Call for united left (Dagsavisen/Saturday)

Labour Party chairman Thorbjørn Jagland has called for the country’s left-wing parties to join forces. But he has refused to indicate whether it is a coalition with the Socialist Left Party he has in mind. "We must create alliances and renew ourselves by taking a step to the left," said Mr Jagland when the Labour Party kicked off its policy development project yesterday. The Labour chairman acknowledged that the issues which had previously given rise to divisions on the left are no longer matters of conflict.

New Labour debate on oil revenue spending (Dagens Næringsliv)

The Labour Party will probably open a new round of internal discussions on the use of Norway’s oil revenues, according to Labour economic policy spokesman Tore Nordtun. The Labour Party has so far not given the go-ahead for increased oil revenue spending, but the party looks set to debate the issue again. In a recent recommendation from the Storting’s Finance Committee, Labour warned against ‘a policy which gives the impression that all good causes can be dealt with through increased use of the country’s oil revenues.’ The party remains convinced that Norway should only spend the annual return on investment from the oil revenues, and warns against increasing the amount spent.

Jagland attacks Stoltenberg’s former chief of staff (Dagbladet/Saturday)

Labour Party chairman Thorbjørn Jagland launched an overt attack on Jonas Gahr Støre, Jens Stoltenberg’s chief of staff and closest adviser during his period as prime minister. Mr Jagland also took the opportunity to pin responsibility for last autumn’s election disaster and the miserable position the party new finds itself in more firmly on his successor as leader of the party. According to Aftenposten’s February poll, the Labour Party has the backing of just 18.3 per cent of the electorate. "At the last three elections Labour commanded a steady 35 per cent of the vote. It was during the short period we were in office and at the last election that support plummeted. It is perfectly possible to rebuild the Labour Party into a large, dominating social democratic party," said Mr Jagland.

Jagland’s attack rebuffed (Verdens Gang/Saturday)

Johan Gahr Støre, Jens Stoltenberg’s former adviser, has warned Thorbjørn Jagland not to stigmatize Labour Party members whose opinions differ from his own. At the kick-off meeting for the two groups charged with rebuilding the ailing party, Mr Jagland launched a surprise attack on Mr Gahr Støre, who is a close friend and adviser of Jens Stoltenberg, and former chief of staff at the Prime Minister’s office. Mr Jagland called Mr Gahr Støre’s political analyses totally hopeless and useless for Labour’s efforts to rebuild itself. "It is great that the party leader takes what I have to say seriously, but it would have helped if he had mentioned what I had actually said and my reasons for saying it," countered Mr Gahr Støre.

Upbeat Petersen commiserates with downbeat opponents (Dagsavisen/Sunday)

Conservative Party chairman Jan Petersen took a short break to meet party activists before continuing his duties as Foreign Minister with a visit to Africa. While the atmosphere among senior Labour Party officials was downbeat at Friday’s political programme conference at Gardermoen, there was only jubilation to be found among those representing what is currently the country’s largest party. However, Mr Petersen warned it would be dangerous for the party to rest on its laurels. "It is dramatic when the party which has been the country’s largest during the entire post-war period falls back to just third place. But we know that things can turn around, as it can for the Labour Party. That is why we must stay on our toes so we can meet any new challenges and renew ourselves," said Mr Petersen.

Norway to lose earmarked Nato force (Aftenposten)

In future Nato will probably no longer earmark foreign forces for operations in Norway in the event of an emergency. We could also lose the air operations centre at Reitan and the Nato headquarters at Jåttå if they are not amalgamated. In the event of an attack on Norway, our national headquarters could be bypassed and replaced by direct Nato control. Lieutenant General Trond Moltzau says that a development of this kind, with more mobile forces and a tighter organization, will increase Norway’s security. "I am more convinced today that Nato will be in a position to guarantee Norwegian security in an emergency than I was 10 to 15 years ago," said Lieutenant General Moltzau.

Minister calls for reduced job protection for top executives (Dagens Næringsliv)

Sacked top executives can today use the threat of costly legal action to extract substantial golden parachutes from their employers. This is a situation which Labour and Government Administration Minister Victor D. Norman wants to put an end to. The Government wants to exempt top executives with severance pay contracts from current job protection legislation. Mr Norman is to issue a consultation paper in which he proposes limiting job protection provisions.

Reprimand not sanctioned by Minister (Verdens Gang/Satuday)

Former chief executive of the Directorate of Public Construction and Property (Statsbygg), Halvor Stormoen, was on 17 March 2000 given a mild reprimand by the Labour and Government Administration Ministry over Statsbygg’s use of external consultants. The reprimand had not been sanctioned by the Minister. A public hearing on Statsbygg’s use of consultants, which took place yesterday, heard that from April 1998 until October 2000, when Mr Stormoen resigned as chief executive, Statsbygg spent over NOK 40 million on external consulting services. This represented almost 10 per cent of Statsbygg’s total administration costs for the period and accounted for around half the increase in running costs at the central government agency during that time.

Redundant police chiefs to become judges (Aftenposten/Sunday)

A number of districts around the country are suffering from an acute shortage of judges. To solve this problem the Ministry of Justice is proposing that those Chief Constables and Superintendents who become surplus to requirements following the reorganization of the police administration in Norway should be appointed judges. Job offers were sent to 26 former police chiefs on Friday. The Judges’ Association is extremely critical of the move. "Even if they are competent police officers, that does not necessarily make them suited to be judges," said acting head of the Judges’ Association, Kjell Buer.

Worth Noting

• Sweden’s Prime Minister Göran Persson has mocked the Conservatives’ comments about wanting to sell Norway’s state-owned shares in the airline, SAS. Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik rather lamely pointed out that the Government has not yet made a final decision on the issue. "We are not going to change our position on this. We consider SAS to be an integral part of Sweden’s infrastructure, and I hope the Norwegian government comes to the same conclusion, said Mr Persson. (Verdens Gang/Saturday)
• One in four Socialist Left Party voters now supports Norwegian membership of the EU. But the party continues to pursue an uncompromisingly rejectionist policy as if nothing had happened. Paul Chaffey does not think it is a wise move. "If the Socialist Left Party wants to hang on to its support, it should elect some EU supporters to key leadership positions," he says. In today’s poll, carried out by Opinion on behalf of Aftenposten, supporters and opponents of Norwegian membership of the EU are equally balanced, with 50 per cent for and 50 per cent against. (Aftenposten)
• Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik’s own foot soldiers, the country’s Christian Democratic mayors, are decidedly unhappy with the Government’s regional policies. They are particularly angry over budget cuts affecting the Norwegian Industrial and Regional Development Fund (SND) and the closure of local authority business development funds. (Nationen/Saturday)
• The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) is planning to use new forms of industrial action in its struggle for higher wages. Increased use of sympathy strikes is one of the measures being considered. The LO has also said it will use overtime bans, rolling strikes and other forms of industrial action. (Dagens Næringsliv)
• Norway and Iceland can forget any thoughts of renegotiating the EEA Agreement before the EU’s current expansion has been completed. Negotiations can not start before the end of 2003 at the earliest, says the EU’s Foreign Affairs Commissioner, Chris Patten. (Nationen)
• Foreign crooks want Norwegians’ cash. Last year NOK 17 million in cash was stolen from Norwegians abroad. Indonesia, the Philippines, Tanzania and Cyprus are the most dangerous holiday destinations. (Dagbladet)
• The day after Telenor published its best ever annual results, the company announced price increases. The increases are being made despite VG’s revelations on Wednesday that private telephone calls using Norway’s land-based telephone network are among the most expensive in the entire OECD area. (Verdens Gang/Saturday)

Today’s comment from Aftenposten

When the Bondevik-led coalition was put together last autumn, the Conservatives were forced to give up their demand that the Government should work for the abolition of the county councils. In return the party won support for a reduction in the county councils’ sphere of operation and therefore their power. A few days ago it became clear that the Storting’s decision to transfer the County Governors’ responsibility for environmental and agricultural policy to the county councils will not be implemented. These areas of responsibility will instead be transferred to the local authority level. The Government is now considering whether to remove responsibility for public transport, child welfare, the provision of care for substance abusers from the county councils. There are also proposals which would give local authorities the opportunity to take over responsibility for upper secondary schools if they so wish. If this happens county councillors will lose the most important operative areas they have left after central government took over the country’s hospitals at the start of the year. The only consolation prize which the Government has given the elected representatives on the county councils is the management of NOK 80 million in regional development funds. We believe the Government is on the right track. The county councils increasingly appear to represent an unnecessary layer of government. The majority of people do not view them as a useful tool in the provision of public services. As long as there is no parliamentary majority in favour of eliminating the county councils, a radical downsizing of the kind now being implemented by the Government is the best way to go. At the same time it is important that local government autonomy is strengthened and that local authorities are encouraged to cooperate in the management of those task which were previously the responsibility of the county councils and which it is not natural to transfer to central government control.