The myth of the independent economy: Is it time for a federation?

It is felt in the very small meetings in my everyday life here in Nuuk.

It is the discreet questions from acquaintances who ask apologetically whether I can do without an amount to cover the last days before the next monthly salary. I see it when I pass Nuuk Center and Brugseni, where the faces of the people who ask for a penny for the day and the road become more and more desperate.

Greenland's economic pressure is no longer just a theoretical exercise for us economists; it is a harsh reality that plays out in our homes, in our schools that thirst for modernization and in those families where the money simply is not enough to make it to the end of the month.

In my everyday life, I see how the transfer incomes have become an elastic band that has been stretched to the breaking point. As I pointed out in my previous column, I believe that the current block grant regulatory mechanism may be in direct conflict with human rights.

The current model locks us in an economic straitjacket that ignores the actual cost of living in the Arctic and the need for a dignified life. For decades, we have clung to the hope of oil as the great liberator. But as an economist, I must ask the uncomfortable question: Is it even realistic that oil in the necessary quantities can ensure our economic independence?

Arctic oil production is extremely costly, and the global green transition means that the market is turning its back on fossil fuels. If we make oil our only way out of dependence, we are making our future freedom dependent on a "commodity casino" where the power is really held by global corporations in remote boardrooms.

73 years in the waiting room: Has self-government reached the end of the road?

After 73 years under the Folketing, it is time to ask whether true equality can be achieved at all through the current self-government. Today the relationship is built on delegated power; we have been given powers within a framework that we ourselves have not helped to determine constitutionally.

Equality does not arise because you are treated nicely, but because your rights cannot be changed unilaterally.

Since the Self-Government Act is an Act of the Folketing. Currently delegated to Greenland.

Inspired by countries like Switzerland or the USA, we should consider a federal model. A federation means shared power rather than delegated power. Here, Greenland would be a constitutionally equal entity with its own constitution and real influence on common affairs such as foreign and security policy.

That is the difference between being a recipient of subsidies and an equal partner in a community. Are we ready to exchange secure self-government for a partnership where power is shared and secured?

I ask because every day I see people suffering, I hear stories from people who work with vulnerable groups. How else are we going to become equal in the commonwealth? Who can untie this Gordian knot?