The spectrum of political ideologies in Danish politics is not fundamentally different from other western nations. The main divide in educational matters is between conservative and liberal forces on one hand, social democratic forces on the other. The tension between the liberal respect for market forces and the conservative respect for culture and tradition has often been pointed out. In Denmark these two ideologies have maintained an uneasy alliance in their stand against socialist and social democratic currents. Social democratic ideology has its own internal tensions, for instance, between an understanding of education as a good or a service to which all members of society should have equal access and an understanding of education as a cultural resource that makes it possible for individuals and social groups to shape and improve their lives. The present government, which has been in office since late 2001, is based on a liberal-conservative coalition, whereas the previous government was based on a coalition between social democrats and another liberal party. The last few years education has also had a prominent place in some important high-level commissions and task forces, for instance the Globalisation Council and the Welfare Commission, both of which presented their reports in 2006. In these reports educational policies are still seen as tools for providing welfare, but increasingly they are also seen as tools for improving national competitiveness. According to this view the state has a strong responsibility for supporting the competitiveness of national private business, and this responsibility includes the education and training of skilled, knowledgeable and inventive employees at all levels. Also, the educational system itself should be competitive, and should distinguish themselves in comparison to educational achievements in other countries. These strategies of competitiveness are not only political rhetoric; the have contributed to shaping important educational reforms in basic schooling, secondary education, higher education and adult education.In the paper I will discuss the background for and the rationality of educational policies for national competitiveness, and relate them to the spectrum of political interests and ideologies. I will focus especially on two areas of Danish education, basic schooling and higher education.Empirically the paper will draw mainly on national sources, for instance the commission reports mentioned above. I expect to demonstrate that educational policies of national competitiveness have a class bias, that they suppress questions of equality and democracy, and that they rest on shaky assumptions about the role and impact of policy. Three publications of my own:Rasmussen, P. (2002) "Education for everyone: secondary education and social inclusion in Denmark". Journal of Education Policy, vol. 17, no. 6, pp. 627-642.Rasmussen, P. (2003) Educational Policy and the Global Social Order (editor). Aalborg University: Centre for the Interdisciplinary Study of Learning 2003. Rasmussen, P. (2004) "Towards Flexible Differentiation in higher education. Recent change in Danish higher education". In: Fägerlind & Strömqvist (eds.), Reforming the Nordic Model of Higher Education. Paris: UNESCO Institute of Educational Plannning I plan to submit to a European or international journal after the conference.