Northern Exposure
Reinout Bosch
Substantial wins for the Danish left, and for the hard-right, as the reigning Social Democrats hand over the keys to the capital for the first time in a hundred years.
The governing Social Democrats (SD) took a massive beating in Denmark’s municipal elections on November 18, losing 5.2 percent support nation-wide. While still the party with the highest overall vote (23.2 percent), it took losses in many municipalities, and saw its support halved in some key strongholds, losing 18 mayors across the country and failing...
read more "Danish Social Democrats shaken after heavy losses in municipal elections"
read more "Danish Social Democrats shaken after heavy losses in municipal elections"
IMAGO/TT
The Sámi, spread out over the northern parts of the nation-state territories of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia, are the only indigenous people recognised within the European Union. A young generation of Sámi activists is currently at the forefront of social struggles in northern Europe, rejecting “green colonialism” and demanding political sovereignty.
When, in August 2025, the entire church of Giron (Kiruna)[1] was moved by special trucks to a new location five kilometers away, the event was broadcasted live on Swedish television. It marked the...
read more "Resistance and Resilience in Sápmi"
read more "Resistance and Resilience in Sápmi"
IMAGO/NTB
Norway’s parliamentary election on Monday, September 8, 2025, was an incredibly close-run race. The left bloc, led by the Labour Party, secured a narrow victory. Labour will likely continue as a single-party minority government, seeking compromises and budget agreements with other left-wing parties as well as across the political spectrum. Much remains uncertain, however, as negotiations with as many as four smaller left-wing parties are still ongoing before a new government can be formally established.
The Race for the ...
read more "Norway Election: Labour narrowly holds on to power amid uncertainty"
read more "Norway Election: Labour narrowly holds on to power amid uncertainty"
Pelle Dragsted of Denmark's Red-Green Alliance in conversation about his new book, Nordic Socialism.
In recent years, renewed interest in socialism has grown across Europe and beyond — often sparked by mounting inequality, climate breakdown, and the failures of neoliberal governance. But what does socialism look like when it already exists in everyday institutions?
Pelle Dragsted, a member of the Danish Folketing for the Red-Green Alliance, believes the answer lies in the Nordic model — and in recognizing the ...
read more "”Socialism Is Not a Utopia — It’s Alive and Thriving”"
read more "”Socialism Is Not a Utopia — It’s Alive and Thriving”"
IMAGO/Le Pictorium
Barely a decade ago, the far-right Dansk Folkeparti (“Danish People’s Party”) was polling as high as 25 percent nationwide, but today Denmark’s far-right parties are largely excluded from direct parliamentary influence. The right’s policies on migration and integration have been largely adopted by the Social Democratic-led government, however, bringing far-right politics into the Danish political mainstream while the far-right itself is caught in a long and messy process of splintering, regroupment, and ...
read more "Denmark’s Far-Right has Splintered, but its Policies are now Mainstream"
read more "Denmark’s Far-Right has Splintered, but its Policies are now Mainstream"
“MEP Per Clausen” by The Left, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Per Clausen, Member of the European Parliament for Danish left-wing party Enhedslisten looks at the programme of Denmark’s EU-Presidency, which begins on July 1. What are the prospects, priorities and problems of the upcoming Presidency, and what does it mean for progressive policies in Europe and the interests of the working class? At first glance, the prospects are grim: a deliberate lack of leadership; an accommodation to the centre (and far) right; and a prioritisation of business interests over social justice and the environment....
read more "The Danish EU Presidency: disappointing and unambitious"
read more "The Danish EU Presidency: disappointing and unambitious"
IMAGO/TT
30 years of Swedish EU-membership: From socialist outsider to frugal stalwart
As Sweden marks 30 years of European Union (EU) membership this year, a perplexing image emerges: a country which for large parts of the 20th century resisted membership in the Common Market is now one of the most pro-EU on the continent (a record 68 percent of the population supported membership in 2023, rising continuously since 2001).[1] At the same time, the implications of this membership are almost never discussed: the European ...
read more "30 years of Swedish EU-membership: From socialist outsider to frugal stalwart"
read more "30 years of Swedish EU-membership: From socialist outsider to frugal stalwart"
IMAGO/Lehtikuva
Historic elections reveal deep public dissatisfaction with austerity, scandals, and a fading populist agenda.
Local and regional elections on April 13 have delivered an historic defeat to Finland’s ruling right-wing populist party The Finns (Perussuomalaiset), which saw its support almost halved compared to the last local elections. The left-green bloc made significant gains across the country, and in the welfare-responsible regional councils in particular a record number of women will play a decisive role in shaping and implementing social and ...
read more "The Collapse of Finnish Right-Wing populism?"
read more "The Collapse of Finnish Right-Wing populism?"
IMAGO/TT
In northern Sweden, the rapid expansion of green industries is transforming the region—but at what cost? As billions are invested in new mines, battery factories, and wind farms—investments are expected to reach 1,400 billion SEK (€120 billion) by 2040—local communities are caught between promises of economic prosperity and the pressures of environmental and social change. Driving this boom is the global race for minerals essential to the energy transition—rare earth metals, lithium, and other critical resources that ...
read more "Sweden’s “Green Transition”: Opportunities and Challenges"
read more "Sweden’s “Green Transition”: Opportunities and Challenges"
IMAGO/Ritzau Scanpix
Tuesday’s election to the Inatsisartut – the parliament of Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat) – resulted in resounding defeat for the country’s left wing government parties and a landslide victory for liberal party Demokraatit. At the time of writing, many questions remain unanswered about who will form government and how the result will affect Greenland’s path to independence.
Enjoying a swing of over 21 percent, Demokraatit obtained 29.9 percent of all votes cast – more than three times their result in Greenland’s...
read more "Greenland: Parliamentary elections deal blow to left wing government"
read more "Greenland: Parliamentary elections deal blow to left wing government"