Jul 31 2026
Faroe Islanders have a very strong sense of a distinct national identity, which has only grown stronger over the years as the Faroe Islands, under the home-rule arrangement, have become increasingly autonomous and less dependent on financial support from outside. No Faroese person doubts the fact that he or she is not “Danish,” but first …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2026/07/31/the-future-of-the-faroe-islands-after-secession/
Jul 24 2026
In small societies – like small towns, villages, tight-knit subcultures, family businesses, professional niches – social control is mostly informal. Reputation, gossip, approval, and exclusion matter more than formal law. These factors shape people and businesses in distinct ways. By Elin Brimheim Heinesen How Social Control Works in Small Societies People have a high visibility …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2026/07/24/social-control-in-small-societies/
Oct 02 2025
Most people (in the Faroe Islands) agree that there are special difficult circumstances where exceptions can be made and permission should be granted for abortion. Therefore this question is being asked: So why not make a law that allows abortion because of those difficult circumstances? Why not make a law on exceptions instead of a …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2025/10/02/should-the-law-allow-free-abortion-or-only-allow-exceptional-cases/
Mar 29 2025
Fifty years of Reaganomics—laissez-faire vulture capitalism and neoliberalism—has resulted in the massive wealth gap we see today between the rich and poor in the USA and in other countries. Trillions in tax revenue have been lost due to deregulation and the dismantling of checks and balances in the system. This shift has handed disproportionate power …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2025/03/29/trickle-down-economics-doesnt-work/
Oct 30 2024
The war between Israel and Hamas stirs many emotions among people and has, in many ways, created division among the Faroese, who have differing opinions on what is currently happening in the Gaza Strip. In online debates, it seems that people just dig into their trenches, uncompromisingly shooting at each other. The disagreement serves as …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2024/10/30/is-it-possible-to-feel-sorry-for-the-palestinians-without-being-anti-semitic/
Aug 13 2024
If there’s one thing most people don’t seem to understand about how money works that I think would really help governments work better in the 21st century, it’s that money does not flow in the way we perceive it does. It’s an illusion. What money actually does is pop into and out of existence in …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2024/08/13/how-money-is-born-out-of-public-spending-and-dies-by-taxes/
Jun 27 2024
Let’s discuss a topic that often leads to contention in the political arena: taxation, particularly when it involves property taxes and imposing higher taxes on the wealthy. Is this advantageous or disadvantageous for society? In this article, I will argue that requiring the wealthy to pay more in taxes, such as property taxes, it would …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2024/06/27/can-higher-taxes-ensure-more-and-cheaper-housing/
Mar 05 2024
In our patriarchal society, age-old norms still dictate how men and women are supposed to be. Traditional ideas about gender influence us to expect men to be strong and stoic. Boys are told throughout their upbringing that “real men don’t cry!” and are mocked if they show weakness. The worst thing a boy can hear …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2024/03/05/womansplaining-the-so-called-masculinity-crisis/
May 15 2023
Gentrification is a process of change occurring in numerous cities worldwide, where old, often rundown and neglected neighbourhoods are renovated and revitalised. But is this development always beneficial? That is the question, because housing prices often rise sharply and many housing units are bought by wealthy people as investment properties, which often leads to conflicts …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2023/05/15/gentrification-when-affluent-individuals-take-over-neighbourhoods/
Mar 13 2023
With approximately 93% of the Faroe Islands’ exports being fish products (2021), many have the impression that the fishing and fish farming industry is almost solely responsible for sustaining the country and enabling us to survive on the islands. But is this correct? This perception is also why some believe these industries hold a special …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2023/03/13/is-it-only-the-fishing-and-aquaculture-industries-that-sustain-the-faroe-islands/
Mar 20 2022
In the past, when no one had ownership rights over natural resources, all living beings, both animals and humans, shared everything collectively. No one was prevented from taking what nature provided, just as no one stops birds from living off what they find in nature. People relied on what was immediately available and had to …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2022/03/20/justification-for-the-introduction-of-an-unconditional-basic-income-guarantee/
Dec 14 2021
Regarding today’s verdict on Inger Støjberg, former minister for immigration, integration and housing in Denmark. Why do so many people want to turn this case into a question of whether one is for or against child brides? No sane person supports child brides or paedophilia – of course not, but that’s not what the verdict …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2021/12/14/should-assumed-magnanimity-allow-for-breaking-the-law/
Dec 28 2020
What mindset most promotes or hinders development and wellbeing in the Faroe Islands? Is it the dream of the modern, technologically advanced city life, or the belief that “everything was better in the old days”? Who is right – those who want to make the Faroe Islands a hyper-modern global IT society, or those who …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2020/12/28/the-struggle-between-urban-and-rural-areas/
Apr 13 2020
Column in the Faroese Women’s Magazine “Kvinna” about the Corona crisis. By Elin Brimheim Heinesen From carefree to nervous worry February 3 this year I flew from the Faroe Islands to spend a long winter holiday in Cuba with seven girlfriends. Little did we know that a month later we would return home to a …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2020/04/13/distance-makes-us-appreciate-presence/
Mar 16 2020
The wheels of society must keep turning. If they don’t, things will go wrong. In times of crisis like this, it is up to governments around the world to prove their value by taking responsibility and implementing systems to ensure that everything doesn’t come to a halt. No one should be left in a situation …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2020/03/16/the-covid-19-crisis-highlights-the-importance-of-an-economic-safety-net/
Mar 09 2020
With regard to yesterday’s International Women’s Day, how far have we come with gender equality when it comes to our attitudes? Many are still clinging to old ideas about gender that prevailed in the 60s (as the advice to women in the picture to the right illustrates). By Elin Brimheim Heinesen It seems more than …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2020/03/09/is-the-desire-for-the-perfect-housewife-still-hanging-aroynd-as-an-ideal/
Oct 08 2019
There is currently a vigorous debate on social media about what is myth and what is fact regarding the climate. The disagreements are significant, and it is evident that many emotions are involved. Even though some insist that what climate scientists say is pure ‘nonsense’, it is hard to ignore that never before have so …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2019/10/08/do-clima-activists-like-greta-thunberg-cause-fear-or-hope/
Sep 05 2019
Whether we like it or not, homosexuality is a reality we cannot ignore. We can choose to accept this reality or not, but burying our heads in the sand is not helpful. Homosexuals have always existed and will not disappear, regardless of efforts to prevent these people from loving their own gender. Is there any …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2019/09/05/protect-the-rights-and-liberties-of-homosexuals/
Aug 29 2019
With an election on the horizon, I want to ask some questions to all those planning to carry out their democratic duty and cast their vote. If you’re still undecided on who to vote for, these questions might help guide you to make the right choice. And if you have already made your decision, the …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2019/08/29/how-to-know-you-are-voting-for-a-politician-right-for-you/
Jun 10 2016
In 1984, my father, the Faroese author Jens Pauli Heinesen, published a book called “Supplement to 1984”. The book was a collection of articles about “The Totalitarian State”. The year referenced the famous book by George Orwell “1984” from 1949 about a dystopian future where “Big Brother Is Watching You” — a book that, in …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2016/06/10/why-do-we-vote-for-aggressive-politicians/
