Article by Tom Gillesberg in the German newspaper Neue
Solidarität Nr. 6, 7. Februar 2007.
New
politics in Europe:
Denmark
discusses nuclear energy
On January 30, one of the biggest
Danish newspapers, Berlingske Tidende, dropped what in Denmark
is the equivalent of a political nuclear bomb. On the front page of
the newspaper was a huge nuclear symbol, and in big letters: "Nuclear
Power – Yes Please." By doing this, they took an
action that has otherwise been exclusively taken by the Schiller
Institute and The LaRouche Youth Movement in Denmark, in challenging
those preconceived notions from the 1968-culture paradigm, which
prevented Denmark from ever having any commercial nuclear power plant
(until recent years Denmark did have a test reactor in Risø, but it
has now been closed down). Instead of having cheap, efficient and
reliable nuclear energy, Denmark
became a leader in “renewable energy,” that now contributes 15
percent of the Danish energy needs, and a “world leader” in windmills, exporting
windmills all over the world, and having them
throughout the country.
Now, leading circles are realizing that
the time has come to challenge these axioms. On January 31,
Berlingske Tidende printed an editorial with the headline, "Nuclear
Power, yes please – at least to the debate." The time has come to
throw away the prejudices and discuss facts – we have an interest in
participating” (see box).
At the same time, the biggest Danish
newspaper, Jyllands-Posten (known from the infamous Mohamed cartoons)
on the 29 and 30 of January, launched front
page attacks on the recently stated policy of the Danish government of
increasing the “renewable energy” part of Danish energy
consumption to 30 percent – primarily through having more windmills
in Denmark. Jyllands-Posten reported that in 2005, wind energy
cost the Danish consumers 225 million euros (around 115 euros per
household) and that the Danish state accountants, in a new report, have
estimated that the cost to support “green energy” in Denmark, is almost 3 billion euros, for the years 2001-2005 (around
1,450
euros per household).
Jyllands-Posten reported that the special
guarantied electricity price windmill owners get, costs Danish
consumers billions, and that the absurd situation exists, that when
electricity prices go down, consumers have to pay more, since they
have to subsidize windmill production of electricity. On top of that,
there has to be a complete infrastructure for producing the needed
electricity without the windmills, because sometimes the wind
doesn’t blow. In an editorial January 30,
Jyllands-Posten, under the headline “Monster mills,” attacked the
idea of filling up Denmark
with huge monster windmills that are expensive and unreliable. They
end by stating, “Nuclear power still seems to be a taboo here in the
country, even though it is being debated, with renewed strength, in
other parts of
Europe. Since the problems associated with the storage of nuclear waste are
continually being reduced, the possibility [of having nuclear energy]
cannot be excluded.”
The role of the Schiller Institute
and LaRouche Youth Movement
Where did this sudden change in Denmark
come from? One would hope that it is simply the result of wising up,
but it did get a strong helping hand. In the spring of 2006 the Danish
Schiller Institute decided to follow the lead of the LaRouche movement
in the USA,
and begin to mass distribute literature to the institutions, and on
the street, that challenged the axioms of the present 1968-inspired
political and cultural paradigm, and presented the needed changes.
In April a statement by the chairman
Tom Gillesberg with the headline “The Bobble is bursting. Who takes
leadership? A new dark age or a coming renaissance” got widely
distributed and put forth the necessity of dealing with the oncoming
crises of the global financial system, and the need for a cultural
change that brings in scientific thinking and nuclear power.
In July, the Schiller Institute then
published 50,000 copies of a campaign newspaper called “New Deal,”
(equivalent to around one percent of the
Danish population). The 12-page color paper (see www.schillerinstitut.dk)
detailed the problems of the present derivative-based financial system,
and presented the solution in form of the LaRouche-proposed New
Bretton Woods-system. The paper also presented a proposal for a
nationwide Danish maglev-system, and the new German developed PBMR
(pebble-bed) nuclear technology that Denmark
ought to be part of.
In December, the Schiller Institute
issued 50.000 copies of a new campaign newspaper, on the need to change Danish foreign policy. With the
title, “From Crusader
to Bridge Builder,” and a front page picture of a proposed bridge
from Puttgarten in Denmark, across the Femern Belt to Germany, it
called for Denmark to drop out of the "Coalition of the Willing" with
Bush and Cheney, and to replace it with an alliance with the American
opposition around Lyndon LaRouche – before we have a war against
Iran. The paper included a translation of the post-midterm election
webcast with Lyndon LaRouche from November 17. It also had an article
about the promise of the shift to a fission- and fusion-based isotope
economy.
New Politics for
Europe
The changing wind in Denmark
is a reflection of a greater political shift that is ongoing
globally. The recent elections in the USA
showed that we are in a new political geometry. Small political forces can
provoke a paradigm shift, and cause great political results, if they
place the needed issues on the table, and don’t limit the political
discussion to closed circles, but take it to the streets, and especially
the youth. From that standpoint, it is great news for
Europe
that there is a reinvigorated LaRouche campaign present, with the
European branches of the LaRouche Youth Movement and the Schiller
Institute, and national political campaigns such as BüSo and the French
presidential election campaign of Jacques Cheminade. The developments
in
Denmark, like the ones in the USA, once again prove the point.
BOX:
Editorial
in Berlingske Tidende January 31st, 2007:
Nuclear
Power, yes please – at least to the debate
The time has come to throw away the
prejudices and discuss facts – we have an interest in participating.
For twenty years no politician has seriously dared to mention the
possibility of nuclear power in
Denmark
; unless the person with kamikaze like defeatism wanted to avoid being
elected. But the time must have come for us to renew the debate –
based on facts not prejudices. With the increasing worry over CO2
emission, environment problems, possible climate changes, oil
dependence on doubtful regimes and a wish to keep our lifestyle the
Western World cannot avoid considering nuclear power as part of the
future energy supply.
If we don’t do it others will do it
for us. In
Asia
the nuclear power is expanding, and if the Worlds poorest countries
should have the opportunity to improve the living conditions of their
populations, it takes a lot of energy. And preferably energy that does
not contribute to further deterioration of the environment.
In that connection nuclear power is a
strong card. It is an effective and practically pollution free energy
source that can supply great areas for a moderate investment. The
price to pay is the problems with waste that is still not solved
adequately. A price we leave the coming generations to pay.
[Fortunately not true, it has been solved –tg]. That problem has to
be solved through expanded research on that area; but the energy
policy we have today with mainly coal powered power plants also has
consequences for the future. In the end it is a question of weighing
the risks and the costs.
Denmark
is on this issue like on others in a cozy little corner. We are not
dependent on anybody else for our energy and we have the possibility
to expand the renewable energy, as is being proposed in the energy
proposal from the government. But in the palate of alternative energy
sources a nuclear power plant on Danish soil could be a possibility.
It is in any case unfruitful to
automatically reject the thought. We already have nuclear power plants
within geographic reach.
Finland
is expanding its energy supply with the up until now biggest nuclear
power plant in the World and in
Sweden
the government is considering strengthening the nuclear power. For
over 30 years Barsebäck [a nuclear power plant in
Sweden
placed across the sound from
Copenhagen
that was closed down in 2005 after years of Danish political pressure
-tg] has been a bogey man because of its closeness to
Copenhagen
; but the power plant has in the same period supplied cheap and clean
energy to the Danes.
There are a lot of emotions connected
to nuclear power and they should not be underestimated. The China
syndrome and worst possibly scenarios is being presented. But
Chernobyl
is already twenty years back. The accident happened because of a
series of inexcusable mistakes – which the World has learned from.
The plants that are being planned and built today represent a totally
different level of security.
Nuclear power in
Denmark
is not on the agenda right away. But the debate should be. At least
we have a scientific interest in being part of it; and we have an
obligation to be open-minded towards neighboring countries that want
to secure their energy supply.
The
Schiller
Institute in Denmark
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