Labour’s ‘wild card’ backs Jagland (Dagsavisen)

"If Thorbjørn Jagland wants to stay on as party chairman after the next Labour Party conference, he will be able to do so," said Trond Giske, the man considered by many to be the ‘wild card’ in the power game between Mr Jagland and Jens Stoltenberg. Mr Jagland could win back his position as Labour’s prime ministerial candidate, according to Bjørgulv Froyn, leader of the party’s Oslo branch. But a recent opinion poll carried out by AC Nielsen shows that Jens Stoltenberg beats Thorbjørn Jagland hands down. Six out of ten Labour voters want Mr Stoltenberg to lead the party. Only 14 per cent believe Mr Jagland is the best man for the job.

Labour veteran warns against lengthy leadership debate (Aftenposten)

Labour veteran Thorbjørn Berntsen has warned against a long drawn out leadership debate within the party. "Keeping the issue dragging on until the party conference would be totally destructive," he said. And the majority of Labour Party activists agree that a bitter leadership struggle continuing right up until the annual conference in November next year would not be good for the party. However, it is not certain the debate will last that long. New procedures mean that the Labour Party will put together a selection committee at its national committee meeting to be held at the beginning of March. As a result Thorbjørn Jagland could announce his decision not to seek re-election as early as 7 March.

Power slipping through Jagland’s fingers (Verdens Gang)

Power over the party is slipping though Labour chairman Thorbjørn Jagland’s fingers. More and more of his closest allies in the party and the trade union movement are convinced the battle has been lost. 48 hours after Mr Jagland and Jens Stoltenberg jointly called for a debate on the leadership issue, no one had stepped forward to back the man who has led the Labour Party for the past nine years.

Farmers or cheaper food (Dagbladet)

Economists at the Norwegian School of Economics and Business (NHH) have found the answer which could give consumers cheaper food and save the state billions of kroner. Open the country’s borders to food imports, halve the number of farmers and let many of the farmers in remote districts become park managers instead of food producers. The controversial suggestions will be presented in the report ‘Agriculture at the crossroads’ to be published in the New Year.

All set for Norwegian participation in Kabul (Aftenposten)

Norwegian participation in Afghanistan has become more likely than ever after yesterday’s Nato meeting in Brussels. The USA has asked Norway to provide equipment and personnel for mine clearing operations in Kandahar. This means that 25 Norwegians could be installed in the country before the end of the year. And Defence Minister Kristin Krohn Devold is optimistic. "Yes, I think Norway will be among the first wave," she said.

Euro brings tougher times ahead (Dagens Næringsliv)

Tougher competition and greater demands for adaptability will characterize life for Norwegian business and industry when the euro arrives, according to Finance Minister Per-Kristian Foss (Con). He points out that companies operating within the euro zone will have lower foreign exchange costs and reduced risks linked to fluctuations in exchange rates. Mr Foss also believes many companies will borrow in euros to benefit from lower interest rates.

Stoltenberg will buy back what Bondevik sells (Nationen)

According to Labour leader Jens Stoltenberg, the Bondevik government’s enthusiasm for privatization is getting out of hand, and warned that if Labour comes into office again, he will buy back what the current centre-right government has sold off. The Labour Party itself was responsible for the privatization of such industrial juggernauts as Telenor and Statoil. Now Mr Stoltenberg fears that the political right will do the same to state-owned cultural institutions.

Worth Noting

1. Thorbjørn Jagland returned to Norway last night without a single one of his supporters coming out openly in support of their party leader. "Perhaps the reason is that my friends play by the rules more than others," he said. (Dagbladet)
2. Jens Stoltenberg is ready to take over as Labour Party chairman. The question is how quickly it will happen. Thorbjørn Jagland’s closest strategy advisers are nevertheless not certain that the game is up for the current party chairman. They hope that a wave of sympathy will be generated following the massive criticism levelled at Mr Jagland by Mr Stoltenberg’s supporters. (Verdens Gang)
3. The Government is to allow medical specialists in private practice to help reduce hospital waiting lists by performing day surgery on patients. In the field of ear, nose and throat and eye surgery the potential is enormous, according to the Health Minister. Of the approx. 270,000 patients who are currently waiting for surgery, 210,000 are waiting for out-patient treatment. (Aftenposten)
4. Tomorrow Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik will present a list boasting of all the good things the Government has achieved and plans to do in the future. Dagbladet’s political correspondents have evaluated each minister’s performance in a cabinet dominated by Conservatives. At the top of the ladder, with most points, is Finance Minister Per-Kristian Foss and, more unexpectedly, Environment Minister Børge Brende and Social Affairs Minister Ingjerd Schou. (Dagbladet)
5. Braathens is cutting its departures by around 20 per cent from 1 January, and will reduce its headcount accordingly. This means 557 employees will start the Christmas break with a redundancy notice in their pockets. (Aftenposten)
6. This autumn has seen house sales come to a sudden stop. Of the 2,700 homes which were advertised for sale in the southeastern counties in October, only 13 per cent have now been sold. (Aftenposten)
7. The scheme whereby childless couples will have to pay the full cost of their IVF treatment will probably lead to 500 fewer children being born each year in Norway. Half of all couples will probably be unable to find the cash required. (Dagsavisen)
8. The smell of evergreens and wood resin really puts Norwegians in the mood for Christmas. It brings back such a lot of childhood memories. We know this because, believe it or not, someone has researched the matter. And while the smell of Christmas trees tops the list, Christmas dinner itself has to be content with fourth place in the ‘smells of Christmas’ competition. (Aftenposten)

Today’s comment from Nationen

The Norwegian Police Security Service (POT) is to get a new name from the 1 January. From then on it will be known as the PST. The name change is not before time. POT symbolizes a bygone age, and the sins of the past will forever tarnish the name. [During the cold war the POT carried out long-term surveillance operations on a number of Norwegian citizens based on their suspected political affiliations. Ed. note] The new security service is adapted to the new security situation, including the threat of terrorism and espionage. And the PST is just one element in a comprehensive ‘rearmament’ of Norway’s ‘defence capability’ on these fronts. A raft of measures stretching from the link-up with the Schengen countries to new regulations governing police undercover work, phone tapping and infiltration of organizations under investigation. We welcome this development, though not without misgivings. We welcome it because Norway’s ability to meet terrorism and – not least – various forms of organized crime so obviously needs to be strengthened. Our misgivings derive, of course, from concern for individual privacy and human rights considerations. These values are put under renewed pressure when society mobilizes new instruments to combat law-breaking, terrorism and organized crime. The creation of the PST, Norway’s participation in the Schengen Agreement and new police methods are far from problem-free. But we believe they are necessary, given how the world has become. But the POT’s previous sins must not be repeated in new guises. It should be possible to prevent that from happening.