Hagen left out of secret budget talks (Verdens Gang)

The Government perceives Carl I. Hagen’s attitude during the budget negotiations as so bloody-minded that it has by-passed him completely in its latest efforts to avoid having to demand a vote of confidence. This highly unusual move shows how difficult relations have become between the Government and the Progress Party. By underscoring the new, though minor, concessions it has made to other key Progress Party politicians, the Government is hoping to win greater understanding from the Progress Party’s parliamentary group. The Government’s goal is to get the Progress Party to vote in favour of the budget without having to demand a vote of confidence.

Clemet to free universities from central government dirigisme (Aftenposten)

Education Minister Kristin Clemet wants to give the country’s universities and colleges greater freedom to decide for themselves than a parliamentary majority has given the go-ahead for. Ms Clemet wants these educational establishments to be able to form themselves into independent companies, rather than bureaucratically controlled bodies, with state management being exercised only through specific agreements and ministerially appointed boards of directors. She maintains that it is not her objective to force such a scheme onto anyone against their will, but that it will be up to the individual educational establishment to decide whether they wish to make use of this opportunity.

Clash over Europol (Klassekampen)

"Europol is at the very heart of EU collaboration on legal and police issues, and I am extremely surprised and concerned by the Socialist Left Party’s attitude," said Åslaug Haga, deputy chairman of the Centre Party. The Foreign Affairs Committee’s recommendations regarding Norway’s participation in the European police collaboration are due to be debated in the Storting on 5 December. After the Socialist Left Party’s surprise decision to back the majority’s wish to participate in Europol, the Centre Party will be the only party to vote against.

Lack of vision (Dagbladet)

"Labour has lost the confidence of the voters. People do not see Labour as a party that is able to understand their every-day problems," says former State Secretary, Raymond Johansen. He has led a crisis group formed by the Oslo Labour Party after its worst election result in recent history. The committee, including Wegard Harsvik and Rune Gerhardsen, is due to announce its findings at today’s meeting of the Oslo Labour Party’s supervisory board.

Save Kværner by calling in the receivers (Dagbladet)

Trygve Hegnar is not the only one who thinks that bankruptcy would be the best thing for Kværner. According to several leading economists, bankruptcy is what is needed to pull Kværner out of the mire and patch up a reputation worn paper thin. "A capable official receiver would not hesitate to sell off parts of the company quickly to keep the wheels turning. Bankruptcy would force through solutions which Kværner’s management and board should have put in place long ago," said Trygve Hegnar, who is himself a stock market investor and high profile editor of the financial weekly magazine, Kapital.

Cash up front (Dagens Næringsliv)

Kværner is balancing on the edge of bankruptcy, but former chief executive Kjell Almskog made sure he was paid his entire pension in advance – probably upwards of NOK 45 million. Mr Almskog is one of very few Kværner employees who do not belong to either the Norwegian or British state pension schemes. If he had been, his pension rights would have been secured in the event of the company’s bankruptcy. Mr Almskog’s up-front pension pay-out was revealed in a preliminary offering circular published in connection with Kværner’s proposed share issue, which the company sent out yesterday.

Worth Noting

1. Aker Maritime is not about to be appeased by Kværner’s attempts to change part of the proposed rescue plan which is due to be voted on at Thursday’s extraordinary general meeting. The company, owned by Kjell Inge Røkke, is calling for a comprehensive solution in line with Aker Maritime’s demands. (Aftenposten)
2. Kværner’s employees are calling on the Government to state its position on the Kværner affair. Yesterday they sent a letter to Petroleum and Energy Minister Einar Steensnæs asking him to explain what they called the ‘deification’ of Kjell Inge Røkke. (Dagens Næringsliv)
3. After raising ticket fares on many of its routes, crisis-hit SAS is now asking hundreds of suppliers of goods and services to cut their prices by 10 per cent. If not, SAS is threatening to find alternative suppliers. (Aftenposten)
4. Nine out of ten house buyers in Koster pay in Norwegian kroner. While the Swedish west coast is becoming a Norwegian enclave, the local community and its school children are disappearing. The Swedish authorities claim we are turning it into a ghost-town of an area. (Dagbladet)
5. The Government is to cut transport subsidies by NOK 90 million from 1 January 2002. Petrol, diesel, fruit and vegetables will all become more expensive in areas outside the capital and its surrounding districts. (Nationen)
6. Six Norwegian road hauliers transporting fish to Italy have decided to start driving in convoys with an armed escort, reports NRK. The move comes in response to frequent armed robberies. A stolen truck-load of fish can be sold in the Italian city of Naples for around NOK 2 million. For this reason Norwegian trucks have repeatedly become the victims of armed hijackings. (NTB).
7. In recent years many of the country’s women’s refuges have seen a dramatic increase in the number of foreign women on the run from Norwegian men. Over half the women who seek help from the refuges in Mid-Troms and Sogn and Fjordane are so-called ‘mail order’ brides. (Dagbladet)

Today’s comment from Dagsavisen

The Government’s budget proposal moves from the committee stage to a debate in the full Storting today, without any majority backing in sight. After weeks of behind-the-scenes wrangling and party political brinkmanship many people are fed up with the politicians involved and are talking about a further increase in the public’s contempt for our political representatives. We agree with much of this criticism, but the question is whether the ways of the business community are much better than the political model we have before us. Following the conflict at Kværner it is just as legitimate to talk about contempt for our business leaders.