Defence spending NOK 3 billion short (Aftenposten)

The Government is proposing to increase the defence budget by NOK 1 billion this year, but this is around NOK 3 billion less than is required to finance the defence structure approved by the Storting last year. As a result the National Rifle Association of Norway will receive no financial assistance, the construction of new MTBs will be postponed, fewer recruits will be called up for military service and the Home Guard will be reduced in size. Nor will Norway be as active a participant in international operations as the Storting intended.

Company pensions would cost NOK 23 billion (Dagsavisen)

Private employers would have to pay through the nose to provide their employees with pension schemes to rival those enjoyed by public sector workers. It would cost around NOK 23 billion each year to give private sector employees the same pension rights as public sector workers already enjoy. The employers, led by the Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry (NHO), fear the unions’ demand for private sector pensions because today’s situation is so far from the goal of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO). Employers fear that accepting union demands that private sector employees should have the right to a company pension – even a small one – is just the thin end of the wedge.

Worst at (almost) everything (Dagbladet)

The Conservatives and Christian Democrats are better suited to government than the Labour Party, according to the voters. In the past two years the governing coalition parties have forged ahead of Labour in the voters’ perception of who should run the country. The electorate now sees Labour as mediocre and woolly on most major political issues, according to MMI’s wide-ranging survey. "The Labour Party has lost its grip on what used to be its flagship policies, and has not managed to establish its credibility in new policy areas. And a series of disastrous strategic choices has deprived Labour of the competitive edge it previously enjoyed as the ruling party," said Håkon Kavli, MMI’s election expert. One consolation for Labour is that the party is still seen as the champion of full employment. 59 per cent of the electorate believe Labour is a party which is working to that end.

Socialist Left Party on top (Dagbladet)

The Socialist Left Party is growing in credibility and visibility in the eyes of the voters, and has left the Labour Party behind as the party for ordinary people and the weakest members of society. The Socialist Left Party is best on the environment and has far and away the best party leadership. The Socialist Left Party and the Conservatives are the best liked parties, and have pulled ahead of Labour. In two years the Socialist Left Party has overtaken Labour as the defender of the weak. Half of the electorate thinks that the Socialist Left Party takes special care of those who are in greatest need. Only 17 per cent of voters think the same of the Labour Party.

Nuclear power safer than coal (Vårt Land)

According to Knut H. Alfsen, head of research at the Institute for Energy Technology, it is wrong from an environmental point of view to exclude nuclear power as an energy source. "The use of nuclear power should be included in any discussion about which technological solutions can provide the most environment-friendly energy in the long term. The technology is not without problems, but the alternatives could be worse," he said.

LO hits back over equal pay (Dagens Næringsliv)

Gerd-Liv Valla, president of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO), has ridiculed the Gender Equality Ombud’s claim that the LO has let women down in the battle for equal pay. Ms Valla said that it would be naïve to believe that legislation could guarantee equal pay. "If we think that the Gender Equality Ombud can bring about equal pay, we are making a big mistake. The battle for equal pay must be fought out during the annual round of wage negotiations," she said.

US Embassy to reduce armed guard (Aftenposten)

Starting tomorrow the armed guard at the US Embassy in Oslo will be cut back. Since September 11 the embassy has had a round-the-clock armed guard, but from now on they will be on duty only during normal office hours: nine to four. The two fighter planes stationed at Rygge airfield, whose task was to identify and shoot down any hostile aircraft, were returned to normal duties a few days ago.

Worth Noting

• The Oslo Police Union fears that the streets of Oslo could become a battlefield if the authorities do not call off the World Bank’s ABCDE Conference in June. Several thousand demonstrators are expected to converge on Oslo for the Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics, to be held 24-26 June. (Dagbladet)
• Juggling the demands of work and the family, and consequent feelings of burn-out, are more than just a women’s problem. Equality at home and in the workplace also turns men into jugglers and increases the risk of mental illness by 30 per cent. (Dagsavisen)
• Norwegian schools are vying to see which is the most immigrant-friendly, has the greatest level of pupil decision-making and the best working environment. The winners will receive up to NOK 1.5 million. (Dagsavisen)
• The Ukraine owes Norsk Hydro NOK 135 billion, but is not very keen to pay its bill. However, Norsk Hydro is taking a hard line and is now hunting for the Ukraine’s foreign assets. So far the company has obtained a court order freezing the Ukrainian Embassy’s bank account in Paris. (Aftenposten)
• The Norwegian Postal Administration will lose its monopoly to distribute letters weighing more than 100 g from 1 January next year. European mail distributors have already started preparations to enter the Norwegian market. (Nationen)
• Next year Norwegian businesses will be able to save a total of 100 man-years through reduced red-tape. Trade and Industry Minister Ansgar Gabrielsen has promised that similar savings will also be made each year in the future. (Dagens Næringsliv)
• As a result of the Enron scandal in the USA, Norway’s most respected firm of auditors, Andersen Norge, can no longer live with its name. The 90-year-old company will have disappeared by the summer. (Aftenposten)
• Sunshine or storms, that is the question meteorologists are always struggling with. But they get it wrong more often at Easter than at any other time of year, and so do the media, according to the Norwegian Mountain Touring Association. The Association has warned against frightening people unnecessarily, and is calling for more accurate weather forecasts. (Aftenposten)

Today’s comment from Dagbladet and Verdens Gang

Over the past five years 24 children and young people have been murdered in Norway. Last weekend the parents of 15 of the victims attended a seminar in Grimstad where they shared experiences and problems which they have in common. The majority are unhappy with the way they have been treated by the authorities after the death of their child. Some say right out that they feel their interests have been ignored by the authorities, the courts and the social services. We do not mean to weigh the accused’s legal rights against the interests of the victim’s next-of-kin. But there is an imbalance in the system when the perpetrator’s legal rights are automatically taken care of, while parents whose child has been killed are not equally automatically entitled to legal counsel or other necessary assistance. As a society we cannot allow the victims and their families to be forgotten. The families of victims demand to be heard. It is high time they were.

The editors of Norway Daily wish all our readers an enjoyable Easter holiday. The next edition of Norway Daily will be distributed on 2 April.