Bondevik punished with clergy cut (Dagbladet)

Carl I. Hagen is continuing his campaign of vengeance against Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik’s new government. Together with the Labour Party and the Socialist Left Party, the Progress Party has axed 30 new positions which were to have been created for ministers of the Church of Norway. Influential Progress Party MPs have for some time been talking of tormenting Mr Bondevik by removing these 30 positions proposed by the Government. One of the Christian Democrats’ high profile symbolic issues was yesterday deleted from the budget. "I am not going to make any comment about what goes on in the parliamentary committees or internal party matters," said Mr Hagen yesterday.

Super students to get bigger grants (Dagsavisen)

From next October students who take their exams within the standardized time period will receive NOK 11,000 more in grants each year. A majority of the Storting’s Education Committee members have dumped the Government’s proposal for student financing and instructed Education Minister Kristin Clemet (Con) to increase the grant. The Labour Party, Socialist Left Party, Centre Party and Progress Party are all behind the changes in student financing. However the students’ union is less pleased that the parliamentary majority is proposing that the student loan be paid out in monthly instalments. This means that the state will skim off the interest revenues which students benefit from today.

University to tempt students to Oslo (Aftenposten)

The University of Oslo has engaged the high profile advertising agency, Dinamo, to strengthen the university’s image and persuade students to come to the capital. The number of students at the University of Oslo has fallen by 6,000 over the past five years. This corresponds to around 16.6 per cent. One of today’s students describes his first meeting with the university as ‘dismal’. But now at least the university’s image is to be given a face lift.

Norwegian fisheries policy under attack (Dagbladet)

The Storting’s Business and Industry Committee has condemned the fisheries policy Norway has pursued over recent years. All the parties – including Labour and the Conservatives – assert that the Norwegian authorities have not pursued a sustainable fisheries policy. The MPs’ frank criticism is contained in the response of the Business and Industry Committee to the Government’s report to the Storting no. 50 on the fisheries agreements Norway has signed with other countries in 2001.

‘Everybody’ critical of Telenor (Aftenposten)

After one year as a listed company, Telenor and its chief executive, Tormod Hermansen, are nobody’s flavour of the month. The company’s performance has not satisfied shareholders, competitors, the Oslo Stock Exchange, the Norwegian Competition Authority or the Norwegian Post and Telecommunications Authority. Telenor was to have been Norway’s stock market flagship, but after a drop in price of 11.6 per cent the company ends its first year on the stock market worth NOK 8.8 billion less than when it started.

Unions push for cut in interest rates (Aftenposten)

At the end of November the number of people registered as totally unemployed rose to 64,100. This is an increase of seven per cent from October, and 10 per cent compared to November last year. Unemployment has not risen this fast since April 1992. The indications have alarmed representatives of both the employers and employees. "This increase is larger than expected. But it has also been boosted by the fact that fewer people are being offered job training and other labour market measures. We ought to see some help from a cut in interest rates in the near future," said chief economist Stein Reegård of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO).

Farmers look to acquire liquor monopoly (Nationen)

The farmers-controlled company, Sucra, wants to take over the remains of Arcus, the liquor monopoly when the state sells off its shares in the company. Sucra already controls 66 per cent of the shares in Arcus. Ingvar Hage, of Hoff Norske Potetindustrier, says that the acquisition will secure the farmers’ interests in the future of Norwegian distilling.

1.1.1 Worth Noting

Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik is not unwilling to let Norway take command of a possible peace-keeping force in Afghanistan – if such a request should be made. (Dagbladet)

The Norwegian Graphical Union, a member of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions, is in deep financial trouble following an operating loss of almost NOK 21 million last year. The typographers’ union was formed in 1882 and is therefore the oldest trade union in the whole Nordic region. (Dagsavisen)

During the weekend the Russian oil company, Yukos Oil, was contacted by several potential purchasers of its 22 per cent stake in Kværner. Hugo Eriksen, Yukos Oil’s head of corporate communication, declined to say what kind of groupings they are, other than that they represent ‘international interests’. (Dagens Næringsliv)

The trade unions at Kværner’s oil and gas division in Stavanger have ended their battle against Kjell Inge Røkke and are positive to a new role for the yard. Mr Røkke did not make any assurances that everyone would keep their jobs, but he did promise the 1,700 employees new opportunities if they are willing to take part in the restructuring which Aker and Kværner’s four yards must carry out. (Aftenposten)

Small investors who bought Telenor shares one year ago would have got a better return if they had put their money in the bank. Telenor chief executive Tormod Hermansen’s consolation is that his company’s share price performance is better than that of his Nordic rivals. (Dagens Næringsliv)

Four professors in the USA and Mexico have sent a letter to King Harald asking him to help get Yasser Arafat’s name removed from the list of Nobel Peace Prize winners. The letter was sent via the Norwegian embassy in Mexico this summer and arrived in Norway at the end of October. (Verdens Gang)

Sales of Christmas fare have skyrocketed. We have bought 50 per cent more pork rib than at the same time last year. Other products are also selling well. (Nationen)

According to some, this autumn’s royal wedding practically destroyed the paintings on the ceiling of the Oslo Cathedral. They cannot stand changes in temperature or humidity, and the wedding caused both. However, while the experts disagree on why the ceiling is in such a parlous state, they do agree that it is in a dreadful condition.

Today’s comment from Dagbladet

Gerd-Liv Valla, president of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO), has repeated her call for the Labour Party to accept the need to form a coalition along with other parties if it is to get back into office. According to Ms Valla the Socialist Left Party and the Centre Party should be the party’s coalition partners at the 2005 general election. She envisages a leftwing bloc which can face down a Conservative dominated coalition in the mould of today’s government. Ms Valla obviously believes the Bondevik government will remain in power for the rest of the parliamentary term, and that it will go all out for re-election in 2005. But instead of tying Labour to a specific post-2005 coalition at this early stage, Gerd-Liv Valla and her party should do some internal spring cleaning in order to pave the way for a partnership commitment. If that is to be done the cosy relations between the Labour Party and the LO must be changed. One member of a government coalition cannot insist on playing a double role and maintaining split loyalties. Only when the party has acknowledged this fact can Labour begin to seek out potential coalition partners.