Labour veteran calls for coalition with Christian Democrats (Verdens Gang/Saturday)

Labour veteran Kjell Opseth has called for Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg to offer the Christian Democrats a place in the Government. He says the Labour Party risks being out of office for five or six years if the Conservatives come to power after the election. "It could take that long. The Labour Party will make a stronger come-back if it sticks to its responsible line," said Mr Opseth.

Christian Democrats rebuff Labour overtures (Verdens Gang)

Christian Democrat leader Valgerd Svarstad Haugland does not give Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg much hope of achieving a coalition with the Christian Democrats after the election. "We note with interest the developments taking place within the Labour Party, but it is no good running to us for help just because they have got themselves into a crisis and need us to keep themselves in power. We will look at the situation after the election, but the Labour Party has traditionally not been a good partner for the Christian Democrats. A coalition of that kind would not fill me with enthusiasm," said Ms Svarstad Haugland.

Voters ignore campaign stunts (Dagsavisen)

Politicians are using more and more extreme methods to grab voters’ attention. But according to Henry Valen, one of Norway’s most experienced election pundits, their efforts have no effect on the voters. The political parties spend a lot of time and money planning and executing their campaign stunts. It is a waste of effort – at least if the objective is to win over the voters, according to Mr Valen.

Norway’s defence may be outsourced (Aftenposten/Saturday)

In a few years Norwegian soldiers could be part of an allied defence force. Chief of Defence Staff, Lt. Gen. Sigurd Frisvold, believes it is only a matter of time before Norway starts having problems maintaining a broad defence capability. He believes the Armed Forces must recognize that the time is approaching when they cannot afford to carry out all the required defence functions on their own.

Sharp political reaction to defence chief’s comments (Aftenposten/Sunday)

Defence Minister Bjørn Tore Godal has reacted sharply to comments made by Chief of Defence Staff, Lt. Gen. Sigurd Frisvold over the future of Norway’s defence capability. "We cannot base our future on the expectation that other countries will pay for the defence of Norway. It goes without saying that we will have control over our own fighter aircraft," said Mr Godal. Lt. Gen. Frisvold’s comments were greeted with astonishment by the Conservatives and centrist parties.

Police must be restructured (Dagbladet/Sunday)

Arne Huuse, head of the National Bureau of Crime Investigation, is unhappy with police efforts to combat the dramatic rise in organized crime in Norway. "Colleagues abroad cannot understand what it is we are up to. We must restructure our activities to create an effective police unit in this country," he said, adding that what he would like to see is an amalgamation between the National Bureau of Crime Investigation and the National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime.

Killi carpeted over non-compliance (Verdens Gang/Sunday)

Senior management at the National Rail Administration signed a document confirming that a series of safety measures which had been demanded by the Norwegian Railway Inspectorate after the Åsta train crash had been implemented. But several of the measures have never actually been carried out. Steinar Killi, chief executive of the National Rail Administration, will shortly be called before the Norwegian Railway Inspectorate’s chief executive, Sverre Quale, to explain why.

NOK 17.5 billion from state-owned industry (Dagens Næringsliv)

Last year the Norwegian state earned NOK 17.5 billion from the companies it owns, either in whole or in part. In 1999 the figure was NOK 6.8 billion. The jump in earnings is largely due to the sale of the state’s shares in Kreditkassen and substantial oil revenues. The state’s most lucrative shareholdings are in Statoil, Den norske Bank and Norsk Hydro – in that order.

More threats and bribery (Aftenposten)

The past year has seen a 42 per cent rise in the number of incidents of threats against and bribery of public servants which have been reported to the police. In Oslo it is the number of threats which has contributed most to the steep rise. In the past ten years the number of reported threats has increased six-fold, and there is reason to believe the number of unreported incidents is also high, since this type of offence is difficult to uncover. The National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime will investigate the figures to see if they represent a real increase in the level of corruption in Norway.

Worth Noting

• Per Olav Lundteigen, former finance policy spokesman for the Centre Party, is proposing that those on the lowest incomes receive tax concessions amounting to NOK 20 billion. This is more than the figure proposed by the Conservatives in this year’s national budget. (Dagsavisen/Saturday)

• "If the Conservatives should win support for their plan to cut billions of kroner from Norway’s foreign aid budget it would certainly cause a stir in the international community. Such a move would represent a break with our foreign policy up to now, and would not portray Norway in a particularly flattering light," said Labour Party chairman Thorbjørn Jagland. (Dagbladet)

• Between 04.30 and 06.00 yesterday morning, 169 Bulgarians contacted the Oslo police to apply for political asylum. They arrived in the country in at least five buses, which disappeared the moment their passengers had disembarked at Oslo’s Central Station. That same morning a Bulgarian citizen was formally charged with people trafficking. The Bulgarians who arrived at the weekend will probably be deported very swiftly. The Immigration Directorate (UDI) will today initiate a high-speed process to evaluate their applications. (Aftenposten)

• A resolution allowing cohabiting couples to act as leaders in the YMCA/YWCA movement has provoked strong reactions, even though newly elected leader Leif Jarle Theis is keen to underline that the resolution does not apply to cohabiting homosexuals. (Vårt Land)

• The Swedish Systembolaget, the state-owned wine and spirits monopoly, opened its retail outlets for Saturday trading yesterday. And thirsty Norwegians did not have to be asked twice. They cleaned out the shelves of the Systembolaget in Strømstad. (Dagsavisen/Sunday)

• Six people were hit by lightning in Rogaland county yesterday. The 15-year-old girl who was hit by lightning in Svinesund last Saturday died on Friday night. (Aftenposten/Sunday)

• According to the Meteorological Institute Norway experienced this summer’s first "tropical" night on Friday. In several places in southern Norway temperatures overnight stayed above 20 ⁰>C. The highest temperature was measured at the Lista lighthouse, where the minimum temperature was recorded as 22.6 ⁰>C. (NTB)

Today’s comment from Nationen

A forthcoming election has many positive side effects. Local Government and Regional Development Minister Sylvia Brustad has now realized there is a need to simplify planning permission regulations. She means to establish a commission whose task will be to propose measures that will make it simpler, faster and more predictable to obtain planning permission for new buildings or for modifications to existing buildings. That is all very well, but it is woefully overdue. We have heard the same promises before – from the majority of political parties. Unfortunately it has not made much of a difference. We have yet to see changes in the regulations which really do simplify the process.