Velfærdsstatens politiske anarkist – eksempler på fremskridtspartiets politiske sprogstrategi 1973–1980

Abstract

This article shows how the right wing populist politician Mogens Glistrup changed ‘the order of discourse’ in the Danish political debate about the welfare state in the 1970s. He did this in three ways. Firstly, by making use of a highly ironic, sarcastic and anecdotical rhetoric against the public sector and the high tax levels in Denmark. Secondly, Glistrup re-launched a series of discourses such as ‘skrankepave’ and ‘papirnusser’ which directly framed a negative sentiment regarding the public sector. Thirdly, Glistrup’s style was based on the use of profane words and slang in his speeches in parliament. This article shows how the other political parties on the one hand attacked Glistrup’s and fellow party members use of what in their eyes seemed obscene and inappropriate words and on the other hand how Glistrup at the same time was successful in disseminating some of these phrases to the parties that criticized him.