Estonia and Denmark

Join us for two special short films from Journalist and Broadcaster Lesley Riddoch.

🗓️ Friday, 26 January, at 6.30 pm

Estonia - the Baltic Tiger (40mins)

Estonia with just over a million people sees itself as a forgotten Nordic nation, sharing its language, forest and bog-covered topography and Baltic location with Finland.

Last century it was occupied by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, after a brief period of independence - regained in 1991 after the fall of the Berlin Wall and extraordinary Baltic Chain - 400 kms of people holding hands to push peacefully for freedom. Today, Estonia is widely regarded as Europe’s Digital Tiger economy, performing an incredible transformation from terrible poverty just 30 years ago, when a generation of 20 and 30-somethings led the newly independent state. What single game changing decision did those young leaders make? Watch the film.

Denmark - the State of Happiness (60mins)

They are judged the happiest people on earth, with the world’s best energy system, a GDP per capita almost a third higher than Britain, more bikes in daily use than the Netherlands, a swim just 15 mins away from every Copenhagen resident and state-run TV that changed the face of drama with Borgen, the Killing and the Bridge. Yet Denmark is small (with about half Scotland's land mass and the same population). It has less oil/coal/gas to fuel its economy and lost an empire - just like Britain. Yet the Danes have bounced back to become the modern, eco-leaders of Europe. How did they do it?  

It's the latest in the series of Nordic films that includes Norway, Iceland, Faroes and Estonia and was produced courtesy of the Scottish Independence Foundation and Dr Simon Forrest.

Q&A with Lesley afterwards.

Tickets £10