– The negotiations that have started now, they may be the hardest we have had. The message was clear from Kirsti Bergstø when the party she leads gathered for a national board meeting at the Red Cross’ conference center in Oslo. But the recharge could have been better for SV: Days before the talks were to start, the party’s chief negotiator Kari Elisabeth Kaski was sick. It happened just hours after she had presented SV’s alternative budget. – How are the negotiations affected by the fact that you have changed the negotiator right before the start? – It will not change the progress of the negotiations. They have started, and Deputy Chairman Torgeir Knag Fylkesnes has very strong experience with the negotiations, says Bergstø to news. NEGOTIATORS: Sps Ole André Myhrvold, Aps Tuva Moflag and SVs Torgeir Knag Fylkesnes are now sitting in negotiations on next year’s state budget. Photo: Kristian Skårdalsmo / news – Always a political discussion Before the weekend, County Council sat down with the Labor Party and the Center Party to start negotiations. But this should not have been his job: As a rule, Fylkesnes has been involved at a later stage in the negotiations. Kaski’s sick leave means that he has now been given responsibility from the start. As fiscal policy spokesperson, Kaski has been chief negotiator for all six budget agreements SV has entered into with the governing parties since the election victory in 2021. At the same time, news is aware that just before the start of negotiations there was internal disagreement in SV about the strategy and which issues should be prioritized. Aftenposten has also mentioned this information. The disagreement became a topic behind closed doors at the party’s national board meeting at the weekend, sources told news after the meeting. – How big was the disagreement about the starting point for negotiations before the negotiations began? – In SV there is always political discussion. We are a party that prioritises, but which always falls short of the most important priorities, namely work to reduce differences, reduce emissions, for the people and the environment. But within that, there is always discussion about which way to go, says Bergstø. START: Last Thursday, SV deputy leader Torgeir Knag began the county’s budget negotiations with the Center Party and the Labor Party in the Storting. Photo: NTB – Strong starting point The SV leader will not agree that SV has a weakened starting point for negotiations now. – SV has a strong starting point for negotiations, because the government does not have a majority without us, she says. SV has prioritized billions of kroner for increased child benefit, more people in kindergartens, more student support and increased minimum pensions in its alternative budget. At the same time, the party has worked over several years to make after-school arrangements and dental health cheaper for more people. Protection of more nature and emission cuts will also be on SV’s list of demands. But the governing parties have already stretched spending far. And the scope is large in SV’s alternative, says the finance committee’s leader Tuva Moflag from the Labor Party. – They want to spend a lot of money. And it comes from a good place, she said when the negotiations started, and continued: – SV has a lot of positive things they want to achieve for Norwegian society. But for us, it is important to ensure that we get a safe and responsible budget, which contributes to us now having a soft landing in the Norwegian economy, and that we get the interest rate reduction that people are waiting for. Published 18.11.2024, at 05.31
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Internal disagreement topic at closed SV meeting – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
