news has asked the audience what they wonder about elections and politics. We have received several hundred questions. Here we answer one of them. – I have several times wondered how the politicians have arrived at the solution they have arrived at. But I don’t have all the answers myself, says Sigurd Strøm Jakobsen. The 17-year-old in Sandnessjøen on the Helgeland coast has long pondered what lies behind a political decision. – I think it sounds difficult. There is a lot of information they have to go through in a short time. news joins Sigurd at the town hall in Alstahaug municipality to talk to the mayor, who receives a lot of information from many different sources. We also meet the councilor, who provides information. But first we ask the experts who is behind and whispering in the politicians’ ear. Election researcher at the Institute for Social Research, Johannes Bergh. Photo: EIVIND MOLDE / news – Write an e-mail, get an answer – It’s a good and important question, says election researcher at the Institute for Social Research, Johannes Bergh. According to him, politicians can get information from many different sources. – If a matter is to be decided in the municipal council, the administration, i.e. those who work in the municipality, will prepare the matter and provide information to the politicians. Politicians can also get information in other ways. The electoral researcher highlights interest organisations, ordinary voters and the media. – Is it problematic that the information comes from so many different channels? – If the information is very skewed, or if someone has a lot of resources to engage in lobbying, it can be. It is not good if the politicians only get information from one side. Bergh says that the open political system in Norway means that ordinary voters can write an e-mail to a politician, even in the Storting, and expect a reply. – The politicians are elected every four years, but also need input between elections. It is an important part of democracy. Bureaucrats. Advisors and spin doctors. Lobbying. Folk. How much power do all those who feed our politicians with information have? Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Stavanger, Svein Tuastad. Photo: Privat Believes the politicians themselves have a lot of power According to associate professor of political science at the University of Stavanger, Svein Tuastad, the apparatus surrounding the politicians is very important. And it is important that the information they provide is correct. – An adviser with vested interests will lose his job. Tuastad clarifies that although the politicians get information from many, the politicians themselves have a lot of power. – Many are very experienced, and often want to know best themselves what is wise to say. Although a large lobbying business can try to get a case through, it is rarely the case that politicians buy it blindly, he says. For the whole apparatus, all those who feed our politicians with information, is important. – It is about the decisions having to be made with a background in knowledge. One must agree on the factual basis, and not base policy on misunderstandings and assumptions. It is very important for the quality of democracy. And to be able to make decisions that stand out well in the future, says the election expert at UiS. And precisely correct and sufficient information is something they work with at the town hall in Sandnessjøen. Mayor of Alstahaug municipality in Nordland, Peter Talseth. Photo: Ole-Christian Olsen / news Sender and receiver – A good politician is a person with a lot of knowledge about a lot of different things, and who dares to be critical of the information they receive, says Sigurd Strøm Jakobsen inside the town hall in Sandnessjøen in Alstahaug. There he is met by mayor Peter Talseth (Sp) and councilor Børge Toft. The mayor of the municipality with around 7,500 inhabitants, says many of the issues politicians get on the table are complicated. – That is why it is important to have a good relationship with the administration. We are so lucky that we have a good collaboration here, says Talseth. Børge Toft says the job as a councilor is extensive. He must ensure that the politicians get the information they need to be able to make good decisions. Councilor in Alstahaug, Robert Toft, receives Sigurd Strøm Jakobsen at the town hall. Photo: Ole-Christian Olsen / news – The bureaucrats who sit here are specialists in their areas. We must be independent, and give independent sound advice. The politicians then have to consider the advantages and disadvantages. All points of view must be expressed. Toft, who has been a councilor in the municipality for 15 years, says it is his responsibility to ensure that the matter is adequately covered. – Democracy rests on the information being correct and the politicians being able to make decisions. Many cases are large and complicated, and you have to read the cases carefully. Sigurd Strøm Jakobsen could think of several politicians who have not “grown up” in politics. He believes that it can help the politicians, who get so much information from so many channels, to make better decisions. – We should have had more people with higher education and professional experience in politics. But perhaps there aren’t that many people who want to become politicians. It might not be that attractive.
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Sigurd (17) wonders who feeds the politicians with information – news Nordland
