Call for Bondevik to say what he means about Iraq (Dagsavisen)

Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik (Chr.Dem) must stop fudging the issue when it comes to saying what Norway really thinks about a war with Iraq, according to several of society’s top brass. Up to now Mr Bondevik has emphasized that he would prefer the Iraq issue to be the subject of a new UN debate. But he has not demanded a UN Security Council resolution. According to several foreign policy experts and other heavyweight social commentators, this position is far too feeble.

War in Iraq will lead to fierce battles inside the Government (Aftenposten)

Centrally placed Christian Democrats are quaking at the thought of a woolly UN resolution that leads to a unilateral US invasion of Iraq. A situation of that kind could have an "explosive" effect on the Government, it is said. Several leading Christian Democrats have expressed grave fears that the Conservatives could adopt a much more pro-US stance than the two other coalition partners. Even if a situation should arise in which an unambiguous UN resolution gives the go-ahead for war, the Liberal and Christian Democrat leaderships would have difficulty convincing their own people that a war against Iraq is the necessary solution.

Socialist Left Party willing to work with pro-EU Labour government (Dagbladet)

Kristin Halvorsen, leader of the Socialist Left Party, is not ruling out the possibility of her party entering into a political agreement with a future Labour government which is negotiating Norwegian membership of the EU. This is astonishing news from the leader of a party which has traditionally opposed EU membership. Up until today the question of EU membership has precluded any cooperation between the Socialist Left Party and Labour. Ms Halvorsen said that it is both exciting and challenging that the Socialist Left Party now has more voters in favour of EU membership than those who oppose it.

Bakke: EU’s demands "unheard of" (Klassekampen)

Hallvard Bakke, former leader of the organization Social Democrats Against the EU, thinks that Norway should pull out of the EEA Agreement if the EU does not withdraw its demand for a NOK 3.5 billion increase in the amount Norway must contribute to the EU. "What the EU is doing now is completely unheard of," said Mr Bakke. He thinks the Government should make it clear that Norway will pull out of the agreement if the EU "does not think twice". Mr Bakke says that without the EEA Agreement it would be "plain sailing" for Norway.

Search for a new No Queen (Nationen)

"I believe that both opponents and supporters of EU membership will search for a woman to front their campaigns. The side that wins over the country’s women, will win the EU battle," said professor Reidar Almås, who believes that concern for the country’s outlying districts, natural resources and issues of democracy versus bureaucracy will also be the most important questions during the next EU debate. Professor Almås, from the Centre for Rural Research, has been closely following the EU debate.

Sigh of relief (Dagsavisen)

Since the party’s annual conference in November things have been looking up for Labour. Party leader Jens Stoltenberg can now breathe a sigh of relief over the fact that the internal strife which had tormented the party for so long has now been laid to rest. "We have seen the party gaining ground in poll after poll since the annual conference. The trend is unmistakable. This is obviously very encouraging for the party and all who believe in social democratic ideals. One important reason for this is that we have had peace within the party. It has enabled people to focus on political issues again, without them being overshadowed by internal disputes," said Mr Stoltenberg.

Tax Commission wants to halve wealth tax (Aftenposten)

The Tax Commission will probably propose that wealth tax be cut in half. This is good news for all those who have a lot of money in the bank. But if you have invested your wealth in real estate, you could lose part of the benefit, since in all probability the Commission will propose an increase in property taxes. The tax bracket which kicks in for salaries over NOK 830,000 should be abolished, according to the Commission. It is also planning to raise the entry point for the lower band of high-income surtax, which currently applies to salaries over NOK 340,000 in tax class 1.

Could have eased the pressure on Tore Tønne (Dagbladet)

Rolf Johan Ringdal, chairman of the law firm BA-HR, admitted that there would have been less pressure on the late Tore Tønne if the company had been more open. "It is possible that the pressure on Mr Tønne might have been eased somewhat if we had said publicly that he was not aware of the manner in which BA-HR had billed Aker RGI in connection with his fee," said Mr Ringdal. BA-HR presented its account of the "Tønne Case" to the Norwegian Bar Association yesterday. The Association will examine BA-HR’s role in the case and will discuss the firm’s explanations at its executive committee meeting on Thursday this week.

Whining banned (Aftenposten)

Yesterday, the Conservative Party leadership issued a ban on moping and whining over bad opinion poll results. "We have a four-year project, which we will continue to work tirelessly to realize," said deputy leader Erna Solberg, who is also Local Government and Regional Affairs Minister. While the Conservatives feel the party more or less has control of its four-year project, the problems are piling up for the Christian Democrats. They are suffering severe attrition due to appalling poll results, and a political leadership which does not always seem to enjoy the responsibility that comes with government office.

1. Worth Noting

• In Sveio in Hordaland County the church opened its doors when it became known that a family of four had been found dead at their home. The police believe the man used a shotgun to take his own life. However, they have refused to disclose the cause of death of the other family members. Earlier in the day a cohabiting couple was found dead in Bodø. This too was described by police as a family tragedy. 13 people have been killed in Norway since the new year – four of them children.
  (Aftenposten)
• "The threshold for committing acts of violence in Norwegian society has fallen over the past 50 years. This is also true of violence committed against members of the perpetrator’s own family," said Kjell Noreik, professor of medicine at the University of Oslo.
  (Aftenposten)
• Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik has rejected criticism from the Church, Christians and others over the question of Iraq. He maintains that the road to peace passes through the UN.
  (Vårt Land)
• As many as three out of four Norwegians are enthusiastic about their jobs. Only 23 per cent say that they are uninterested, according to a survey carried out by market analysts Taylor Nelsen Sofres, involving 20,000 employees in 33 countries.
  (Finansavisen)
• The industrial sector and trade unions want Central Bank Governor Svein Gjedrem to shave half a percentage point off interest rates tomorrow. But economists believe it is unlikely that their prayers will be answered.
  (Dagsavisen)
• Last year Norwegians spent NOK 24 billion on various kinds of gambling. That is enough to build three or four new opera houses or buy 50,000 brand new Audi A6s.
  (Aftenposten)

2. Today’s comment from Aftenposten

Those of us who are not insiders in Norwegian development assistance circles, can only shake our heads – slowly and in a spirit of profound despair – at the latest reports of the way the Foreign Office and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) have been spending taxpayers’ money abroad. In the past seven years, more than NOK 500 million has been handed out to a raft of South African organizations without any information being returned on how the money has been spent and what it has accomplished. A large number of Norwegian organizations, along with development assistance representatives at our embassy in South Africa, have been dishing out considerable sums without anyone coordinating their efforts or having any overall perspective. We have heard about mindless foreign aid before, but thought that it belonged to a past era of wrong-headedness. Obviously, we were mistaken. Wrong-headedness survives – in the minds of individuals and in the conduct of obstinate bureaucracies. The result is development assistance with a doubly negative effect. While at home support for foreign aid is undermined, in South Africa Norway’s largesse does not inspire effort, self-discipline, growth and ultimately a better standard of living. It does the opposite. Someone should ask if the champions of foreign aid in Norway are suffering from learning difficulties.