Last Week in Denmark

Danish Food Cheques, Deportation Reform, and Energy Island Bornholm; LWID S5E3

• Season 5 • Episode 3

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Denmark’s Food Cheques, Deportations and Wind Power: This week Kalpita and Narcis, internationals living in Denmark, are joined by comedian Conrad Molden to look back at a week of big Danish policy moves that hit everyday life. They discuss Denmark’s controversial food cheques and why cutting VAT on groceries sounds simple but is anything but. The episode also explores tougher Danish deportation rules for internationals convicted of serious crimes, before ending on a more hopeful note with Denmark’s massive offshore wind plans around Bornholm and what they could mean for jobs, energy prices and Denmark’s future. 

Topics:

(02:34) Danish Food Cheques

(12:57) Danish Deportation Reform

(23:49) Energy Project in Bornholm

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Kalpita 
Welcome everybody to the award winning Last Week in Denmark podcast. Each week we are here to talk through Danish news stories and developments and how they impact international Living's year. This season we're trying to do something new and have guests join us for some of the episodes. So sometimes there will be two of us and sometimes there will be three. If you're an international living in Denmark or thinking of moving here, you'll want to check out many of these episodes. We've got four full seasons ready for you to explore and new episodes every week during season five. I am Kalpita and I am here with Narcis.

Narcis
Hello. Hello.

Kalpita 
And Conrad Molden, who's our guest for today.

Conrad
Good morning. Thank you for having me.

Kalpita 
Conrad, as you probably already know, is a stand up comedian, has been living in Denmark for the past 12 years. He's a dotting father and does lots of comedy and is still learning about this mad land called Denmark. This week's topic we are going to be discussing the very, very popular food checks and they're not so popular with some people as you must have heard. Almost 2 million people in Denmark will receive food checks, but will combine this conversation with the proposal of the reduction on food vat. The next topic we will talk about is all internationals that receive a sentence to at least one year in prison or more will be deported. And to end the episode on a good note, we will talk about the large offshore wind project in the North Sea and Bornholm, which will bring us closer to energy independence, which we need. This is a big step forward towards energy independence from both Russia and and the USA energy island Bornholm and 100 gigawatt offshore wind in the North Sea, which is also a bit about our bilateral relations with Germany. But before we start, how are you guys doing, Narcis and Conrad?

Narcis
Well, I'm really happy to be back on the show. I feel like I lost my training. I haven't done an episode in God knows how long, how many months. And I'm actually happy to see people that I really, really follow like Conrad. I'm a big fan of yours.

Conrad
Thank you, man. Yeah, we've chatted a little bit online and I also, I was in Aalborg not so long ago and I saw posters of you everywhere and I think, I think I might have sent you a picture. But yeah, it's nice to finally chat with you guys.

Narcis
So Conrad, what do you think? Are you going to get a food check or not? Are you on the happy list?

Conrad
It's a really good question is if it's-it's under 400,000, right, that you get the, you get the payments.

Narcis
Half a million. Half a million.

Kalpita 
Half a million Danish. Yeah.

Conrad
Before or after tax?

Kalpita 
That's a good question.

Narcis
If you make half a million after taxes, my friend, you are a rich man.

Conrad
Then I'm guessing I will be getting one. Although every Dane that I talk to says that it's election season and that's why it's happening.

Narcis
Well, it's also happening because people kept bitching about the fact that the food is too expensive, has been expensive for way too long and they want someone to do something about it. So they keep poking at the government, do something, do something, do something. And a lot of political parties kept coming and saying, oh, okay, let's just reduce vat. Because you know what, it's such a simple solution. But then when they actually try to look at it, okay, let's reduce vat. They realize that reducing VAT in a country with single VAT rate for the past decades, it's extremely difficult because even the accounting systems that we built in place cannot handle differentiated VAT. So we are talking about changing the softwares for all the companies who do accounting. So it's not that simple to overnight be like, yeah, it's easy, just, just, you know what, make it lower VAT. Sure, yeah.

Kalpita 
And some of the taxes and VATs are also coming through the suggestion of the EU. So they are standardized across the EU. So some taxes we can alter and some taxes we cannot alter because we have to stay within the EU rules as well. So that, that is quite tricky position to take to change or reduce.

Conrad
V. And what about you guys? Do you, are you positive or about it or are you negative? How do you feel?

Kalpita 
I have mixed feelings about it because it's only if you have children, if you're a student or you get some kind of content help or whatever from the government, then you are eligible. But there are people who are not part of the system in the sense that they don't get monetary help. For example, me, I don't get any help, but I don't have children either. But we are a one person earning household, so we most certainly make less than 500,000. But we are not eligible for it. Yeah, it's, it's a bit of a gray zone, I think that the government should consider as well. But then I do know that not many people are very happy about it because like Narcis and I were talking earlier that if you make 500,000 a year, which means you get average 41-42,000 in salary, which is a lot of money. And there are people who don't make that much and are still not eligible for it. So they, they are just left in the dirt. At the same time, if you do make that money, then you are more or less well off. You just need to make a little bit of changes in your lifestyle and what you eat and how you shop at the grocery store. But if you see an average salary is not 41, 42, the average salary is anywhere between 28 to 31-32, which is also like a big stretch, especially in cities like Copenhagen as well. If you get 41, 42, I mean, you are in a very big position in a company or a startup or wherever you work.

Narcis
So I mean, for me it's more about the fact that they try to give it way too many people. I understand that it's easier to give a tax free check from just a bureaucratic perspective and from a sense of intervention instead of. Because I really do not support reducing VAT because it's too complex and it's too difficult in a country that's not used to differentiated VAT. Simply, it will be a huge cost. I'm an entrepreneur for my company. It would be a big cost and a big headache to change my accounting system because of this. And God forbid the definition debates that will start what is actually VAT free or VAT differentiated and what is not. Because in some country with VAT differentiated, they're still debating for years, is a biscuit a cake or is it not a cake? Because based on what definition you give to every single type of food out there, it will change under which VAT line it falls. So imagine that the nightmare that can appear over a simplified system. So the options are much more tough. Either you remove VAT, which the systems can handle, or you keep it at one single rate across everything. So that's the two options. Doing some halfway decision on it. It's a horrible idea. So that's why I support the food checks as a concept. But I'm not happy that people who are middle class, like for example, I have children. We obviously don't make half a million each in the family. So we will be qualifying for this. For this money. I feel insulted that considered poor by the government. Why do I need the 5,000 kroner for food? I don't. I didn't see that much difference, to be honest, in. In how we shop and how we handle food. I never cared much about it. But we also don't spend that much on food because we cook. We got used to always cook, so that's normal. And then if you cook, you don't. You're not that affected, to be honest. At least not in our case. So my. My biggest thing is, yes, food checks is the best solution, but make it for people who really, really need it. So. And give them more than 2,500 kroner, for God's sake. So instead of giving it to so many people, making it that there is less money for everyone, make a smaller group of people, make it more targeted and give them a proper amount, 20, 30,000. Because I know people who really need it. They keep writing to me asking for small jobs, saying, can I do this, this, this, because I cannot have enough money to eat tomorrow. Those people really need it. So instead of being out there asking other people for help, so, you know, dignity, it's. It's an attack on their dignity. The government should be making sure that nobody should have to ask money from other people in Denmark. What about you, Kornad? What do you think?

Conrad
I think you put it really well. I hadn't thought about it in those terms. I think I was just feeling a bit more selfish about it. I was just excited to get some free cash. But I do, I do get you. Yeah, I'm in the same situation. I, yeah, qualify, have children. But I don't need the money. So it does make more sense, actually. Like, well, what is the purpose of the food checks? Okay. It's to help people who are very vulnerable, struggling. Does it matter that they have children? Maybe not. So then they should broaden the people that are eligible for it and then cut off where they think actually, okay, these people are managing fine. And then give more money to those groups. I think that actually makes a lot of sense.

Narcis
I mean, don't. Don't misunderstand me. If they had more money, okay, fine, give it to as many people as you want to support. But the problem is it's a limited amount of money they can give. It's not like it's an open box where you can just freely give as much as you want. Because if that was the case, holy shit. Give to all of us something you know. And there are many other ways you can do it in an easier way. Like for the people who don't have a job, give them a food check. For the people who have a job, give them a higher tax relief. Like the part that's not taxable from your income should be just higher. It's a lot simpler from a… From a bureaucratic perspective because already the systems are in place to be able to modify that amount lower or higher. It's a lot simpler. I just don't understand who sits there in the government and cannot come up with simpler solutions. I don't understand.

Kalpita 
Listen, they are very, very Danish. Very, very smart. Very, very, very, very clever people sitting in the government making these decisions. But I also think that the average that they have decided to do, whatever mathematics they've done on seems to be based on their personal incomes. I won't be surprised that they took an average of the parliament and decided that 41, 42,000 per month in salary would be what everybody in Denmark would be making, more or less. And then they need to be supported because how can you not have meat every day and spend like 120 kroner and 500 grams of whatever choice of meat you would like? That also is messed up if you ask me. But at the same time I fear that this will have some sort of a ripple effect in the long term. Yes, we have surplus and we have lots of money right now. All of that money has been put into good things, which we need. But also this food check is a bit excess in the sense that, oh, we have the money, 2 million people plus. We will help and then we will see whatever will happen later. Let's not forget that there are a lot of other things that are going on as well. Like in one of the- I think in the first episode we spoke about agriculture taxes and how those uses of pesticides and things is affecting the soil and the environment. And more and more ecological agriculture is going to be pushed, which means that ecological food is going to be even more expensive because it's not cheap to make ecological food or crops and, and fruits and stuff like that, which is just one little tiny aspect of our daily grocery shopping. Right. There is a lot of other things that we need to consider, which is energy and job situations as well. I mean, all those people who got fired, are getting fired is consider going to affect the economy in the next two to three years. The EU regulations and the EU situation is also not looking that optimistic economic wise either. And then there are a lot of other things that are also.

Narcis
I mean, we don't have to be so, so, so, so so dark about the economy. We are doing very, very well right now. 

Kalpita
Yeah. 

Narcis
The prospects are positive no matter what. So even though we see a lot of people being fired in the biggest. They make the big news technically in the bigger, let's just say labor force market. It's just a Drop. And we are still having the most people employed ever in history of Denmark. Let's not forget that even with all the layoffs at Novo Nordisk, we're still doing very, very well in Denmark. So that's why we can afford to make such, let's just say, decisions, you know.

Kalpita 
Absolutely. But that's- that's again the result of the past two to three years of progress we've made. So I'm talking about what, what. What's happening now. We have a ripple effect in the next two to three years. I don't mean to make it doom and gloom. Not at all.

Narcis
Yeah.

Kalpita 
I'm just saying there's a possibility. But basis that possibility. I think we could move on to the next conversation, which is also a very big possibility of being deported. If you are an international and you commit a crime and you go to jail for one year or more.

Narcis
Wow.

Conrad
I hadn't. I actually, hadn't. I hadn't actually heard about this. That sounds wild.

Narcis
It's Friday night. It was barely appearing on the news.

Kalpita 
So Mette Frederiksen and the Defense Minister and the External Affairs Minister, they all had a press conference where basis made his new speech where she said that internationals don't have place in the Danish society, especially those who are involved in crime and crime of more or less all kinds, especially violence and sexual violence, and especially crime against women. And they were taking a very hard stand on that. And right now what it looks like is that they have presented a deportation reform where people who have been sentenced to prison for one year or more will just be deported, irrespective of what their situation is, whether they are citizens, whether they are whatever background, they just be sent back. Which is also a strong standpoint from Erasmus Stockholm, who's also the Minister of Immigration and Integration, who was recently appointed as well. So I think this is one feather in his cap.

Narcis
But Conrad, did you see that? They are looking for a deportation tsar, a deportation ambassador. So what do you feel? Would you like to apply for that?

Conrad
Well, I have been looking for a new career opportunity. That is… That is really crazy. Although it's irrelevant of whether EU or non EU or anything like that. It's just you violated the law. You got a sentence of more than one year. You have to leave.

Kalpita 
Yes, yeah.

Narcis
Yes, they do try to put together EU and non-EU, but they will find out quite quickly that it's quite impossible to deport EU citizens because there's no way that you can stop us from coming back. So, yes, you can send a sentence to EU citizen. But tomorrow I'm back and you can do nothing about it.

Conrad
Narcis. That sounded a bit too confident. It's like you're. It's like you're planning something. I will be back.

Narcis
Yes. I mean you. You have to see. I'm not a big fan of deportations. I'm seeing that around the world, more and more countries want to deport the people they find undesirable. And it's. What's funny in Denmark is that it doesn't matter if you are a Danish citizen. It doesn't matter if you're born in Denmark anymore. As long as you have done a crime that is one year sentence or more, you will be deported. However, who is extent from that? Well, if you were born from Danish parents in Denmark, but Danish ethnic Danish parents, then you can avoid being deported. But if you were unlucky to be born out of international parents in Denmark, then you also qualify to be deported. Because that's where they go against the Court of Human Rights. Because the European Court of Human Rights says very clearly you cannot deport people who are more connected to your country than another one. Simple as that, you know. So it's quite funny to see that now everyone tries to deport the undesirable. So I guess the ICE, you know, the ICE style of dressing up and I guess be new jobs, right? Deportation officers. What do you think? Should we sign up? I think that'll be fun.

Conrad
I think we better sign up before they get rid of us. Right. Like you want to be one ahead, one step ahead of the game. That's absolutely.

Narcis
Insiders. Insiders that will have to tip off the people. Sh. I just got to go. Go.

Conrad
Yeah, exactly. You'll be at like student who examining everybody.

Narcis
You look foreign.

Conrad
You at this international night, you look a bit foreign. That is really. Yeah. It's kind of slightly terrifying to hear. But then I do wonder what. What's the legislation already at the moment? Like, what does it take to be deported or. They don't.

Kalpita 
For now, if you're… If you're a criminal and you have a sentence of one or more years, then you are eligible for deportation. But there's also a process for the deportation. Right. You have to report into some kind of an institute right now. You have to report at least three times a week and otherwise you're basically a illegal resident. But you get to move in that little town that you're supposed to be reporting to. And that has caused problems among neighbors and people living in the area as well, because they feel unsafe and there's a lot of thievery going on and it's. It's just basically not a nice environment. So they also get money for just being neighbors to this supposed institute, because money solves all problems right now seems to be the theme. But one of the other things that was proposed in this report was that they're going to reopen the embassy in Syria and work closely in cooperation with Afghanistan without the Taliban, which is also an interesting step in our external affairs. Of course, the Syrian embassy reopening is supposed to be to help the Syrian government to integrate people, and especially those we've sent back from Denmark, and integrate those people back into the Syrian society and something similar in Afghanistan as well. But that I think will be a longer procedure.

Narcis
I mean, what, what concerns me more is not look from a perspective as a normal, average citizen, do I want to not see criminals around? Yes, sure, do that. I mean, Britain did that in the past and that's how Australia became to exist. Right. It's not exactly new that countries try to get rid of the undesirable regardless of who they are as background. Right. In the end, a country free of criminals, it's a paradise country. Right? Everyone wants to do that. I'm just wondering if everyone will start deporting the undesirables. Where will they all go? Which country will make a business out of hosting criminals? This can be a big business opportunity. Buy an island. By the way, there's an island for sale in Denmark. No, seriously, there's an island that you can buy with helipad and a big space. Yeah. If you have 72 million around-

Kalpita
Wow incredible. 

Narcis
-Conrad, you can actually buy an island. So big business time, eh? So let's try to buy the island and create the largest detention center in the world. Make the whole island just a detention island and then just charge the countries for hosting their people.

Conrad
Wow.

Narcis
Okay.

Conrad
I mean, it's like a criminal Lollandia.

Kalpita 
But it's also. Are they. I mean, I mean, isn't this a way of Denmark to just point blank reject that these are not our people? You know, it's. It's Denmark basically saying you're a criminal, you're not, you're not part of Denmark, irrespective of what background you come from. And that's basically just disowning people, no matter how much they have, you know, contributed to the Danish society. For sure, nobody wants criminals. But then it's also a bit against the whole, you know, the. The concept of Danish prisons is also to. To make people capable of coming back into society. So this is, this is just going on a whole different tangent of is to be in a Danish prison and the Danish system per se.

Narcis
Konrad, imagine that Denmark is a big, big family. We are a big family. Right? So then you have one of your cousins, brother, sister, whatever, who does something really, really stupid. Are you going to disown them from your family?

Conrad
It's a great. Yeah, it is a very good point. It is a very good point. I do worry that it's sort of a distraction, right. Because other, you know, does the crime statistics truly show that non ethnically Danish people are by and large causing the most crime and dissolving the culture and the structure of the society? Or is it just very easy to be like, oh, the other of the problem? Right? When I used to be younger and I would go to the city, I thought it was always strange to see if I saw people maybe of a Somalian background behaving badly. I felt like the people I was with would point that out. They would point out their ethnicity and they would be like, that's how these guys behave. But if it was a group of ethnically Danish guys, they'd be like, ah, they're drunk and they're messing around and they're behaving badly. But it wasn't like a racial issue. And I so worry about that so often that we kind of, if we have these preconceived notions of how people behave, then it's only validated. Like we don't look at the well behaving Somalian Danish guy walking along and go, see, that's why society integration works. It's only when we see a negative experience that we go, okay. And then this pushes us closer and closer to like a crazy deportation policy. How easy is it to get a year? Obviously sexual and violent crimes are awful. That's, that's another issue. But aren't there other things could make theft warrant you more than one year in prison? I don't know, but that seems a bit drastic.

Narcis
Yeah, I'm actually curious as well because they do put a lot of focus on the serious crimes. The crimes that make people really like, yeah, yeah, of course, get them out. But I think they try to kind of brush off that they actually put it in the law that it's one year plus no matter what crime, actually. So you could get a one year crime for fraud. Imagine you're a white collar criminal being deported.

Kalpita 
I mean, they could be taking all our food checks, you know.

Narcis
[laughs] So while you just, you know, took a Little bit more than you were supposed to. You didn't pay the taxes you were supposed to. Why should you be treated as a criminal? Right.

Kalpita 
Wow. [laughs]

Conrad
I think. I think we have a new candidate for the deportations tzar. I think you should-

Kalpita 
Yeah, absolutely. 

Conrad
-Get a job on the inside, get the job and then like, fix it. Fix a broken system from within.

Narcis
We should try a new movement. White collar criminals are not real criminals.

Kalpita 
That would. I'm telling you, that would get you so much attention in the whole of repeating. Not just a Democrat.

Narcis
No, just. I'm trying to lighten up a little bit because it's a bad situation. It is what it is. It's the global atmosphere we are in right now. It's cyclical. It's not the first time we get to the solution. Deportation is the solution. It has happened in history before. It's a new basically phase we go through. There's not much we can do about it besides being critical of it and be like, oh, we don't like it unless we go out there and actually join any sort of political parties and try to influence how politics and policies are being made. Most we can do is just, you know, just bitch around about it and be like, ah, we don't like it. So then what we have left is make fun of it. Yeah.

Kalpita 
I mean, on that note, the boats, the. The food check and the deportation thing is something we are doing for the first time. And I suppose it just has to be something like all things you do for the first time. They just need to keep being refined and looked into again and again. So you get to a place which actually really works and is helping both sides of society. But talking of lighter note, let's talk about energy in Bornholm, which is in a long process of relations between Germany and Denmark, we who have finally joined hands on the largest energy project in Danish history. It's a project that will build massive parks with offshore wind turbines south and southwest of Bornholm. This was announced by the Minister of Climate, Energy and Utilities, Lars Aagaard, at the Nazi summit in Hamburg. But there's also another Nazi project coming up. How are we optimistic about cheap electricity?

Narcis
I mean, from my side, it's more about the fact that Bornholm is going to become the new Dubai. So if you're thinking about buying property, if you think buy it in Bornholm right now, Bornholm is a bit behind the rest of the country in terms of property price, but it will value like crazy, just like Lolland. Bornholm will be super interesting and it'll be A lot of job opportunities. Imagine at least 30 to 40,000 new jobs being created starting this year. 

Kalpita
Oh wow.

Narcis
Because the tenders will be open this year, which means the companies will have to already start hiring, preparing because they need to build this big parks. They need to. And it's not just that, because the energy will come from the, from the big parks on the island itself, on the physical island it will be like changed into electricity, right into these large batteries and then it will go via cables to Denmark and Germany. So yes, for us directly will be cheaper energy, but for, for the island of Bornholm it's a huge economical. That's why when the I was watching the TV about this and the plague, asking the mayor of Bornholm, I was like, so are you happy with this? This is the greatest thing that happened for us. The greatest. You understand? This is the greatest thing that happened for us.

Conrad
The only problem I see is that if Bornholm is going to become the new Dubai, that's going to really crash with Danish ideas of Jandalorn. Like how are you going to have a humble energy state? Do you know what I mean? There'll be a lot of Danish people walking around going, yes, it's the tallest building in the world, but we needed it to be that tall. You know, it's like. I just think it's going to be very cute. I think it's going to be a very special moment for Denmark. Maybe they will let go of janteloven. Maybe the next thing you know you'll just see all the ministers in blacked out SUVs and massive gold chains.

Narcis
To be honest, the janteloven on itself, it's very hard to see presence of it anymore in the Danish society. It has become more or less outfaced and it has remained as a strong, let's just say belief more in the rural societies and more in Jylland. But I feel like you guys in Copenhagen have forgotten all about it.

Kalpita 
You guys in Copenhagen. Now we've become Copenhagen as like.

Narcis
I mean you are living in Copenhagen, don't you?

Kalpita 
Yeah, we do, but we don't. At least I don't make 41, 42,000.

Narcis
So I live in Copenhagen, but I don't make Copenhagen money.

Kalpita 
Yeah, I don't meet the standards of a Copenhauer.

Conrad
I think new idea, we flip a coin and whoever, whoever wins the other part of the country becomes where we deport all the criminals. We're like, okay, oh no. Jylland is the new world's largest open prison and we just move all the criminals over there. If you're in Jylland and you haven't committed a crime, then you can come to Sjælland. I think it seems fair.

Narcis
You can also look at the Norwegian system of prisons, right? They literally just took all the uninhabited islands and turned them into prisons and just put people out there and be like, here is a saw, here's an ax, here's a forest, here is water, here is animals. Have fun. And they just live there on those islands for the the remaining of the sentence, of course, if they can swim out of the island, they are free. Problem is those islands are in the North Sea.

Kalpita 
Extreme weather warnings.

Narcis
It's like if you can do that, you deserve a reduction of your sentence.

Conrad
It's kind of true, right? I mean if you, if you swim through 1 degree water for half an hour and you make it to the other side, just be like, here you go, here's your tear up the sentence. Here you go, get in the bus, you can go back home.

Narcis
Talking about the North Sea, I think what I like about this new project in the North Sea is the different way of approaching things. So instead of each country building its own park like it's been done so far, all the parks that will be built now in the North Sea will be co-owned by all the countries. So let's say we make a new park. All the 10 countries assigned the Humber declaration that are the adjacent to North Sea, of course they will get power out of that immediately. And then the next park is built again and again and again until 100 gigawatts. Imagine the Bornholm island, which is supposed to be the largest project in Danish history, has 3 gigawatts, just 3. The North Sea projects that they want to do It's a hundred gigawatts, but of course it's all the way to 2050. So again, more, more jobs.

Kalpita 
So yeah, it still needs to be approved by the parliament. So there will be a lot of debate about things. But then I do like the idea that there are more job opportunities that are being created in remote areas especially. So we have everything going on for Copenhagen, making it a little bit cheaper and then we are nicely widely spread and enjoying the entirety of Denmark. But at the same time great, great opportunity for people who probably speak a lot of German or German descent citizens and are good with the language. Danish should also be a great advantage there. So if you haven't started your Danish jogging then now's the time get, get into the language and learn more job opportunities.

Narcis
I think what's happening now look at Netherlands. Netherlands has openly decided to go after American green transition workers. American green transition scientists, anything. They just made like a. I think last week they launched a campaign, a recruitment campaign where the country itself says the US doesn't want to play with the green energy anymore. No problem, we have plenty of jobs for you. Come to Netherlands. So they're going because to build this 100 gigawatts of parks, you need qualified people and disqualified people. Takes time to create. I don't know if you're being an entrepreneur, I see how important is human resource and how difficult is to find the right people to do the right job. So what's going to start now is that could we actually create a brain drain from us back to Europe the way U.S. did to us before the Second World War?

Kalpita 
Now that's a topic we need a whole nother podcast for. But we are running out of time right now. So thank you very much Conrad for being part of the podcast with us.

Conrad
Thank you for having me and thank you. You guys are so well informed. I feel like you guys should would be senior members of like the state. I would, I would really understand the news a lot better.

Kalpita 
Thank you, thank you. You're very kind. And thank you Narcis. And we will see you guys. You can listen along next time as well.

Narcis
Just one quick question, Conrad. When is the next time we can see you on. On the stage listeners?

Conrad
You can go on my website, ConradMolden.dk or social media Instagram, blah blah blah and you will find a tour plan of where I will be. And I'm doing I think 35 cities across Denmark in the next three months. So plenty wherever you are. If you were on, if you were on Bornholm, if you are in Sønderjylland, Nordjylland, Fyn, Sjaelland. I am there. So Danish people will complain to me. They'll say, oh, you're not coming to my town. It's like I am going to a place that is a 10 minute drive from where you live. So get in your electric vehicle or on the bus. You have a very good public transport network that I use to get to your shows because I don't own a car and come and see the show.

Narcis
No, but Conrad, I'm actually curious because I see how much success you as an international have as a comedian and how many Danes actually come to your shows. I'm just curious, do you have like a network of international comedians? Do you guys like talk to each other? Do you know of your- each other's existence basically in the market?

Conrad
I mean, the comedy network in Denmark in general is pretty small. So I feel like within reason there's probably one degree of separation between any of the comedians. That network is small. And then the English speaking portion of that, which is also made up of Danes, maybe half Danish or a third Danish, all know each other very well. Yeah, it's very tight knit and very sweet. And also it's a wonderful industry to be in because we're not in competition with each other. We can only lift each other up. So you can collaborate and you can do shows with other people and you can help promote each other or you can just listen to each other's performances and you can just enjoy it. I'm selling shoes and they're selling shoes and we all kind of want everybody. It's like, you can come to my show and you can go to their show. It's no issue.

Kalpita
That’s fantastic.

Narcis
No, it's because that's for example, for me, I feel like we as internationals are not really aware of all the comedians that are out there and all their shows and so on. So it'd be really cool if I don't know. Either I need to be better informed or somehow to give platform of visibility to all these international comedians. So we know you. You do these things because I got to know you by chance. Right? But I believe there are others out there, but I don't know other comedians who chair internationals. That's why I was wondering, are there other. And you say, yes, there are, there are.

Conrad
I think it's really centered in. In terms of international comedy in Aarhus and in Copenhagen. Aarhus has a very thriving. We have a English comedy show that I started with another comedian years ago. So every Sunday we have an open mic there that's two hours long, that's free and that gives space to a lot of comedians to come. And then of course in Copenhagen it's a lot more fragmented. There are four or five comedy clubs, but there is English comedy in Copenhagen, I think, think four out of seven evenings in a week on a regular basis. So there's a lot to see in Doom. You can. There's something called Copenhagen Comedy Space which is a platform where you can see all of the shows that are happening in Copenhagen. Then there's os and then you will also find English speaking comedy nights in Odense, Aalborg, of course there's also the really good comedy club up there. And then the rest of the country, obviously it's a little bit, you know, Bonderod Denmark, so there's a little less going on just in general, but there are comedians going up there. For me, I do try to listen to a lot of Danish comedy and my push for Danish comedians is. Please subtitle your shows online. There's a great comedian called Mahamad Habane and just having Danish subtitles on his videos helps me. I can understand it as long as I can read the text as well. So there is loads of good comedy out there to see and enjoy.

Narcis
For me it's a. It's a. It's a field that I was not very aware of. So that's. I'm learning a lot. Just, just listen, listening to you. So thank you so much for, for today, Conrad. It was a pleasure meeting you. Thank you for seeing you again. Next time we see. I don't know when me but I guess Kalpita, you'll be doing the next episodes, right?

Kalpita 
I am doing the next two episodes, yes. So you can hear me. No escaping me there.

Narcis
Super. Then. Bye bye. 

Conrad
Tak for dag. 

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LWID

Host
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Conrad Molden

Guest
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Kalpita Bhosale

Guest
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Narcis George Matache

Guest