GAS DEBATE POISONED ATMOSPHERE IN THE STORTING (Dagsavisen)

Relations between the Labour Party and the centre alliance took a turn for the worse yesterday following Petroleum and Energy Minister Olav Akselsen’s rejection of any objections to the building of two gas-fired power stations in Norway. The centre parties’ leadership gathered for a frontal assault. They wanted an answer to complaints both about the background for the go-ahead and charges that serious reservations held by various experts on the matter had been deliberately held back. But Mr Akselsen refused to accept the criticism and called for his opponents to document their claims. After the debate Kjell Magne Bondevik, chairman of the Christian Democrats and candidate for prime minister in a future centrist government, said that the atmosphere had been poisoned and lambasted Mr Akselsen for his arrogance during yesterday’s debate.

LABOUR MAY HAVE ACTED UNLAWFULLY (Dagbladet)

Kjell Magne Bondevik claims that the Labour government may have been acting unlawfully last month when it changed the emission limits for the two planned gas-fired power stations. "The opposition parties in the Storting have a duty to ensure that the Government keeps within the framework of the law. In the gas-fired power station issue I believe there are grounds to ask whether the Government is, in fact, acting unlawfully," says Mr Bondevik, adding that the Government is in for a fierce fight. The only thing that will appease the Christian Democrats, Liberals, the Centre Party and the Socialist Left Party is if the Government backs down and agrees to a new independent review of the case.

MAY BE SACRIFICED BY CRISIS-HIT LABOUR (Dagbladet)

Labour Party Secretary Solveig Torsvik may be sacrificed in the battle to get the party off rock bottom in the polls. If that is the case she will probably make the first move and resign to avoid an open rift at the party conference. Ms Torsvik is being criticised for everything from her style to claims that she lacks the skills necessary to do the job required of a Labour Party Secretary.

CONSERVATIVES PROPOSE CUT IN SICK-PAY (Dagsavisen)

With its rejection of the dividend and business-cycle taxes, and its proposal for massive cuts in local government subsidies, sick-pay and foreign aid, the Conservatives have positioned themselves on the outside of this year’s budget negotiations. Conservative Party leaders say plainly that they do not believe their budget will gain acceptance. Many of the proposals are unacceptable to both the Labour Party and the centre parties. "The Government has indicated that it wants a compromise with the centre, and their budget proposals are not aimed at a cooperation with us," says Conservative economic policy spokesman Per-Kristian Foss.

WANTS FULL CONTROL (Aftenposten)

If and when the Government takes over management of the hospitals, Health Minister Tore Tønne wants greater specialization at each individual hospital. And if necessary he is prepared to set aside doctors’ wishes to do so. "Not everyone can do everything," says Mr Tønne, and rejects outright the idea of creating a hospital directorate or any other organizational level between the Health Ministry and the hospitals themselves. Mr Tønne wants to run the hospitals himself. But the Labour Party first has to approve government management at next week’s party conference. If they do, the Storting will be informed immediately, and a bill to that effect will be presented during the spring session.

STOCK EXCHANGE UNDER INVESTIGATION (Dagens Næringsliv)

The Oslo Stock Exchange is under investigation by the Banking, Insurance and Securities Commission after it failed to pass on information regarding possible criminal offences in connection with a share purchase transaction by Orkla chief executive Jens P. Heyerdahl. The Oslo Stock Exchange’s market surveillance department, Stock Watch, wanted to pass on information regarding the transaction in October last year, but was stopped from doing so by senior management at the Stock Exchange.

WORTH NOTING

1. The centre alliance parties are planning to resort to an increase in VAT and higher taxes on net income to compensate for adjustments in other taxes, which are estimated to cost more than NOK 10 billion. (Aftenposten)
2. Last year farmers each received NOK 18,900 less than the year before, a cut of 12 per cent. Farmers had an average income of NOK 133,900. (Nationen)
3. Today the Storting will award its own pensioners a welcome boost to their finances. Their pension is going up NOK 33,000 to NOK 323,400. In the past two years that same Storting has raised the basic state pension by just NOK 6,650. (Verdens Gang)
4. Local authority approval is not required before the Moslem faithful can be called to prayer by means of loudspeakers. That is the verdict of the Oslo and Akershus County Governor, following his review of the call-to-prayer case in Oslo. (Vårt Land)
5. More than 10 years after DDT was completely banned in Norway, our birds of prey are still being poisoned by the remains of the pesticide. (Dagsavisen)
6. Telenor’s flotation will cost NOK 500 million – at least. That is the equivalent of NOK 120 per inhabitant of Norway. (Verdens Gang)
7. It is in Eastern Europe and South East Asia that Telenor’s stock market value will be decided. If Telenor is to be a stock market winner the company must expand in these regions as promised. (Aftenposten)

TODAY’S COMMENT FROM NATIONEN

There is something strange about this autumn’s budget battle in the Storting. On the one hand we are warned of high drama to come, but a the same time "everyone" assumes that the centre parties and the Stoltenberg government will finally arrive at a happy ending. This political assumption was plain to see when the Conservatives presented their alternative budget yesterday. There was a lot of flag-waving for the party’s own pet issues, and correspondingly little effort made to open for compromise with the other parties. The Conservatives obviously reckon they will be staying on the sidelines during this autumn’s budget negotiations. It comes as no surprise that the party should be thinking in this way. What is surprising is that the Conservatives never use this kind of opportunity to indicate clearly that the party wants to leave its current isolation and is, in fact, willing to make a contribution towards patching together some form of cooperation with the centre. Once again it’s all just words – and not very convincing ones either. In some ways it is understandable, because compromise costs. But then no one should wonder at the Conservatives’ isolation, least of all the Conservatives themselves.

N O R E G