MovieChat Forums > Borgen (2011) Discussion > Houses/living arrangements of Birgitte f...

Houses/living arrangements of Birgitte family and Katrine.


Hi there,

Something that surprised me about the show was that when Birgitte becomes Prime Minister, she and her family just continue living in their normal family home. Is that what really happens in Denmark? Also, Katrine is a very high profile anchorwoman on the main tv news, but she lives in a rather pokey little flat. Surely her salary would cover something a big more spacious? Anchor people are paid loads in the UK (where I'm from); are they not in Denmark?

reply

I think the show is very interesting for these reasons. We're used to seeing heads of states who dedicate all their time to their jobs and who are surrounded by dozens of employees that are in charge of all the daily chores and "petty things". In US TV shows, even governors or mayors have lavish life styles and are treated nearly as royalty. I guess it's the same in real life in a lot of European countries (UK, France, Germany, Italy, etc...).

I kinda knew that Scandinavian countries were less more formal and that their politicians were more down to earth and connected to daily realities. There must be historical and social reasons for it. But it was really surprising to see that the Danish PM had to deal with this kind of things and didn't hire staff to take care of her home and kids. It was also refreshing to see that the PM in the first episode could be accused of using the State's money to pay for his wife's clothes, especially when the amount wasn't that high. Considering how public money can be wasted and used in an indelicate and partisan manner in some countries, it was good to see that it could trigger such a scandal on the eve of a general election. Birgitte Nyborg was a very strict and honest politician (although she needed to compromise sometimes) and that's what made her very interesting to watch.



______________________________________
The higher you fly, the faster you fall.

reply