Liselotte Willer
@liselottewiller.dk
I'm a theologian interested in philosophy, history of ideas and in political economics and history.
My life is complete with a camera in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.
My life is complete with a camera in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.
I’m going to vote in a couple of hours, and I can promise that my vote will not help any social democrats whatsoever precisely because of the arguments below. My vote though will be in the municipality called Frederiksberg in the middle of the Copenhagen area, so for a different mayor.
For the crowd still raving about the Danish Social Democrats, convinced that all social democratic parties should adopt their course.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
November 18, 2025 at 2:22 PM
I’m going to vote in a couple of hours, and I can promise that my vote will not help any social democrats whatsoever precisely because of the arguments below. My vote though will be in the municipality called Frederiksberg in the middle of the Copenhagen area, so for a different mayor.
Reposted by Liselotte Willer
The Danish Social Democrats who have pursued far right policies on immigration and governs with the centre-right are set to lose in Copenhagen for the first time in a 100 years, while the left looks set to win a major victory today.
November 18, 2025 at 12:42 PM
The Danish Social Democrats who have pursued far right policies on immigration and governs with the centre-right are set to lose in Copenhagen for the first time in a 100 years, while the left looks set to win a major victory today.
Reposted by Liselotte Willer
One to bookmark for when Labour collapse in London next May
November 18, 2025 at 11:36 AM
One to bookmark for when Labour collapse in London next May
Reposted by Liselotte Willer
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s Social Democrats are staring down a potential political earthquake in today's nationwide local elections.
The revolt is driven by a familiar urban grievance: The skyrocketing cost of housing.
The revolt is driven by a familiar urban grievance: The skyrocketing cost of housing.
Danish voters turn on PM Frederiksen over housing costs
After 122 years in power, the Social Democrats are slated to lose local elections dominated by the housing crisis and dissatisfaction with PM’s policies.
www.politico.eu
November 18, 2025 at 8:39 AM
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s Social Democrats are staring down a potential political earthquake in today's nationwide local elections.
The revolt is driven by a familiar urban grievance: The skyrocketing cost of housing.
The revolt is driven by a familiar urban grievance: The skyrocketing cost of housing.
Reposted by Liselotte Willer
The basic problem with the temporary refugee status policy - especially one lasting up to 20 years - is it leads to very few removals (based on Denmark's experience) but does significantly worsen integration.
November 18, 2025 at 9:05 AM
The basic problem with the temporary refugee status policy - especially one lasting up to 20 years - is it leads to very few removals (based on Denmark's experience) but does significantly worsen integration.
Reposted by Liselotte Willer
I find confiscating people’s jewellery offensive, and yet here we are
Shabana Mahmood asks MPs to stop mentioning Tommy Robinson's name (in relation to his support for her policies) as "he doesn't even think I am English. I find that offensive."
November 17, 2025 at 7:42 PM
I find confiscating people’s jewellery offensive, and yet here we are
Reposted by Liselotte Willer
Multiple political party websites hacked by pro Russian group ahead of local elections in Denmark.
Interference in election campaigns by foreign actors is a deliberate attempt at destabilizing. It is worrying but also important for democracies to build up resilience against this.
Interference in election campaigns by foreign actors is a deliberate attempt at destabilizing. It is worrying but also important for democracies to build up resilience against this.
November 17, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Multiple political party websites hacked by pro Russian group ahead of local elections in Denmark.
Interference in election campaigns by foreign actors is a deliberate attempt at destabilizing. It is worrying but also important for democracies to build up resilience against this.
Interference in election campaigns by foreign actors is a deliberate attempt at destabilizing. It is worrying but also important for democracies to build up resilience against this.
An asylum system where asylum seekers are advised to leave a safe haven again to avoid homelessness and destitution isn’t what the generation after World War 2 imagined …
When asked by Labour MP Catherine West about failed asylum seekers being forced into homelessness and destitution, Shabana Mahmood replies that "The best thing [for them] to do is to voluntarily leave the country".
November 17, 2025 at 6:59 PM
An asylum system where asylum seekers are advised to leave a safe haven again to avoid homelessness and destitution isn’t what the generation after World War 2 imagined …
Reposted by Liselotte Willer
Starmer’s Britain
November 17, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Starmer’s Britain
Reposted by Liselotte Willer
November 17, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Reposted by Liselotte Willer
Dunno, man, if you've managed to get your car onto a dinghy and sail it across the channel then you fucking deserve to keep it.
November 17, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Dunno, man, if you've managed to get your car onto a dinghy and sail it across the channel then you fucking deserve to keep it.
Reposted by Liselotte Willer
I wrote about the lessons the Danish social democrats want to offer Labour last month, and noted a distinct uptick in Denmark Chat at conference. As I discuss in the piece, I am more convinced by the arguments for Spain-as-model.
www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/oc...
www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/oc...
November 8, 2025 at 3:45 PM
I wrote about the lessons the Danish social democrats want to offer Labour last month, and noted a distinct uptick in Denmark Chat at conference. As I discuss in the piece, I am more convinced by the arguments for Spain-as-model.
www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/oc...
www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/oc...
Reposted by Liselotte Willer
People arriving here by small boat are desperate, often traumatised. Latest figures are 68% of boat arrivals granted asylum (see link)
The idea of the govt stripping people of their valuables & then hawking it off literally makes me sick to my stomach
migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/br...
The idea of the govt stripping people of their valuables & then hawking it off literally makes me sick to my stomach
migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/br...
Confiscating jewellery from survivors of a war zone makes you look like a fucking Nazi. And the obscene thing is, that is the intention. It's there to look appropriately harsh. Indecent. Filthy. A moral stain. And no-one of good character would have ever proposed such a thing in the first place.
November 17, 2025 at 11:46 AM
People arriving here by small boat are desperate, often traumatised. Latest figures are 68% of boat arrivals granted asylum (see link)
The idea of the govt stripping people of their valuables & then hawking it off literally makes me sick to my stomach
migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/br...
The idea of the govt stripping people of their valuables & then hawking it off literally makes me sick to my stomach
migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/br...
Reposted by Liselotte Willer
"Europe is in a culture war with Trump’s America.
Part of this involves Trumpists propping up their ideological allies in European politics. A deeper level involves humiliating Europeans in their dealings with the US."
"Trump can only do this because Europeans let him."
A must read from ECFR:
Part of this involves Trumpists propping up their ideological allies in European politics. A deeper level involves humiliating Europeans in their dealings with the US."
"Trump can only do this because Europeans let him."
A must read from ECFR:
How do people feel about Europe? Do they perceive the EU as more than just a common market? And how do they see its role in the future?
🔗 Check our latest policy brief to find out: https://bit.ly/3VxF9X7
🔗 Check our latest policy brief to find out: https://bit.ly/3VxF9X7
November 17, 2025 at 11:07 AM
"Europe is in a culture war with Trump’s America.
Part of this involves Trumpists propping up their ideological allies in European politics. A deeper level involves humiliating Europeans in their dealings with the US."
"Trump can only do this because Europeans let him."
A must read from ECFR:
Part of this involves Trumpists propping up their ideological allies in European politics. A deeper level involves humiliating Europeans in their dealings with the US."
"Trump can only do this because Europeans let him."
A must read from ECFR:
Reposted by Liselotte Willer
Temporary asylum has been done for ages in Denmark, leaves people in limbo despite complaints they do not integrate. As has confiscating personal property.
But even the Danes have limits, with a former immigration minister sentenced to prison for illegally separating immigrant families/couples.
But even the Danes have limits, with a former immigration minister sentenced to prison for illegally separating immigrant families/couples.
Inger Stoejberg: Jail for Danish ex-minister for asylum separations
Inger Stoejberg faces 60 days in prison for separating young asylum-seeking couples in 2016.
www.bbc.com
November 17, 2025 at 9:16 AM
Temporary asylum has been done for ages in Denmark, leaves people in limbo despite complaints they do not integrate. As has confiscating personal property.
But even the Danes have limits, with a former immigration minister sentenced to prison for illegally separating immigrant families/couples.
But even the Danes have limits, with a former immigration minister sentenced to prison for illegally separating immigrant families/couples.
Reposted by Liselotte Willer
One addition:
‘Dark forces are stirring up anger in this country, and seeking to turn that anger into hate’ says Mahmood in the Guardian.
Dark forces. Like those that record videos in dark rooms using blurry dehumanised images to spread falsehoods about the impact of refugees in our communities? …
‘Dark forces are stirring up anger in this country, and seeking to turn that anger into hate’ says Mahmood in the Guardian.
Dark forces. Like those that record videos in dark rooms using blurry dehumanised images to spread falsehoods about the impact of refugees in our communities? …
November 16, 2025 at 11:42 PM
One addition:
‘Dark forces are stirring up anger in this country, and seeking to turn that anger into hate’ says Mahmood in the Guardian.
Dark forces. Like those that record videos in dark rooms using blurry dehumanised images to spread falsehoods about the impact of refugees in our communities? …
‘Dark forces are stirring up anger in this country, and seeking to turn that anger into hate’ says Mahmood in the Guardian.
Dark forces. Like those that record videos in dark rooms using blurry dehumanised images to spread falsehoods about the impact of refugees in our communities? …
Reposted by Liselotte Willer
It is impossible to make this up and I could rewrite my letter already. But at least it’s all out in the open now—including that Mahmood has been inspired by Kristi Noem, Trump’s homeland security secretary who oversees mass deportations. For the avoidance of doubt: they employ fascistic practices.
November 17, 2025 at 12:42 AM
It is impossible to make this up and I could rewrite my letter already. But at least it’s all out in the open now—including that Mahmood has been inspired by Kristi Noem, Trump’s homeland security secretary who oversees mass deportations. For the avoidance of doubt: they employ fascistic practices.
Reposted by Liselotte Willer
‘When challenged about engaging in far-right talking points, Hom Sec’ rejects that. Well: ‘She is not engaging in far-right talking points. She is choosing to turn them into Govt policy. […] when a policy looks like the far right and is hailed by the far right as being far right, it is far right.’
November 16, 2025 at 9:25 PM
‘When challenged about engaging in far-right talking points, Hom Sec’ rejects that. Well: ‘She is not engaging in far-right talking points. She is choosing to turn them into Govt policy. […] when a policy looks like the far right and is hailed by the far right as being far right, it is far right.’
Reposted by Liselotte Willer
🌍 42.5m refugees
Over 70% of them are hosted by low- and middle-income countries.
🇬🇧 548k refugees
= 0.78% of the UK population.
It is not refugees who tear our country apart, it is the mainstreaming of far right policies. And that’s a risk to all of us.
My letter to my MP.
#asylum #Mahmood
🧵
Over 70% of them are hosted by low- and middle-income countries.
🇬🇧 548k refugees
= 0.78% of the UK population.
It is not refugees who tear our country apart, it is the mainstreaming of far right policies. And that’s a risk to all of us.
My letter to my MP.
#asylum #Mahmood
🧵
![Dear [my MP’s name],
As the Home Secretary prepares to announce sweeping changes to the UK’s asylum system, I see it as both my duty as a citizen and responsibility as a migration expert to do all I can to urge policymakers to oppose the proposals—not only for what they will do to refugees, though that is the first concern, but also for what they will mean for all of us and the future society we live in.
That is why I am writing to you as my MP. This letter explains why I consider the need to oppose the Home Secretary’s proposals urgent and, at the most fundamental level, in the national and your constituents’ interest.
I was born in Germany, a country whose history taught me how quickly societies can go down dark paths; how quickly our leaders can fail in the choices they make. But the history of the displacement of people that the Nazi regime was responsible for also shaped my understanding of why refugee movements occur—and why our response to any of them can never compromise what are, and must always be, universal human rights.
Which is why what is happening in the UK now is so deeply alarming.
A manufactured crisis
As of June 2025, there were 42.5 million refugees globally. Over 70% of them are hosted by low- and middle-income countries; most of them immediate neighbours. Overall, five countries—Colombia, Germany, Türkiye, Iran and Uganda—host a third of the total number of refugees; Germany is the main host in the EU, hosting 2.7 million.
The UK hosts 548,000 refugees; that is 0.78% of the UK population. About 110,000 people are in receipt of asylum support; that is 0.15% of the UK population.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:bru4h6s37w4hfmwhetu7veye/bafkreidmewc5timbx7nh57qyq7lm7gmhvclzidmloqhwgckpnegnddoicq@jpeg)
November 16, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Reposted by Liselotte Willer
I mean, taking migrants' property is bad enough, but there is something particularly egregious about focusing on jewellery. Something that suggests the advocates either have not read a book about 20th century Europe, or have read too many.
November 17, 2025 at 9:10 AM
I mean, taking migrants' property is bad enough, but there is something particularly egregious about focusing on jewellery. Something that suggests the advocates either have not read a book about 20th century Europe, or have read too many.
Reposted by Liselotte Willer
Imagine having a thumping majority in parliament and deciding to use it for something as squalid as this.
November 17, 2025 at 8:59 AM
Imagine having a thumping majority in parliament and deciding to use it for something as squalid as this.
Reposted by Liselotte Willer
Today seems like a good day to point to @kristinabsimonsen.bsky.social’s recent piece on why (Britian) may not just ‘copy’ Danish migration policies.
Political context, negative consequences and mixed public sentiments matter.
ukandeu.ac.uk/denmarks-mig...
Political context, negative consequences and mixed public sentiments matter.
ukandeu.ac.uk/denmarks-mig...
Denmark’s migration policy – an example to follow? - UK in a changing Europe
Kristina Bakkær Simonsen explains why countries feel they have something to learn from Denmark's strict migration policy, but argues that there are many key pitfalls.
ukandeu.ac.uk
November 16, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Today seems like a good day to point to @kristinabsimonsen.bsky.social’s recent piece on why (Britian) may not just ‘copy’ Danish migration policies.
Political context, negative consequences and mixed public sentiments matter.
ukandeu.ac.uk/denmarks-mig...
Political context, negative consequences and mixed public sentiments matter.
ukandeu.ac.uk/denmarks-mig...
Reposted by Liselotte Willer
Hey Labour
Remember the majority of voters who believe in treating people decently and not stealing from those who've endured months and years of hardship fleeing war and persecution to seek a place of safety?
We're still over here 👋
Remember the majority of voters who believe in treating people decently and not stealing from those who've endured months and years of hardship fleeing war and persecution to seek a place of safety?
We're still over here 👋
November 17, 2025 at 7:49 AM
Hey Labour
Remember the majority of voters who believe in treating people decently and not stealing from those who've endured months and years of hardship fleeing war and persecution to seek a place of safety?
We're still over here 👋
Remember the majority of voters who believe in treating people decently and not stealing from those who've endured months and years of hardship fleeing war and persecution to seek a place of safety?
We're still over here 👋
Reposted by Liselotte Willer
It can't be emphasised enough that the Government's current approach:
- Increase ILR to 10 years,
- Increase Asylum ILR to 20 years,
- Removal "immediately" if your home country becomes "safe,"
- Loss of permanent refugee status,
Is exactly the sort of thing they dismissed as radical extremism.
- Increase ILR to 10 years,
- Increase Asylum ILR to 20 years,
- Removal "immediately" if your home country becomes "safe,"
- Loss of permanent refugee status,
Is exactly the sort of thing they dismissed as radical extremism.
Yvette Cooper was defined by inertia and just blew in the wind. Shabana Mahmood gets things done. And what she wants to get done is absolutely crackers.
November 15, 2025 at 10:36 PM
It can't be emphasised enough that the Government's current approach:
- Increase ILR to 10 years,
- Increase Asylum ILR to 20 years,
- Removal "immediately" if your home country becomes "safe,"
- Loss of permanent refugee status,
Is exactly the sort of thing they dismissed as radical extremism.
- Increase ILR to 10 years,
- Increase Asylum ILR to 20 years,
- Removal "immediately" if your home country becomes "safe,"
- Loss of permanent refugee status,
Is exactly the sort of thing they dismissed as radical extremism.