No help for Government (NTB)

"The Government’s national budget proposals are built on a different social system than ours," said Labour’s deputy leader, Jens Stoltenberg, when he addressed the national conference of the Norwegian Civil Service Union (NTL) yesterday. "The Government defends its choices by referring to the need to balance the budget. That is not true," said Mr Stoltenberg with an implacability which could hardly be interpreted as an invitation to cooperate over next year’s national budget.

PM rejects euro (Dagsavisen)

Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik has rejected the idea that Norway should introduce the euro as its unit of currency. "A euro link is out of the question for a country which is not a member of the EU," said Mr Bondevik yesterday at a press conference which the Nordic prime ministers held in connection with the Nordic Council’s summit in Helsinki. At the same time, Mr Bondevik underlined the fact that the EEA Agreement will have to be amended as the EU gradually expands, and that no new trade barriers must be created after the ten new candidates for membership have acceded to the union.

Political elite out of step with ordinary people (Dagbladet)

The Norwegian political elite have turned their backs on Carl I. Hagen and the Progress Party. Only one per cent of the more than 1,500 leaders of society questioned in a recent poll said they were Progress Party voters. The Norwegian political elite votes for the Labour Party and the Conservatives, with the women at the top being considerably redder than their male counterparts. 45 per cent of the women polled, vote for the Labour Party and 25 per cent for the Socialist Left Party. The Conservatives score best among the men. The gap between the elite and ordinary people has grown larger," commented electoral experts Frank Aarebrot and Bernt Aardal.

Grey power and hot-gospellers (Nationen)

The Progress Party has the support of seven per cent more of the electorate than all three ruling coalition parties put together, according to the October figures. The poll shows support for the Progress Party at 33.4 per cent. The Conservatives have suffered the biggest slide, dropping 3.8 percentage points to 15.2 per cent. Labour has the backing of 19.9 per cent of the voters, while the Socialist Left Party can muster 14.9 per cent. Social scientist Erling Dokk Holm believes that with the Progress Party in power, the elderly would become more influential and the gap between rich and poor would widen. At the same time the political left would become more radical and Christian morality would be strengthened.

Confidence in Devold diminished (Dagsavisen)

According to Labour leader Jens Stoltenberg, the revelations that cluster bombs have been used in Norway during military training exercises has diminished public confidence in Defence Minister Kristin Krohn Devold (Con). "This is another example of the Defence Minister not having control of her Ministry. It also weakens confidence in her in other areas," said Mr Stoltenberg. The Storting is due to receive a report from the Defence Minister today regarding the use of cluster bombs during training exercises. Mr Stoltenberg said he would not make a decision on whether to demand a vote of no-confidence in Ms Devold, or discuss other possible repercussions the incident might have for her, until he had read the report.

Defence Minister warned not to pass the buck (Aftenposten)

"Defence Minister Kristin Krohn Devold must demonstrate that she takes responsibility, and should not try to push the blame onto her subordinates," said Marit Nybakk (Lab), who chairs the Storting’s Defence Committee, with reference to the cluster bomb scandal. "It would perhaps be wise of her to ask for a special inquiry into this affair, but first we must see what is in the report," said Ms Nybakk.

Government not working towards cluster bomb ban (Klassekampen)

Last summer a parliamentary majority instructed the Government to work towards an international ban on cluster bombs. Yesterday the Foreign Ministry made it clear that the Government is not trying to achieve a total ban on cluster bombs, just limit their use. "Those who intend to participate in the debate on this issue must familiarize themselves with what has happened since the Storting last voted on it," said Foreign Ministry spokesman, Karsten Klepsvik.

Supreme Court sentencing under minimum in rape cases (Aftenposten)

The Storting has decided that the minimum penalty for rape should be two years’ imprisonment. Despite this, the Supreme Court has in two recent rape cases decided to impose far more lenient sentences. "When the Court overrules the legislature in this way, it could appear as though the Supreme Court is undermining the very principle of the separation of powers. There are indications that the Court has become its own legislature," said Finn Kristian Marthinsen (Chr.Dem), who was responsible for piloting the new rape legislation through the Storting.

Statistics screw-up behind rocketing interest rates (Dagens Næringsliv)

Svein Gjedrem, Governor of the Norwegian Central Bank, is due to decide today what he is going to do with Norwegian interest rates. But his decision will be based on dodgy figures. Out of 198 forecasts for important economic indicators published by Statistics Norway, the Norwegian Central Bank and the Ministry of Finance between 1991 and 2001, only three were dead on the money. Mr Gjedrem is best at forecasting wages growth, Statistics Norway’s Svein Longva makes the fewest mistakes when it comes to forecasting inflation.

Queue of companies heading abroad (Aftenposten)

Yesterday the furniture manufacturer, Hjellegjerde, decided to transfer large parts of its business activities to low-cost countries Lithuania and Thailand. This year Hjellegjerde has axed 125 jobs in Norway. And the company is not alone. Reports are coming in from around the country of companies who are deserting small and vulnerable local communities. The leadership of the Federation of Norwegian Engineering Industries (TBL) fears that we are facing an avalanche of companies transferring part or all of their business activities abroad. Tor Stein, chief economist at the Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry (NHO), thinks that the Norwegian Central Bank’s estimate that 60,000 industrial jobs will disappear in the next 10 years is too conservative.

Worth Noting

• Carl I. Hagen says that the Norwegian political elite has been disrespectful of Progress Party voters and lacks the ability to admit its own mistakes. "It is the elite’s problem, not the Progress Party’s," he says.
  (Dagbladet)
• According to EU expert Per Christiansen, the EU would never agree to let Norway replace the Norwegian krone with the euro. "It would be easier for Norway to join the EU than replace the krone with the euro," he said.
  (Dagens Næringsliv)
• The Government no longer wants asylum seekers to be offered Norwegian language tuition before their applications have been decided. According to Norwegian language teacher Hege Haarsvik, the result will be delayed integration and a tougher day-to-day existence in the country’s refugee reception centres.
  (Dagsavisen)
• Local Government and Regional Affairs Minister Erna Solberg feels that it takes too long to process applications for asylum from people who under no circumstances would be granted leave to stay in Norway. She wants the processing time cut to just 48 hours. "It takes them 48 hours in the Netherlands. It takes us three weeks. Why is that?" she asks.
  (Dagbladet)
• A third of Norwegian secondary school pupils have a part-time job as well as going to school. In many countries a combination of this kind would be unthinkable.
  (Aftenposten)
• The high level of costs in Norway has resulted in a stream of shareholders packing their bags and moving the entire company abroad, with the loss of tens of thousands of jobs. Even the tourist industry is struggling to cope with the Norwegian economy. Foreign visitors are shunning Norwegian holiday destinations, and the industry is increasingly being forced to rely on Norwegian tourists.
  (Aftenposten)
• The Labour Party has now hired Bo Krogvig, Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson’s most famous political strategist, to teach Jens Stoltenberg & Co how to win an election.
  (Dagbladet)
• Greater use of flexible working hours and greater openness regarding people’s illnesses could cut the huge number of Norwegian workers who are on sick leave. Nine out of ten Norwegians would be willing to supply information about their illnesses if it meant that their work routines could be better adapted to their situation. Every second Norwegian believes that flexible working hours would reduce the numbers taking sick leave.
  (Verdens Gang)
• In 1975 the average Norwegian ate 75 kg of potatoes each year. This year the experts are predicting that consumption will be no more than 36 kg.
  (Verdens Gang)

Today’s comment from Dagens Næringsliv

The last time Kjell Magne Bondevik was prime minister, he made a great deal out of the fact that, for a period, Norway chaired the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). During the second Bondevik government Norway has been elected to another prestigious international role, as member of the UN Security Council. But Mr Bondevik is not boasting too loudly about that just at the moment. It has proved to be more awkward than glorious. In a few days the Security Council will vote on a new Iraq resolution. It could be divisive. It is possible that the decision, which could determine the future of the UN, will be taken on the basis of a simple majority. For once, Norway’s vote could be of vital importance. But the PM is lying low. The choice could be between supporting the USA in a war Norway opposes – or undermining the authority of the UN and, at the same time, irritating our most important allies. Both options are politically unpalatable. So it is much better to sit still, and hope that some kind of unanimity will be fixed – in spite of everything.