The funeral of Søren Pape Poulsen from Viborg Cathedral marks the final farewell to a politician who will live on in the minds of many in Christiansborg.
When he fell down during a meeting a week ago and later died of a brain haemorrhage, it was not only his closest party colleagues who sat back shocked.
In the entire political environment, the news hit like a blow to the diaphragm. It felt unreasonable that the only 52-year-old Søren Pape Poulsen had to leave here so early. But more importantly, many were overwhelmed with grief because the Conservative leader has been an unusually well-liked political leader.
At Christiansborg, no one was in any doubt as to where he stood politically. He had clear values that he lived by. He could debate with power and passion. And he was not afraid of the confrontations that are an inseparable part of political life, where positions are broken and where the struggle for power never stops.
What was special about Søren Pape Poulsen was his understanding that in the midst of discussions and confrontations one must maintain respect for one’s opponents: Political disagreement must not turn into personal enmity. And with that approach, he was able to create strong relationships and deep friendships across sharp party lines.
During the week, you could see on TV how, among other things, Inger Støjberg from the Danish Democrats and Pia Olsen Dyhr from SF were deeply affected by their friend’s death.
No one can claim that the Conservative People’s Party and SF are natural alliance partners, but alongside the clear differences in opinion, a deep personal trust thrived between Søren Pape Poulsen and Pia Olsen Dyhr.
A special friendship also existed between Pape and Støjberg. It hurt Inger Støjberg when the Conservatives helped send her to the impeachment court. But the friendship with Pape survived, and when she returned to Borgen as leader of the Danish Democrats, the relationship between the two continued. A relationship that was so close that, according to Støjberg, they could talk about anything.
However, it was not only in the circle of colleagues that Pape was happy. The reactions to his death have shown that many people across the country have felt that he was a rare likable person.
He never reached the very top of the political hierarchy. When he ran for prime minister before the general election in 2022, things went wrong, and he hit the ground hard. But he achieved so much else. And the legacy he leaves behind is great and important.
It is a legacy that is fundamentally about a willingness to cooperate, and which implies showing respect for one’s opponents. And that approach to politics is fortunately shared by many elected officials around the municipalities, regions and in the Folketing. But how long will it last?
If we look at developments outside Denmark’s borders, the warning signals are flashing.
Anyone who follows the lead-up to the expected duel between Joe Biden and Donald Trump in the United States can see how damaging a polarized political culture is to even a superpower. Here, the hostilities between the Democrats and the Republicans have reached a level that makes it difficult for American politicians to look after the country’s interests in a world where the challenges are lined up, where an aggressive Russia is given too easy a game, and where China poses an ever greater challenge, economic, political and military.
But also in Europe we see numerous examples of how polarization creates unrest and triggers dramatic shifts in power – without the political and economic challenges pressing the countries being tackled.
The other day there was a significant warning about the weaknesses of Western democracies. And it came from an unexpected direction. The sender was Wang Huiyao, founder and president of the Center for China and Globalization, one of China’s most influential think tanks.
In an interview in Politiken, Wang Huiyao from the one-party state of China stated that the crisis in the Western democracies is making the world unstable. “In many democracies, not just the United States, populism, nationalism and anti-globalism are gaining ground. It creates insecurity and worries many people, including in China,” he said.
Although Denmark at first glance looks like a rock of stability in this rebellious sea, there are also signs of disintegration here at home. When the research-based analysis of the general election in 2022 was published the other day, it was documented that never before have so many Danes switched parties from one election to another. And never before have so many been in doubt about where to put the cross.
– The voters are extremely mobile and disloyal, new parties are emerging all the time – and the question is whether political stability will be challenged, said election researcher Kasper Møller Hansen in Berlingske.
In his own quiet way, Søren Pape Poulsen carried one of the most precious things in the people’s government: He wanted to strengthen his country, and he fought for his convictions – but he also searched for opportunities to find solutions and he always maintained respect for his opponents.
Alongside the memory of his human qualities, it is not least this legacy that he leaves behind. This is the legacy that the colleagues at Christiansborg must now try to lift.
2024-03-08 09:14:27
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