Common Course () was a political party in Denmark, which held 4 seats in the

Danish parliament The Folketing ( , ), also known as the Parliament of Denmark or the Danish Parliament in English, is the unicameral national legislature (parliament) of the Kingdom of Denmark — Denmark proper together with the Faroe Islands and Greenland. E ...

from 1987–1988. 1987 Danish Folketing

History

Common Course was officially founded in 1986, but it was built on several factions of the

Communist Party of Denmark The Communist Party of Denmark (, DKP) is a communist party in Denmark. The DKP was founded on 9 November 1919 as the Left-Socialist Party of Denmark (, VSP), through a merger of the Socialist Youth League and Socialist Labour Party of Denma ...

which were planning for the emergence of a new party as early as 1979. The party's leader was

Preben Møller Hansen Preben Møller Hansen (September 6, 1929 – September 11, 2008) was a Danish politician, trade unionist, writer and cook. As chairman of (the Danish Seamen's Union), he earned the nickname ('the Sailors' Boss') in Denmark and was well known for ...

, writer, cook, and leader of the Danish Seamens' Union, who was expelled from the

in 1979. He was known for his outspoken way of expressing himself, frequently using

swear words Profanity, also known as swearing, cursing, or cussing, is the usage of notionally word taboo, offensive words for a variety of purposes, including to demonstrate disrespect or negativity, to relieve pain, to express a strong emotion (such a ...

, making broad generalizations and

anti-elitist Elitism is the notion that individuals who form an elite — a select group with desirable qualities such as intellect, wealth, power, physical attractiveness, notability, special skills, experience, lineage — are more likely to be construc ...

statements. The party itself gathered both communists and left-wing socialists, united in an inveterate struggle against Denmark's membership of the

European Communities The European Communities (EC) were three international organizations that were governed by the same set of Institutions of the European Union, institutions. These were the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the European Atomic Energy Co ...

. The party's official immigration policy was quite restrictive, contrary to other parties on the left. It actively supported communist regimes in the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

, and

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

, as well as Colonel

Muammar al-Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi (20 October 2011) was a Libyan military officer, revolutionary, politician and political theorist who ruled Libya from 1969 until his assassination by Libyan rebel forces in 2011. He came to power ...

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

, and was a collective member of organisations supporting these nations. In the 1988 parliamentary election, the party achieved 1.9% of the votes, thereby failing to pass the 2%

election threshold The electoral threshold, or election threshold, is the minimum share of votes that a candidate or political party requires before they become entitled to representation or additional seats in a legislature. This limit can operate in various w ...

. In an attempt to regain parliamentary representation, Common Course started cooperating with

Mogens Glistrup Mogens Glistrup (28 May 1926 in Rønne – 1 July 2008 in Virum) was a Danish politician, lawyer and tax protester. He founded the Progress Party, and was a member of the Folketing (1973–1983 and 1987–1990). He had his parliamentary immunity ...

's right-wing Progress Party, causing many members to desert. The attempt failed, the party was dissolved in 2001, and members were recommended to join the

instead (which later merged into the Red-Green Alliance in 1991). Former member of Danish parliament

Line Barfod Line Barfod (born 24 May 1964, in Copenhagen) is a lawyer and politician in Denmark. She is a former member of the Folketing ( Danish parliament) for the Red-Green Alliance. Line Barfod is the daughter of retired assistant librarian Werner Bran ...

( Red-Green Alliance) was a former member of Common Course, and was chairperson of its youth wing in the years 1984–1985, before the actual formation of the party.

References

{{Danish political parties 1986 establishments in Denmark 2001 disestablishments in Denmark Defunct communist parties in Denmark Eurosceptic parties in Denmark Political parties established in 1986 Political parties disestablished in 2001 Syncretic political parties