We, Scanians stand shoulder to shoulder with our Danish brothers and hope that compassion can be shown to those with such hate in their hearts.

 

[Rheinbund]

Aussenministerium
Trier, Eiffelland

Our condolences to family and friends of the deceased soldiers. Actions like this one should be condemned in the harshest words possible. Ny Venstre places itself outside the discussion by refusing to condemn such a heinous act. We hope that he people responsible for this action will be brought to justice soon.

Finally, we call upon Ny Venstre to investigate the situation in Danmark more thoroughly, so that they won't tell any lies about the Germanian League any more. The people of Danmark must know that the people of the other Germanian League nations stand by them, both in these dark days and on other moments.

Rudolph Kögler, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Vice-Chancellor

 

[Danmark]

Den Danske Tidende
Nationale nyheder i Danmark siden 1714

Saxon leader slams separatists​

ELSINORE - The leader of the main German-minority Sachsen Partei, Henrik von Seyderich, dismissed recent tensions stoked by the Saxon Independence League as "unrepresentative of true Danish people", in a packed press briefing in the Danish capital, Elsinore, yesterday.

Von Seyderich, tipped by many as a future Danish cabinet member, claimed that the recent activities of the SIL were the actions of "lone wolves with no political future" and that they did not speak for real Saxon-Danes.

"The SIL have simply jumped on the band wagon by trying to further their rather spurious agenda and create false tensions where none exist between Danes and Saxons. The reality is that Saxons feel as much "Danish" as those whose first language is Danish. There is no difference. The problem for them, though, is that they came rather late in the day when the rise of the political hard-left was on the wane. They didn't even have the political antennae to notice that. Don't they read the newspapers?"

In the first overt comments since the SIL began a campaign to seek Saxon independence and play up sectarian rivalry, von Seyderich was unabashed about his Danishness.

"Although I claim Saxon as my first language due to my heritage and background, I am no less Danish. I am, indeed, as Danish as the next man. To claim that Saxon-speakers do not feel Danish because they happen to have Saxon as their first language is nonsense. The SIL have tried to drive wedges claiming, in effect, that there are "real Danes" and Saxons who are not Danes. In reality, we're all Danes. Did the separatists forget that the Queen is Saxon? The reality is that we're united as a country despite our recent problems and we all are appalled by the trend this country has taken in recent years with the rise of the SIL and Ny Venstre. The reality, though, is that that particular phase has peaked. I'm no fan of the current Danish government, obviously, but I share the common consensus that due to the revival of Danish economic prospects and the general realisation of most Danes that they are repelled by the hard-left, that we all seek normalcy. I intend to play a role in that."

Seen by some commentators as a clever ploy to immasculate the SIL who have seen plummeting support, together with Ny Venstre, the public comments have also been interpreted as a positioning for power in the Danish government. Hugely respected as a moderate throughout Danmark, von Seyderich is an unabashed monarchist. He is a personal friend of King Hans Gustav and his wife tutored the Crown Prince on, amongst things, the Saxon language.

 

[Danmark]

Den Danske Tidende
Nationale nyheder i Danmark siden 1714

Preparations gather pace for King's Silver Jubilee​

ELSINORE - The anticipated national festivities and formal events marking the reign of King Hans Gustav III gathered pace yesterday with early details of the period leading up to the day marking 25 years of the King's reign on the Danish throne.

The government announced that there will be a four-day national holiday, including the Jubilee Day. The plans unveiled to the media are for, amongst things, a grand procession of the military, a secular service, a multi-religious service, and carriage processions. For the first time in a quarter of a century, the King will wear the Grand State Crown symbolising the heritage of Danmark and made in 1720. The King is also expected to make a national Jubilee Address in Danish and Saxon.

Statsminster Hillerod said that the Jubilee would symbolise all that was good about Danmark and it's monarchy. "The monarchy is held in great esteem as a unifying force and personification of Danishness. In our recent troubled times, the Jubilee will remind people of our great worth and identity"

In a departure from precedent, it is expected that foreign Heads of State will be invited to the Jubilee, with precedence given to the crowned heads of Europe.

 

[Serenierre]

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GENERAL STATEMENT​

29th August 2011​

​

Due to the currently unpredictable situation in Gallia and Germania, Their Majesties The King & the Queen shall not be attending the festivities celebrating the twenty-fifth regnal year of HM Hans Gustav III. However, in their place, HRH Prince Ulric, The Duke of Våsotaland and HRH The Duchess of Våsotaland shall represent the Kingdom of Sørlandeten in the festivities. As the Duke is a sibling of the reigning monarch, it is our hope that he shall be treated with respect accorded to him by virtue of his noble birth.

Yours faithfully,
Harriet Magnus
Private Secretary to HM The King​

 

[Anglyn]

Arlington Palace

With the present unpleasantness, His Royal Highness, the Prince Regent, hopes that His Majesty King Hans Gustav III is understanding that members of the Royal House of Harold will not be able to attend the Silver Jubilee, but has instructed Anglyn's Ambassador, Sir Albert Crankston to deliver the Royal Family's apologises and to represent the crown at the festivities.

Colonel the Rt Hon Sir Clive Wigram, GCB
Private Secretary to the Prince Regent, Prince of Wessex

 

[Remuria]

State Chancellery
Free State of Wendmark

Landamann of Wendmark Walther Grauholzer sends his sincerest congratulations to His Majesty the King Hans Gustav III of Danmark on the occasion of the silver jubilee of his rule over the Kingdom. The Landamann shall make the necessary arrangements in his busy schedule to attend in person the celebrations of this most noble event in Elsinore.

 

[Rheinbund]

Schloss Charlottenburg
Trier, Eiffelland

Our congratulations to His Majesty King Hans Gustav III. Given the fact that Danmark is a valued neighbourcountry and economic partner in the Germanic League, we would feel morally obliged to hand over our congratulations personnally. It is with great regret that we have to say that unfortunately we cannot do so. Currently, Eiffelland is involved in the biggest tragedy Europe has seen since the Great War. Therefore, we cannot leave the country. Please accept our apologies for that, and please also accept our gift that will be presented to you by our ambassador, Karl Muthmann. The gift will consist of a very fine selection of Eiffellandian wines, ranging from bottles out of the excellent wine year 1986 (handle those bottles with very much care) to bottles out of 2009.

Albrecht von Dietz-Hadamar, King of Eiffelland

 

[Danmark]

Den Danske Tidende
Nationale nyheder i Danmark siden 1714

DKR800m Rhine Tunnel finally opens​

Ærø - Despite repeated delays and arguments over the cost of what some slammed as a 'white elephant', Ærø Tunnelen, more commonly dubbed as the "Rhinentunnelen" (Rhine Tunnel) was finally opened yesterday by the King in the Rhine town of Ærø.

Costing DKR800 million and more than twice over the originally estimated DKR340 millon, the tunnel links the far-east of Danmark, previously only linked to the west by cross-river ferry or by the single road bridge at Sylby (around 20 miles to the north). It is envisaged that the tunnel will speed up transport times and firmly unite the hitherto largely detached Østflod province with the rest of the country. Due to environmental concerns and a lobby of environmentalists who had concerns over the ruin to the aesthetic qualities of the river valley if a bridge had been chosen, the safer option was to construct the tunnel.

The province has so far remained comparatively poor to the rest of the country due to its geographical isolation though it is expected the tunnel will encourage businesses to invest and also to encourage people not to leave the east in search of jobs due to less lucrative employment prospects in the province.

However, also in the government's strategy, is the hope that the tunnel with encourage greater cross-border trade links with other countries, especially near neighbours, and help to add to the emerging economy that has been so rattled by civil strife, worker militancy and economic dislocation in recent years.


Østflod is the butt of jokes in Danmark and is synonymous for being the most rural and, arguably, most strange province in the country. Popular imagination conjures up pictures of cheese-makers, huge dairy herds, and a slow and laid-back pace of life whose residents either stupid yokels or indulge in animal sex. It is a popular retirement destination for western Danes and also for the practitioners of alternative and pagan religions. The report last year of the arrest of a 22 year old man for animal cruely, following reports that he engaged in bestiality with a Greater Horned Hillgoat caused much mirth in the rest of Danmark but was not a surprise to many given that the province is viewed as populated by "in-breds" by more "cosmopolitan" westerners.

 

[Danmark]

Den Danske Tidende
Nationale nyheder i Danmark siden 1714

Vice-Statsminister airs frustration at 'boring' Germanian League links​

Elsinore - The Vice-Statsminister, Svend Fulk, has criticised the "naval gazing" of current Danish foreign policy and that the country would be better off seeking ties further afield and not restricted to the Germanian League criticising the League as a "boring old gentleman's club".


Fulk, the leader of the Agrarian Party and junior coalition partner in the current government, made his comments in a wide-ranging TV interview aired this morning on "Nils og Maria", a widely watched daytime TV chat show. Well known for his direct, blunt and rather earthy language, fond of a drink and a cigarette with just about anyone, and a self-described 'man in the street', which has made him a popular household name in Danmark, Fulk suggested that the GL had limited wider Danish interests.

"The League is good for the country, that's under no doubt. We're good friends with all our co-partners and I don't see that changing. The only problem has been that we seem to have been a bit tepid in exploring further afield too. I suppose it was do to with our economic woes which aren't as obvious as they once were so that we sort of neglected our other interests with other countries. I think there's a lot of pressure now to start building up contacts with others outside the League. Infact, a lot of Danes I talk to think the League is a bit dull at times - it's a like a boring old gentleman's club of crusty old fogey's, and a bit too restrictive in the way it works - too full of capitalist old-guards and a bit too sober. That's not good for us, I think as other countries just think we're just another one of those cursed Germanian states".

Questioned on what his political allegiances were in the interview, he denied accusations that he favoured closer ties with socialist governments elsewhere in Europe .

"Look, I hear that sort of crap all the time. And that's just what it is - crap. No one who actually knows me thinks I'm a bloody Carentanian stooge, for god's sake! I'm not some mouthpiece for DUCTU (Danish Congress of Trade Unions) either, I stand for most things that they are against especially since they were taken over by a lot of reds. No, I'm a socialist, in the traditional sense but that doesn't mean I'm saying that Danmark should loosen the ties to the Germanian League and become a socialist country, that's a deliberate mischaracterisation of what I'm saying. We need to ride a tandem in foreign policy, both being as a founding member of the League but not be hidebound by it. We're our own country afterall. Call it wanting to have your cake and eat it, if you want!".

Fulks comments, whilst not being official government policy, are increasingly shared by many Danes who, whilst having a strong affinity to the other states of the GL, believe that the country should also be looking to other nations to build up trade and cultural ties. There is no indication of what the government's policy is, indeed, it has been often opaque, but the Vice-Statsminister's comments are unlikely to have been sanctioned by the Statsminister's Office if it were not to test the water. Fulk, the 'heart' of the coalition as opposed to the 'brain' of Statsminister Hillerød, certainly seems to be fulfilling that.



(OOC: think of Danmark in the GL being like Britain in the European Union! )

 

[Danmark]

Den Danske Tidende
Nationale nyheder i Danmark siden 1714

The King delivers the traditional New Year address to the nation​

Elsinore - King Hans Gustav III has delivered his annual message to all the people of Danmark at home and abroad from Karlskrona Slottet. Delivered in both Danish and German, the king's theme was reconstruction of the nation and recovering from adversity with particular reference to the economic and social strife that has afflicted the nation in recent times.

In a marked contrast from recent years, the king wore the full uniform of Grand Admiral of the Royal Danish Navy, a departure from the king's more usual low-key approach.

Here are the edited exerpts of the address.

"Danes, this year has been a tumultuous year for all our nation. A year in which we have struggled as a nation - to make ends meet without work, to have confidence, in which Danes have killed fellow Danes, and we have struggled to maintain our collective self-esteem. We have been afflicted by a dire calamity that the nation has not seen for many decades, indeed within living memory. We have been shaken in our very identity and, too frequently, many of our fellow Danes have felt buffeted by events that they have felt no control over and have experienced bitter frustration. There is much talk of a knock of confidence that has reduced many Danes into the belief that the nation is forever on a downward spiral with no hope of recovery, that power lies elsewhere in the wider European sphere. Indeed, there is some limited truth in that, in that we are increasingly part of a multi-national framework and, as such, no one nation has the total power to divine their own destiny. However, this is not the entire picture. As a small nation, we have, if there is the desire and confidence to do so, the ability to effect events and carve out our own niche in Europe. It is not a one-way street, not at all. You will be surprised at the influence we Danes can exact if we go forward united and with a common aim. It is not beyond our ability.

Nonetheless, we should not forget those affected, maimed or killed in foreign wars. Although we inhabit a small corner of Europe, we are not unaware of the calamities that beset parts of Europe. Our minds and hearts should remember these people as casualties in frequently casual conflicts and great upheavals that seem to beset our continent on an annual basis and we should always be mindful of short-termist tyranny and gain.

This year has not been entirely bad news, however. It is evident that we are emerging from our collective troubles. Our economy is growing and we are emerging from our slumber. I believe the next year will see a growth on that. Many Danes, although scarred by the last few years, have a spring in their step and are looking forward to what the future holds. Many of us are hopeful of a change in fortune that will deliver us from the abyss. I share this sentiment. As your monarch, I speak to many of you on an almost daily basis, whether you are a worker in heavy industry, a school-teacher, someone without employment, a businessman, a volunteer, a student. I visit you on your turf - whether that be your own factories, universities, construction sites, community centres, your homes. I hear what many of you are saying and I share your anguishes. I am not unaffected by them even as a king. But I am hearing repeatedly from many of you that our worst times are behind us. Even amongst the most socialistic and radical of our people, I hear the same views - this is from some who do not necessarily readily accept the role of a monarch and, to be fair, look upon a king as bourgeouis effeteness. I have always come with the view of mutual respect and I have not been met with other than respect which from the most unlikley quarters which, I hope, I have reciprocated.

Next year will see us continue to build on our strengths. Whether it is in the Germanian League or beyond. I envisage increased prosperity for our nation and out-reaching to lands beyond our immediate environs. This is good for our nation and a sign of confidence. Here is to you in the following year, bless you all - far and afield.

Gud Bevare Danmark!".