Jákup í Jákupsstovu

Jákup í Jákupsstovu

Jákup í Jákupsstovu (born July 7, 1922 in Sørvágur , Faroe Islands , † February 22, 1976 in Tórshavn ) was a Faroese politician of the Social Democrats ( Javnaðarflokkurin ), and later a leading founding member of the Republicans ( Tjóðveldisflokkurin ). In 1946, he achieved special importance in the history of the Faroe Islands as the only member of parliament who consistently advocated the complete separation of the Faroe Islands from Denmark and thus represented the will of the majority against all other established politicians.

Life

Jákup í Jákupsstovu was the son of Josephine Cathrine, b. Johansen from Sørvágur and Johan Jacob Henriksen from Gásadalur . The name "í Jákupsstovu" means "in Jacobs room, in the Jacobs room" and is one of the typical Faroese surnames that the bearers choose after a certain place or house.

Jákupsstovu was married to Edith, b. Lamha eye from Lambi . 1937-38 he went to sea as a fisherman. 1939–45 he did an apprenticeship as a businessman. 1946–54 he was Sýslumaður (police chief) for the island of Vágar , 1954–71 general secretary of the Faroe Islands fishermen's association and 1954–70 simultaneously editor-in-chief of its central organ Fiskimannablað (under the chairman of the fishermen's association, his party friend Erlendur Patursson ).

The rebel

Jákup í Jákupsstovu was 1945-46 member of the Løgting for his social democratic party. At that time the Løgting was a kind of Danish district council with expanded powers, but ruled autonomously during the British occupation of the Faroe Islands in World War II, which had just passed through the Danish-Norwegian personal union . In the constitutional crisis of the Faroe Islands in 1946, Jákup í Jákupsstovu played a central role: he was the only Social Democrat in Løgting to refuse to approve the Danish government bill that the Faroe Islands would remain part of Denmark.

As a result, the draft did not have a majority of the 12 members of the governing coalition of social democrats under Petur Mohr Dam and unionists ( Sambandsflokkurin ) under Prime Minister Andrass Samuelsen . The opposition (separatist) People's Party ( Fólkaflokkurin , 11 seats) under Jóannes Patursson could thus demand a referendum. In contrast to Jákupsstovu, the People's Party did not want a vote on the complete separation of the Faroe Islands, but only on the alternatives a) government draft or b) partial autonomy. However, the ruling Social Democrats and Unionists were in favor of Jákupsstovu's proposal because they hoped that the government would be approved by the people, since a complete separation of the Faroe Islands seemed utopian. On May 9, the Social Democrats (including Jákupsstovu) and Unionists voted for a referendum sheet with the voting options a) government draft or b) detachment. Jákupsstovu's vote resulted in 12:11 votes against the People's Party and in favor of this proposal.

This resulted in the following constellation of different appeals to the people for the referendum on September 14, 1946:

• Social Democrats and Unionists: For answer a) Government draft, remain in the Kingdom
• Jákup í Jákupsstovu and the extra-parliamentary opposition around the Føroyingafelag (Faroe's Association) which he founded : For answer b) separation from Denmark
• People's Party: Boycott the popular vote by invalidating option a) on the ballot paper.

The self-governing party ( Sjálvstýrisflokkurin ) was not represented in the Løgting at that time and recommended either a vote for b) or the invalidation of the ballot. Despite the answer options and the boycott of the People's Party, a slim majority of the people followed the call by Jákupsstovu and the Faroese Association and spoke out in favor of breaking away from Denmark. Now the People's Party formed an arithmetical majority with the deviator Jákupsstovu and was able to resolve the separation of the Faroe Islands in Løgting, but not without violating the Danish constitution, as only the Danish Reichstag can rule on the separation of areas of Denmark. On September 24th, the Danish naval reconnaissance reported to Copenhagen:

“The situation in Tórshavn is completely normal and calm. Today's Løgtings meeting did not bring any final clarification, but the meeting will continue on Monday. The detachment seems highly likely, since a Social Democrat [Jákup í Jákupsstovu] has joined the People's Party. "

- Message 29802 from the "Thetis"

The Social Democrats and Unionists accused Jákup í Jákupsstovu and the People's Party of treason. The Danish king finally did not recognize the close result and dissolved the Løgting on September 25th. This happened in agreement with the Faroese parties in the hope of clear majorities after new elections on November 8th.

Jákupsstovu was the only MP who ignored the dissolution of the Løgting and appeared at the Tinghaus on time for the next scheduled meeting on September 27th. As a result, he was again considered a rebel against all other politicians who were more or less willing to compromise, because the People's Party also accepted the dissolution of parliament by staying away.

Jákupsstovu was expelled from the Social Democratic Party after these events. For the Løgtings election on November 8th, he ran as a non-party candidate for the constituency of Vágar, but did not reach the required number of votes with 304 votes (at that time 658 were necessary for a seat).

In 1948, Jákup í Jakupsstóvu, together with Sigurð Joensen , Hanus við Høgadalsá and Erlendur Patursson and others, co-founded the left-wing Republican Tjóðveldisflokkurin , the political home of all those who in 1946 no longer saw themselves represented by the established parties.

Cold War

• See also: Faroe Islands in the Cold War

The US Embassy in Copenhagen reported regularly to the State Department in Washington about the situation in the Faroe Islands during the Cold War . Accordingly, the young eloquent Jákup í Jákupsstovu was "the really fanatical member" of the Republicans and was identified as the most important leader of the separatists alongside Hanus við Høgadalsá and Erlendur Patursson. This assessment was also confirmed by the highest Faroese government official at the time, Johan Djurhuus . In this context, Jákup í Jákupsstovu was also assigned the creation of the concept of the two-dimensional political coordinate system of the Faroe Islands, which initially deals with the question of the independence of Denmark or the imperial community, and only then with left or right in the traditional sense.

Jákup í Jákupsstovu is said to have worked with the Communist Party of Denmark (DKP), but their party line was against separating the Faroe Islands from Denmark, especially since this was not in the interests of the Soviet Union.

Works

• 1965 Wage Determination and Working Conditions for fishermen in the Faroe Islands , Haag
• 1974 Fólkanøvn í Føroyum (about the Faroese first names , received the Faroe Islands Literature Prize in 1974 for specialist literature)

literature

• Løgtingið 150 - Hátíðarrit . Tórshavn 2002, Volume 1, p. 256 ff. (Section Samráðingar, fólkaatkvøða og heimastýri - 1945-1948 ) ( PDF download ( Memento of September 27, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) - main source of the article if no footnotes are given.)
• John F. West: Faroe. The Emergence of a Nation , C. Hurst & Co., London and Paul S. Eriksson, New York 1972 ISBN 0-8397-2063-7

swell

1. ↑ ^{a b} Hergeir Nielsen : "Fólkafundur í Tingstovuni uppi millum Stovur"  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , September 14, 2006 (Faroese)  
2. ↑ Jákup Thorsteinsson: "Føroyar í kalda krígnum" (The Faroe Islands in the Cold War) quoted. according to: Message 29802 from "Thetis"
3. ↑ Wikisource: "Kongen sender tinget hjem" (Danish)
4. ↑ Hergeir Nielsen: “Fólkaatkvøðan, leygardagin 14 sept. 1946 " ( Memento from October 9, 2007 in the Internet Archive ), July 17, 2006 (Faroese)
5. ↑ Jákup Thorsteinsson: "Føroyar í kalda krígnum" (The Faroe Islands in the Cold War) quoted. after: Report from the US embassy in Copenhagen to the State Department in Washington October 7, 1957; Box 13, folder. Faroe Islands
6. ^ Bent Jensen: Føroyar undir kalda krígnum (1945-1991) , Frørup 2003, p. 165 (Danish)