Thursday 4 October 2018

Jon Arskog who Dissed Trish Regan


He did not really want a debate on what socialism really is in Denmark. Citing his actual words:

Det er egentlig ikke en diskussion jeg ønsker at fortsætte. Hvor skal den føre hen? Der er meget andet godt at bruge sin tid på.


No, his FB post in response being clumsy (confusing a contrast between Venezuela and Denmark as two diverse examples of Socialism with Trish actually considering Denmark a good parallel to Venezuela) was not really what he wanted to debate, there are so many other things that are good to use one's time on.

He's a journalist. So, how come he "disses" a colleague over the Atlantic like that? Well, perhaps because they don't feel the same about politics.

He said he has been a niche journalist, for instance a Motor journalist, and also business journalist for Berlingske, though now he is freelancing.

Now, Berlingske, what politics are that? Let's look at the editors in chief:



The last has no wikipedian article. Lisbeth Knudsen is Danish minister of culture. Niels Lunde is formerly an Employers' unionist. Karsten Madsen is more like wavering, "Socialdemokraterne, Konservative og senest af Venstre".

Generally, I'd take Berlingske as more or less conservative, about the Danish version of New York Times.

This said, it is a Conservatism with some ... complicity with Socialism, a bit like Socialism with less pathos for employees. It is like much Nordic countries Conservatism a very far cry from Tea Party.

They are people who certainly don't like tax money to be wasted on useless projects, and yet, they are not really into lower taxes. Sometimes, as with Lisbeth Knudsen, socialism - what Maurras called "fiscal socialism" or more properly "socialisme fiscal" - provides them with power.

I'd say, there may be a political reason why Jon Arskog dissed Trish Regan. And I suppose that he may have contributed to that Danish News Anchor giving a very much less clumsy fact check ending with the saying that opening a cup cake bakery is a very noble ambition.

But, I did not get of him a real discussion of the real problems with Nordic type fiscal socialism.

Nor, for that matter, did Trish Regan give a totally accurate one. Saying students are paid to study is half inaccurate, since a great part of the monthly "check" is actually a study loan. I have mine, and taking a small job won't cut it for paying back. I either remain poor, or I start get able to pay back when I get able to live off my writing. This is not because the system encourages bad students to remain students. You don't accumulate this kind of study debt by systematically failing exams, you get off study loan system very quickly then (even for delaying exams, meaning, I was part of the time studying in poor and study loan less conditions).

Hans Georg Lundahl
Nanterre UL
St. Francis of Assisi
4.X.2018

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