Scrapping Denmark’s Integration Council, Banning Social Media, Protecting Endangered Species: LWID S4E10

Have you ever wondered if feeling at home in Denmark is up to you—or the system? In this episode of Last Week in Denmark, Fionn and Kalpita unpack Denmark’s decision to scrap the National Integration Council, the government’s plan to ban social media for under-15s, and the alarming new report showing that nearly half of Denmark’s species are at risk. As internationals living in Denmark, they reflect on responsibility, belonging, and what it means to care—for people, for children, and for the planet. Tune in for a thoughtful, heartfelt conversation about life and change in Denmark. 

Topics: 

(04:00) Scrapping Denmark’s Integration Council

(13:46) Banning Social Media

(22:40) Protecting Endangered Species

In this episode:

Cohosts: 

• Fionn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/fionn-o-toole/
• Kalpita - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kalpitabhosale/

Podcast Manager:

• Stephanie - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dstephfuccio/

Audio Editor: 

• Cecilia - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ceciliagfoster/

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Chapters

• 4:36 Scrapping Denmark’s Integration Council
• 14:22 Banning Social Media
• 23:47 Protecting Endangered Species

Transcript

Fionn:

Hello, and welcome to the Last Week in Denmark podcast. Each week, two of our hosts talk through some of the top stories that happened last week in Denmark. We focus on how they impact internationals living here. So if that sounds like you, well, then, welcome home. You are in the right place and we're very glad you're here. I'm Fionn O'Toole and joining me this week for episode 10 of season four is Kalpita Bhosale. This week, we're going to be exploring the government's plans to scrap the National Integration Council, a proposed ban on social media for under 15s, and the worrying news that half of Denmark's species are at risk and nearly 50% of them now live under highly unfavourable conditions. Before we get going, we would love to ask one thing from you. If this conversation resonates with you, if you find it interesting, if you find it useful, it would be so helpful if you could screenshot this episode and share it on social media. You can also share it directly from Spotify if you listen on Spotify. We're here to help internationals in Denmark stay informed and feel connected. So, doing that helps us reach more people that are just like you now. Hi, Kalpita, how are you? 

Kalpita:

Hiya. I’m trying to keep warm. It has suddenly dipped. It's become cold and very, very windy. In my experience over the years, Culture Night always has the worst weather.

Fionn:

Yeah, I think it's definitely coordinated to, you know, launched full in with the conspiracies. Straight off the bat. I think they're controlling the weather to drive people into the museums. Yeah, it makes sense.

Kalpita:

Yeah.

Fionn:

I was thinking about this. It's been ages since the two of us actually recorded together. And I looked and it was the 24th of May was the last time we had a recording together. And that definitely puts the autumn weather, I think, in perspective, because 24th of May, I was probably already finding it too warm. I have to admit, it is a bit more windy than I would love it, but I'm in my element right now I love this a bit cooler autumn weather. I get to layer again. I get to finally look somewhat put together in my outfits.

Kalpita:

Humm.

Fionn:

Not that I ever would go so far as to say that I look good, but moderately better than the sweaty shorts and a T-shirt that I live in throughout much of the summer. So I'm pretty happy that it's October and it's getting a bit colder. But I know not everyone is.

Kalpita:

I know, and the only good part about this weather is that it absolutely, is okay to cozy up on your sofa and read a book and have some hot chocolate or wine or whatever you're into. And it is so acceptable to not go out and do things and you can just be a homebody. It's the best, best time of the year. Minus the no sunshine, of course.

Fionn:

That's true. I have to admit I have a slight challenge with the cozying up on the sofa. Because if I lie down on a sofa and you put a blanket on me, I'm asleep.

Kalpita:

Fair enough.

Fionn:

There's no, you know, picturesque candles and a book and you know, hygge time with my partner or anything. I'm. I'm. I'm done. I'm asleep. So for me it has to either be no, no blanket and a bit cold or snoring away on the sofa.

Kalpita:

You're probably not integrated enough to be caffeinated enough to be doing that.

Fionn:

Exactly, exactly. You know, my, my mother in law, she used to drink so much coffee and she would drink like coffee at 11:30 before bed and I remember one of her, my, my sisters in law asking like, but like how do you sleep? And her just kind of looking going like, oh yeah, I don't. I really struggle to sleep sometimes. And I know she's cut back on it over the last few years, but it was like this, this cultural moment of oh, I know I've always done this, but maybe I could do it differently. So yeah, that's, that's definitely an integration that I still have to, have to get into. But that's going to be my personal responsibility from now on. Because our first topic this week is the closure of the, or the plans to, abolish the National Integration Council by June 2026. Have you heard of this?

Kalpita:

I have. And distressing on the face of it. But then again, I do not have too much faith in Mr. Stoklund and his campaign, to be honest. It also, like we spoke earlier, stings a lot of upcoming elections and they want to please certain voters and immigration, integration and everything related to it is a very, very popular topic, not just in Denmark, but across Europe and the UK, in the US, everywhere. It's the hot topic right now in politics.

Fionn:

Absolutely it is. And yeah, so for context, if you haven't listened to our last couple of episodes, there was a reshuffle in the Social Democrat minister team. You could say the cabinet, I think that's the actual word for it. And immigration hardliner Rasmus Stoklund has been made the Minister for Immigration and Integration. And one of his first kind of acts, so to speak, is. Yeah, to announce the plan for the closure of this. And I think you're spot on. So it's no secret that immigration is kind of hot button politics in Denmark ever, but really across Europe and much of the world at the moment. And there are elections coming up and this has been really very often when I see Danish politics mentioned internationally, they do talk about Mette Fredriksen's handling or disarming of the far right by adopting some of its measures or some of its talking points. And to me this feels maybe like part of that. Is that a bit cynical either for us or for the Social Democrats?

Kalpita:

I don't think it's cynical if you look at it from a political point of view. But I want to take a second and digress a little bit.

Fionn:

Sure!

Kalpita:

Do you Fionn, think that Mette Fredriksen will have a chance again? This would be her third term and she is the crisis minister since COVID. 

Fionn:

Yeah, she is. I think looking at politics, looking at the chamber in the last few days, it does feel like we are past the era of sms Mette and that scandal, at the very least, of course it comes down to what do people value and do they feel like they are better off than they were before? So many times it is the everyday issues like, you know, affordability and housing and health care that do end up taking people's votes rather than scandals or immigration or maybe like in other countries, like emotive issues like abortion or something like that. Right. It's very often the day to day that actually drives votes. And I think, yes, we've all seen that inflation has hit. We've all seen that prices in the supermarket have gone up. I did my weekly shopping this week and it was very depressing when she announced what it cost.

Kalpita:

I can imagine.

Fionn:

But Denmark has been relatively stable compared to so many other countries. And one thing we often see with uncertainty in the future is that voters do flock to stability. So what instability am I talking about? Well, one, there's Trump and the US and the tariffs and everything. So we have it from the west and of course we also have it from the east with Russia and Ukraine and the incursions and drones and everything there. So I wonder, will people opt for the status quo because it's the devil, you know, for want of a better word. But there's kind of safety in what we know from that point of view. I could see her. I mean, it would be her, I was going to say, or the Social Democrats somehow, but I do think it would be her to take up the reins again. What about you?

Kalpita:

I do have this debate a couple of times with myself that she is the known devil. But we see that with Trump as well. He was the known devil. There was no one better than him at that point in time. And you're right, people do flock to stability. And we see the opposite happening in the US also in France now, as well. And I mean, the US government is shut, so they don't really have a government right now. And France is walking in the same direction. So that, that does bring in a lot of questions. And Mette has, has been a fort, really in these times, enough for Denmark to be able to be hosting all the EU leaders and trying to negotiate strategy and finding ways and means to make not just this hybrid war, but just in general economically make Europe stronger and more stable. And she has said that in her statements as well, which I think is a great, great outlook and a better election campaign for her and her party than having Mr. Stoklund in power or in this position right now, scrapping integration councils and policies in it in its entirety. It does seem very cynical. I totally agree with it. But I think that is also an election tactic to be so completely absurd that anything else that happens seems doable and plausible.

Fionn:

Yeah, I was really looking at the kind of press release that came out with this, and one of the kind of closing elements, I guess you could say to it was that Rasmus Stocklund was saying, you know, in addition, we in the government have given ourselves a specific and important task across the entire state to reduce the cost of state administration. The closure of the council also contributes to this. So kind of tempering it in the sense of it's not only telling people that they need to take full responsibility for their own integration and kind of, if they want to come here, they have to live by our values. But there's also a grown up, sensible, cost saving element to this. And then not as part of that statement, but still kind of somehow contained within the webpage of the press release. Is the line that the proposed closure is expected to result in savings of approximately half a full time equivalent in 2026 and one full time equivalent annually thereafter. So that second argument, the economic argument, is not really something I buy, to be honest. John Kerry, the former Secretary of State in the US had this great line which is don't tell me what you value, show me your budget and I'll tell you what you value. Right. So it's not like the government had poured money into this before. It's the equivalent of one full time employee. It's not like they're going to save all that much money going forward. It's the equivalent of one full time employee. But I do think it is part of this pivot to maybe voters who are on the right when it comes to this issue, issues with immigration and integration. I have to say the actual text talking about this, you know, it's not society's responsibility to integrate people, it's personal responsibility to integrate people. It reminded me of a quote by a famous conservative politician. Margaret Thatcher famously talked about, you know, there's no such thing as a society, there are individuals and people must look after themselves first. The government can't do anything except through the people. People have to look out for themselves. And that famously and her policies famously were kind of attributed with weakening the social net in the UK. Now that's maybe a bit of a leap, but it feels somehow playing to that vibe, for want of a better word. And I don't know if post election period that is a comparison that Rasmus Stocklund as a Social Democrat would love, right, to look back and say, okay, we were giving Margaret Thatcher vibes on that.

Kalpita:

That's a controversial role model to have in these times. But it also sounds a bit inspired by Mr. Musk by reducing budget. And the best way to do that is to shut down certain departments in the government. I'm very confident that we will not land in a place where France and the US is, we have a very good opposition. The blue blocs and the green blocks are doing a good job as well, of whatever they stand for. But having said that, I did mention when we first spoke about Stocklund that there is only so much he or anyone in his place can do. I think he's opposed to child to talk about immigration and to talk about outsiders and third-world countries coming into Denmark and that we don't like it. And it's also appeasing to certain parts of the voters. But there's only so much he or his replacement can do because there are laws, there are UN laws, there are EU laws. They actually have a EU integration policy which is about integration and inclusion. They have an action plan for 20, 21, 27. And one of the things it says that it addresses integration barriers in the main policy areas of housing, education, employment and healthcare. And that is mainly for people who are migrating and asylum seekers as well. So, I think this whole immigration thing is not just about people coming into Denmark for studies or for work or accompanying spouses, but it is also clearly pointing out to asylum and m people migrating from different parts of the world. And we see very specific wording for these things in the, in the universities who have decided to not accept applications, which is very specific to certain section of religious inclinations.

Fionn:

Absolutely. Our second topic actually is something where Denmark is taking the lead and that is the announcement that the government wants to ban multiple social media platforms for children and young people under the age of 15. I have to say that it is very rare I see a headline where everyone goes, yep, I agree. And I have yet to hear anybody talk negatively about this, which I think is amazing. Amazing in the sense that I am amazed by that. But I don't know what's your feeling on this? Are you hearing people who want 14 year olds to have social media profiles or. It kind of feels like a no brainer, right?

Kalpita:

I did actually. Surprisingly and unsurprisingly, the Digital Ministry or spokesperson from the Digital Ministry has said that we need to make sure that everybody in Denmark is digitally literate. And I completely agree with that stand. At the same time, I am very confident that we can do that without children having access to phones or the Internet for that matter, to the age of 15. Having said that, I'm. I'm not that backward, even if I'm quite old. I remember when I was in school and this is 80s 90s, that we used to have a dedicated half an hour or an hour to access a computer, learn and also access the Internet. So if there was anything we wanted to learn, we wanted to see, get educated in or whatever that was, that was the time you could do it. And I'm sure that kind of a system has existed in different parts of the world.

Fionn:

Oh absolutely. And I think this actually ties in maybe more the, the idea with accessing phones or the Internet in general in schools. I see this tying in very much with the rise of AI and the risks of, well, are people just regurgitating AI generated content. And we've definitely seen more of a shift now towards oral exams. And pen and paper right within the school setting. Which I don't know if this just makes me old fashioned because that's what I used. But I think wonderful. Like it is so much more important for kids for anyone to actually learn and have understanding around something rather than just learning to regurgitate it or learning to use a system to regurgitate something out and not actually understand things at all. Of course our world is changing so like AI is going to be a thing. Like the calculator was. Right. But I think with social media, you know, I remember I was probably 14 the first time I got a social media profile. I never had a negative experience at that point in my teenage years with social media. But what it reminded me of thinking about this was I remember there was like an anti-marijuana campaign. I can't even remember where it was. It might have been in the U.S. it was a few years ago. It was as a lot of places were legalizing marijuana and it was kind of saying like, okay, you know parents, you probably smoked a spliff back in your day and it was all fine and no one died. And that's fair enough. But just so you know, the people who are growing weed, they have selected for the, the stronger strains and it's now approximately 50 times stronger and more potent in THC than the weed you were smoking right, back in the 60s. And you know, I'm not here to advocate or condemn marijuana one way or the other. Right. But it just reminded me of that conversation that like I was thinking to myself, like I remember my first Bebo profile. That was what we used in Ireland before, before Facebook dominated everything. And I just occasionally posted a photo taken on a digital camera and then uploaded or you would create very cringe quizzes about yourself. And was all it was all fine. But that was really before the algorithms and before social media was so pervasive. There was a opinion survey in 2024 where 14% of 9 to 17 year-olds. That's 9. Right. Responded that they had experienced digital harassment or unpleasant experiences on Instagram. One, why is a 9 year old on Instagram? But you know, I have a cousin who works in content moderation for a large social media platform which will remain completely nameless. But when he's described his job to me, he describes it as murder, mayhem and memes like that is the stuff that he's seeing and it's very good that content is being moderated on social media. But they're not going to catch everything the minute it goes up. Obviously not. And just the like, stuff that people are getting exposed to, even things that I myself not seeking out murder or mayhem on social media. But then something awful happens and it's gets shown and the algorithm often pushes it and just thinking like, I'm old enough or sure of myself enough to find those things awful, but be able to kind of somehow deal with that. But if I was 9 or 17 for that matter, like, that would have had a horrifying effect on me, I think, seeing that. So I'm completely for this ban at work yesterday, we had a kind of weekly meeting and this was mentioned as part of the news and it was kind of like, quick show of hands. Is there anybody who wants their kids to have social media before they're 15? Not a single hand was up. So one thing, of course, is digital literacy and super important and we want to equip kids for the future. But that doesn't have to be dopamine hits and, yeah, cyber bullying.

Kalpita:

Oh, yeah, absolutely. I completely support the ban as well. Also on phones and social media itself, I think we should go back to times when you had limited access that was only in the school for 30 minutes max, if at all. But it's also a nudge towards being out in nature, I think.

Fionn:

Yeah, definitely. I'm very jealous of all the kids who get to go to a school or børnehaven every day and spend their time out in nature. But I think, yeah, you know, the. Some of the rhetoric around this, I think, from Mette Fredriksen, was that, you know, social media is stealing our children's childhood. I would agree with that. My own kids are younger, but they don't have social media, and I would be so cautious about them engaging with it at all. Interestingly enough, I saw that Mette actually came out welcoming the ban, but of course, they said that they feel like they have been described as a monster, which is very harsh rhetoric. You'll excuse me if my heart doesn't bleed too much for Mette. But the one thing I thought that was a little bit disappointing in this whole story, because overall, this is a story I think is great, is the fact that the bill actually, like a legal bill on the age limit, does not appear in the government's legislative program for the upcoming parliamentary year, which was published last week. And if it's not adopted until the next parliamentary year, it could easily clash then with the parliamentary elections, which have to be held before November 1, 2026. So, one thing is talking about this bill, and I think, great, and let's do it. But the other is the actual legislative and getting that moving, because I've seen so many times when something great is proposed and then there is an election and everything, to a degree, gets reset as governments are, you know, formed, there's negotiations, and so much stuff falls by the wayside. And I would really hate for something like this to be part of that, because it does feel like Denmark is really leading the way on this. And I think that's wonderful.

Kalpita:

Yeah. I mean, I'd rather have price drops and sugar and stupid things like that drop between the chairs instead of important things like banning phones and social media for children.

Fionn:

Absolutely.

Kalpita:

I also want to be mindful at the same time that all of these news bits that are coming out in recent weeks and months are all from the point of view of the election, like you rightly mentioned. So we have to be very mindful that these things should be taken with a pinch of salt. There was also the mention of deep fakes and protecting children and images that are out there from being used for whatever harmful materials as well. So that is also a proposal, and everything we hear now is a proposal. Some of the most silliest, unthinkable things, and some are very, very serious, and some are, you know, something that could not happen. And there are some, like the Integration Councils, which, even if they went away, which will have a ripple effect on other things. We'll also see other things that will effectively be introduced to help the same thing.

Fionn:

Well, speaking of things that are hopefully going to improve, we unfortunately have something that is going at the moment completely the wrong way. And that brings us to our final topic for today, which is the fact that more and more animal species in Denmark are being listed as threatened. There's been an enormous review of the 88 species and 60 habitat types that we have in Denmark. I believe it comes from Aarhus University and it was presented this week to the last week to the government and parties in the Danish Parliament. And basically, we are at risk of losing these species and habitats if the trend basically of how they're going is not reversed. There was a report six years ago which shocked many people because it revealed that species and habitats were at risk of being lost. And unfortunately, six years later, rather than things getting better, they have gotten dramatically worse. So the proportion of species that are living in severely unfavorable conservation status has increased from 32% to 49%. Yeah, and that's tough to hear, I think. 

Kalpita:

It is. I saw this reportage on danish radio Danmark Radio about very clever scientists out in the forest talking about how trees are not dense enough, they're not having enough leaves closer to the park. They're only leaves and vegetation in the outer or periphery of a tree, for example, which has lived for centuries and years and years and years. So it's not not just the animals, but it's also the forests that are thinning out. Luckily they're not totally depleting. But at the same time, I do miss seeing an otter when I'm out in nature. And you know, there are areas where you can see otters and I have seen them and they're just, just the most.

Fionn:

They're wonderful. Yeah.

Kalpita:

Yeah. I mean, of course they're very, very cute and entertaining, but they are also such curious animals and just last week, I was out taking a walk, I, I missed them. I didn't see them anywhere. Very, very disappointing. Broke my heart.

Fionn:

Ah, absolutely. And I think there is something so magical about seeing animals that we don't see every day. Right. It's not particularly exciting to see a magpie, unless you're my two year old daughter. And then it's huge, huge news. But actually, just yesterday as I was picking up my kids and, and cycling home, there was a, a kestrel, which is a type of a bit like a hawk that just flew right down over my bike and was kind of circling, looking for some prey. And it just, it is these moments of magic and I think we have that. It's so emotive, particularly with the larger wild animals that we have. But at the same time it can often be a bit easy, I think, to feel hopeless. Right. Because we see these reports and if, you know, I think anything about what's causing a lot of this, the vast majority of issues and pollution, they are caused by larger companies. Right. It could be large agricultural producers with pollution and runoff. It could be fossil fuels, but very often it's habitat destruction. Right. And I want to give our listeners three practical things they can do that actually genuinely will make a difference. A small difference, but they will genuinely make a difference. Because when it feels like there's nothing you can do, it can be really easy to kind of fall into climate despair. So do you want to. Do you want to hear what the first one is?

Kalpita:

Yes, please.

Fionn:

Okay. If you have a garden, it does not have to be a big garden. It can actually be a tiny garden. If you have a garden of any way, shape or form, make a pond. And that pond, again, doesn't have to be big. If you have an old kid's bath, like a baby bath, if you have a bucket, anything like this, really, you know, the rollers you put under your bed, the. Like the plastic ones, those perfect. A frog or something like that. They will lay their eggs in a puddle on the side of the road, but if you give them the space, they will come and having that little oasis of water, maybe a couple of plants as well. But it doesn't have to be fancy at all. It is like a stepping stone to so many things, because you will get insects, you'll get things like dragonflies, that will then lead to reptiles and amphibians like salamanders and frogs. And frogs are what's a keystone species. So they're really important in the kind of biodiversity web. A lot of things eat them. They also eat a lot of things as well. And guarantee you if it takes a bit of time, but if you build it, they will come. Birds will also come and drink from it. So it's awesome. It's really, really easy to do. There's so many resources online to find out how to do it, and you do not need to spend money on it. You can use things you have lying around the house most of the time. That's one. The second is when we get past Danish winter and you're looking out and spring is starting to happen. Very often the first flowers that you see are dandelions. And everybody goes, oh, no, we got these weeds. It's very tempting to get rid of them. Don't get rid of them that early. We call them weeds. Like they grow anywhere, right? The reason they do that is because they're really tough and they've adapted to grow in environments that other things can't, like early spring when it's really cold. But that's basically a bee's breakfast. So when bees are kind of waking up a bit after. After the winter, these are the first flowers. This is like their breakfast. And if we're going in and cutting them all down, that's really, really tough for bees and other pollinators. And similarly, at the end of summer, right, you see all your flowers start to die off and they have the dead heads. And it's called deadheading when you chop all those off to make your bush then look a bit nicer. Try not to do that if you can too soon, because, again, that's like the dessert. That's a really important food source for. For pollinating insects then. And then maybe you don't have a garden, but maybe you have a cat. And if you have a cat, this is point number three. It's so much better if it's an indoor cat. I love cats. I'm a cat person and a dog person. I don't know if that just makes me indecisive, but I love cats. I had cats growing up and they were outdoor cats. And we used to be amazed at. Every summer they would bring home like a dozen frogs, like live frogs that they would have found as presents and we would have to rescue them. And that was cute when we were kids. And now it's like, oh, God, they're an absolute menace for all the kind of wild animals, whether it's a hedgehog or a cute little field mouse or a squirrel or birds, right? Particularly. So as cute and cuddly as they are, they're even cuter and cuddlier if they live indoors rather than outdoors.

Kalpita:

Keep your cats indoors, people.

Fionn:

Yeah, so those are my three very, very simple things that you can do to really genuinely make a big difference in your area. And if you don't have a garden, here's a bonus tip. You can do what's called guerrilla gardening. Get a bit of clay, get some native wildflower seeds or native flower seeds, pack it into the clay, let it dry out, and then you can keep some of those in your pocket. If you're, I don't know, grungy and crunchy like me, you can also keep them in a bag. But then if you're going out and you see that there's a maybe a building site or something that has a lot of just earth, but no nature, just chuck some of them out. It's not going to harm anyone. It's not illegal or anything, but when the rain comes, the clay will kind of melt and the seeds will bloom, so you can create little patches for the insects.

Kalpita:

Wow. Incredible.

Fionn:

So, yeah, I don't know, I always think it's really important to be a bit hopeful about some of these things, even though it's a really serious, serious topic.

Kalpita:

I mean, incredible tips there, Fionn. I think some of them are very, very easy to do. I also agree that littering with wildflower seeds is totally allowed. And okay, one must do that. I have people in my apartment building here who do that often around springtime or even some winter wildflowers as well. They'll start throwing them out now. And I do have a neighbor who has this. She is so passionate about her balcony garden. I think she's done an incredible job. I could never keep up with that. But at the same time, I am also shocked to learn that Denmark has just one natural park, which is mind blowing to know that when Denmark is such a big stress on nature and then they just have one.

Fionn: 

It is wild. And, you know, they launched the most expensive green tripartite agreement. And there, there's a positive, you know, show me your budget and I'll show you what your priorities are, your values.

Kalpita:

Yeah

Fionn: 

There is a budget for it. And yeah, I think one national park has been allocated for that. And that's, of course, such a challenge with habitat destruction. We need to kind of protect what we have. And actually we are getting close to where we need to wrap up. But if you'll humor me, I actually have a poem that I think maybe if you're feeling a bit apathetic or doom, gloom about the world and, you know, what can we all do? It's something that really helps me.

Kalpita:

Go for it. 

Fionn: 

I'm gonna be honest. It's in Irish. But I will give you after each verse, I will give you the English translation because I have a sneaking suspicion not many of our listeners speak Irish. And my own is very rusty. But it's by a guy called Shauna Reardon, who was one of the most important and influential Irish language poets in modern times. And I just think it's a wonderful mix about caring for humanity and nature in the same, same vibe. 

Ní Ceadmhach Neamhshuim

Níl cuil, níl leamhan, níl beach,

Dar chruthaigh na déithe, níl fear,

Nach dualgas dúinn a leas,

Níl bean; ní ceadmhach neamhshuim

A dhéanamh dá n-imní;

There’s not a fly, moth, bee,

man, or woman created by the Gods

whose welfare’s not our responsibility;

to ignore their predicament

isn’t on.

Níl gealt i ngleann na ngealt,

Nár chuí dhúinn suí lena ais,

Á thionlacan an fhaid

A iompraíonn thar ár gceann,

Ár dtinneas-ne ’na mheabhair.

There’s not a madman in Mad Valley

we shouldn’t sit with

and keep company,

since

he’s sick in the head

on our behalf.

Níl áit, níl sruth, níl sceach,

Dá iargúlta iad, níl leac,

Bídís thuaidh, thoir, thiar nó theas,

Nár cheart dúinn machnamh ar a suíomh,

Le gean is le báidhíocht;

There’s not a place, stream or bush, however remote;

or a flagstone

north, south, east or west

that we shouldn’t consider

without affection and empathy.

Dá fhaid uainn Afraic Theas,

Dá airde í gealach,

Is cuid dínn iad ó cheart:

Níl áit ar fuaid na cruinne

Nach ann a saolaíodh sinne.

No matter how far South Africa,

no matter how distant the moon,

they’re part of us by right:

there’s not a single spot anywhere

we’re not a part of. We issue from everywhere.

Ní ceadmhach neamhshuim

Apathy is Out

Kalpita:

Here, here.

Fionn: 

And with that, I think we can wrap up this episode of the Last Week in Denmark podcast. We hope you've enjoyed it. We hope you will check out our other episodes. We've talked about a lot of them, I think actually here in terms of topics that have come across multiple weeks. And we also hope you'll check out the Last Week in Denmark newsletter on Substack and in your email inbox. Kalpita, it's been such a pleasure chatting.

Kalpita:

Likewise. I hope to. I hope to be co-hosting with you again very soon.

Fionn: 

Absolutely.

Kalpita:

We can't be five months apart.

Fionn: 

Absolutely not.

Kalpita:

From one to the other.

Fionn: 

Till next time, everybody. Bye bye.

Kalpita:

Bye bye.