Socialist Left Party wins floating voters (Aftenposten)

The Socialist Left Party is winning the majority of floating voters. Aftenposten’s voters’ panel shows that Kristin Halvorsen and the Socialist Left Party have grabbed 55,000 of these votes in the past month. So far during the campaign the Conservatives, led by Jan Petersen, have lost 175,000 voters. But who will make up the government after the election? The options are wide open when the party leaders confront each other in a televised debate this evening. Together with the Red Election Alliance, the Coastal Party could play a pivotal role in the next Storting.

It will cost you NOK 23,000 (Verdens Gang)

It would cost every single Norwegian NOK 23,000 per year to implement the Socialist Left Party’s policies. The figure is the sum of higher direct and indirect taxes, as well as reduced revenue generation because people will work less. The Socialist Left Party has pledged to introduce a 30-hour working week, but admits that the policy cannot be implemented during the next parliamentary term. For this reason VG has based its calculations on the premise that only a third of the party’s election pledge will be implemented, in other words a 35-hour working week.

Centre Party rejects Labour (Vårt Land)

"A coalition with the Labour Party is quite unthinkable," said Åslaug Haga, deputy chairman of the Centre Party. Nor is the prospect of a Centre Party-Labour coalition given much hope by the party’s General Secretary, Kjell Dahle. "Given today’s situation, it would be completely out of the question to form a coalition with the Labour Party," he said.

Conservatives down, centre alliance up (Nationen)

150,000 voters have abandoned the Conservatives and Jan Petersen in the past month. According to Nationen’s party barometer, the Conservatives have the support of 22.8 per cent of the electorate, a sharp drop since last month’s poll. The Labour Party is the country’s largest party, but is lagging way behind their result at the last election. At the same time the centre alliance parties have made headway. The Christian Democrats and Kjell Magne Bondevik can be pleased with a 3.2 percentage point gain, which would give them 26 seats. "There is still a 50 per cent chance that I will once again become prime minister," said Mr Bondevik. However, one in four voters remains uncertain which way to vote.

Coalition confusion (Dagbladet)

Everyone in the Socialist Left Party is talking about it. A lot of people in the Labour Party are talking openly about it, and even more are dreaming about it. But Centre Party chairman Odd Roger Enoksen is still rejecting the idea of forming a coalition with the Labour Party and the Socialist Left Party. One week ahead of the general election, the question of who will form the next government is more wide open than at any time previously in this campaign.

NHO boss attacks PM over sick pay (Dagens Næringsliv)

Finn Bergesen, chief executive of the Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry (NHO), has made a public attack on Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg over the Government’s handling of the current sickness benefit controversy. According to Mr Bergesen, the Government’s statements regarding the future of the sickness benefit scheme have created the impression that the NHO has been taking part in a charade. And Mr Bergesen went on to underline that the NHO was not willing to be a pawn in a game between the Government and the unions. The NHO’s president has participated in discussions on the sickness benefit scheme since Labour and Government Administration Minister Jørgen Kosmo invited employer and union organizations for talks on the issue last autumn.

Burglars soon released (Dagsavisen)

Norwegian burglars do not have to worry about serving long prison sentences. Nine out of ten are sentenced to terms of under a year, according to recent figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics. "Given the political signals and guidelines that have been received, I think it is surprising that the courts have not begun to hand down stiffer sentences," says Arne Johannessen, leader of the Police Union.

Defence agreement still out of sight (Aftenposten)

Two and a half months after the Storting’s famous defence resolution, Defence Minister Bjørn Tore Godal is at last able to present legislators with the final estimates of what their decision will actually cost. The details were included in a letter sent to the members of the Defence Committee at the end of last week. "Our calculations confirm that the opposition’s proposals cost considerably more than the Government’s. Of course the Labour Party will comply with the Storting’s resolution as far as possible, but there is no doubt that it will be extremely difficult to find over NOK 2 billion more each year," said Mr Godal.

Worth Noting

• Australia’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister have mocked and ridiculed their Norwegian counterparts after the 433 refugees were transferred from the Tampa yesterday. Foreign Minister Thorbjørn Jagland was practically accused of lying by his Australian counterpart, Alexander Downer. (Verdens Gang)
• The Tampa headed for Singapore yesterday after the asylum-seekers were transferred to an Australian naval vessel which will take them to Papua New Guinea. The crew of the Tampa are relieved, but tired after the dramatic events of the last few days. (Aftenposten)
• The Conservatives aim to ban wage agreements giving full pay if an employee takes sick leave. This is in breach of international conventions, according to the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions. "A tightening up of the sickness benefit scheme must apply to all or none," said Ansgar Gabrielsen of the Conservative Party. (Dagsavisen)
• The question of who will form the next government is becoming less and less clear the nearer we get to polling day. The situation has not been so wide open since the 1930s. (Aftenposten)
• Norwegian companies spend NOK 7 billion each year on fringe benefits. Extras such as relationship counselling, house cleaning, childcare and gardening are all included as part of employees’ wage negotiations. (Dagbladet)
• In its reply to the Norwegian Competition Authority on its proposed acquisition of Braathens, SAS writes that it views Braathens as a "failing firm". Braathens would therefore not survive without SAS’s ownership. (Dagsavisen)
• Despite high costs and a lack of bank guarantees, Norwegian companies have signed an agreement to supply Norwegian gas to Poland. The agreement is worth NOK 100 million, but is regarded by some as one of the most uncertain sales agreements ever entered into. (Aftenposten)

Today’s comment from Aftenposten

Words like ‘historic’ were used when Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek yesterday signed an agreement for the supply of 74 billion cubic metres of Norwegian gas to Poland. The word is a cliché, but is appropriate in this instance. Up to now Poland has been dependent for its gas supplies on one country, Russia, which has also used its clout on the energy front to strengthen its political influence. Now we see two NATO countries, one new and one of the founding members, who are forming a new bond. The gas agreement symbolizes Poland’s turn towards the West. It also symbolizes Norway’s turn towards the East, our efforts to find new markets and, not least, to use some of our own natural gas in our own market as well as that of our neighbours, Sweden and Denmark. It is not impossible that the pipeline could be extended into the Baltic states and contribute to those countries’ efforts to gain greater economic independence from Russia. However, the agreement does have one small snag. It has been signed by two governments which are both facing an election. We are in no doubt that the agreement will be honoured by a new Norwegian government, even if it should have a different political complexion from today’s. In Poland there are strong forces opposing the agreement – they want cheap Russian gas. But even though price is important, it is not the only thing that matters. Norwegian gas is not just a matter of supplying energy to the area around the Baltic.