Denmark

[Grammatron]

First off, of course the State's Attorney works for the government, he's the friggin' STATES ATTORNEY, not the Somethingotherthanthestates Attorney.

Wrong. He does not work for the government. The state and the government are two different entities in Denmark.

I am wondering if someone from that wonderful country or someone familiar with it enough can explain to me what the difference between the Government and State is.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Nyarlathotep]

I'm curious too. My guess is that this is pure semantics, or at best, some bit of funkiness in translating from Danish to English.

 

[CFLarsen]

A pretty good description from Wikipedia:

Staten er et ofte anvendt udtryk for hele regeringsapparatet, men kan også adskilles herfra, idet regeringen og dens embedsmænd hele tiden skiftes ud, mens staten består.

The state is an often used expression for the entire body of government, but can also be separated from that, since the government and its civil servants are replaced regularly, while the state continues to exist.
Source

The government is comprised of the Prime Minister and the ministers. The state is the organisation of a sovereign nation, with its own government.

You're welcome.

 

[fabian_lidman]

There are probably more appropriate terms for this distinction.
A new government is elected every now and then. The state stays the same. The government is political, the state is not. (Supposedly.) The government makes laws, the state follows them.

 

[CFLarsen]

I'm curious too. My guess is that this is pure semantics, or at best, some bit of funkiness in translating from Danish to English.

Nope.

 

[CFLarsen]

There are probably more appropriate terms for this distinction.
A new government is elected every now and then. The state stays the same. The government is political, the state is not. (Supposedly.) The government makes laws, the state follows them.

It is more accurate to say that the parliament makes laws. It is not unusual for a government to have a majority against it.

 

[Grammatron]

There are probably more appropriate terms for this distinction.
A new government is elected every now and then. The state stays the same. The government is political, the state is not. (Supposedly.) The government makes laws, the state follows them.

Are people of the state, such as State's attorney under the employ of the government? If not who pays them and who appoints them.

 

[Nyarlathotep]

Nope.

Yep. Because if I understand the explanation given, it is just a distinction between the elected officials who make the laws and the body of laws that they have made. I can presume, then that when you say someone works for 'The State' as opposed to 'The government' that you would be referring to any of the bureaucrats and functionaries who carry out the functions of the state, whereas someone in 'The Government' would be an actual government minister or other lawmaker. Here, someone at either level would be referred to as being in 'the government'.

 

[CFLarsen]

Are people of the state, such as State's attorney under the employ of the government? If not who pays them and who appoints them.

Statsadvokaten

Rigsadvokaten

 

[Grammatron]

Statsadvokaten

Rigsadvokaten

I am not sure what these are suppose to mean but I think all those entities fall under "Government" as far as someone from USA was concerned.

 

[CFLarsen]

I am not sure what these are suppose to mean but I think all those entities fall under "Government" as far as someone from USA was concerned.

Denmark has the same three branches of government that most modern countries have.

The prosecutor is not a part of the government (regeringen).

 

[CFLarsen]

Yep. Because if I understand the explanation given, it is just a distinction between the elected officials who make the laws and the body of laws that they have made. I can presume, then that when you say someone works for 'The State' as opposed to 'The government' that you would be referring to any of the bureaucrats and functionaries who carry out the functions of the state, whereas someone in 'The Government' would be an actual government minister or other lawmaker. Here, someone at either level would be referred to as being in 'the government'.

When we say "government", we mean "regering": The PM and his ministers.

OK?

 

[Grammatron]

Denmark has the same three branches of government that most modern countries have.

The prosecutor is not a part of the government (regeringen).

He is as far as USA use of the word would be concerned.

 

[CFLarsen]

He is as far as USA use of the word would be concerned.

We are discussing Denmark....aren't we?

 

[Nyarlathotep]

When we say "government", we mean "regering": The PM and his ministers.

OK?

And here, when we say government, we mean not only our equivalents of those things, but all the bureaucrats and such that you would refer to as the state. In fact it is even more complicated here because 'the government' COULD be referring to the Federal government, state governments, county governments, or municipal governments (which can also be referred to as the State, the County or the City, respectively).

It is, as I submitted as a possibility, a case of the concept not translating well from Danish to English.

OK?

 

[Grammatron]

We are discussing Denmark....aren't we?

Yes and no. I posted to know what is meant by those words, that perhaps there was an entirely different system, but I now know that your contention was purely semantic. And I base that on a definition we use in USA.

I am not replying to slam you but to clear things up so if someone uses this in the future both parties would know what they mean.

 

[CFLarsen]

Yes and no. I posted to know what is meant by those words, that perhaps there was an entirely different system, but I now know that your contention was purely semantic. And I base that on a definition we use in USA.

But you can't use the definition you use in the US if you want a correct assessment of how it is in Denmark.

I am not replying to slam you but to clear things up so if someone uses this in the future both parties would know what they mean.

Well, you are wrong, then. Government and state are two different things in Denmark.

 

[Nyarlathotep]

Well, you are wrong, then. Government and state are two different things in Denmark.

He is wrong to want to make sure everybody knows what each other means when certain terms, terms that apparently mean different things to different people, are used?

 

[CFLarsen]

He is wrong to want to make sure everybody knows what each other means when certain terms, terms that apparently mean different things to different people, are used?

He is wrong to use US definitions to describe the Danish system. It is not semantics.

 

[Grammatron]

He is wrong to use US definitions to describe the Danish system. It is not semantics.

Actually, it's the very definition of semantics.