There had been expectations of a kind of dish-washing meeting when Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre had braved slippery winter roads to visit LO’s fabled Cartel conference at Gol. Trade union leaders from all over the country meet here for a political conversation “with a high ceiling”. Undramatic at Gol. For Støre Tillitsvalgte is worried about AP’s poor measurements, and “nor at Gol will he meet only applause and cheers”, wrote Fri Fagbevegelse on the conference’s own website. But the big drama did not happen, at least while Støre was present at Per’s hotel in Gol. It wasn’t much of a joke to get from one’s own. In contrast, the piles of proposals for what will take Ap out of the crisis are as fast-growing as the membership of Nidaro’s social democratic forum. Its the economy, stupid The dominant analysis in the circle around the party leadership is that the downturn is due to the economy. Now ordinary people feel on their bodies that they have been given worse advice. Or as Støre himself put it: “People experience more expensive electricity and food”. Anyone who has not filled half the tank in the car in the hope that the price of diesel will drop, or put food items back from the shopping cart, has few financial worries. Unlike in our Swedish and Danish neighbours, we are spoiled by a rich state. In addition, we Norwegians have become so well used to low interest rates and electricity prices that we have not insured ourselves. It hits the private economy hard. The party leadership seems firmly in the belief that when times improve, the voters will also return. The belief that the wind will turn Because it has turned before. Among other things, it is shown to all the voters that Labor managed to win back when they started talking about “now it’s the turn of the common people” before the election in 2021. If we get control over price growth and interest rate increases, we also get control over bad figures in opinion polls , was Støre’s analysis. The Ap leader used Trygve Bratteli’s famous words that “we understood the times we live in and gave answers people believed in”. He claims the government understands the times we live in, but people don’t fully believe in the solutions. A parallel analysis One should not move far away from the innermost circle of the party to hear an alternative analysis. It is about governance and management. A picture is drawn of a party leadership struggling to lead both the country and the party in a trust-inspiring manner. Who do not at all “understand the times we live in”. One reflects the country too poorly, listens too little, makes mistakes, anchors too poorly, communicates too weakly. An impression has been created of a weak government that is lagging behind in important matters, which gives grounds for Erna Solberg nostalgia. One example that is highlighted is the much-discussed salmon tax. Basically, a case that a large majority supports, but where one stumbles in both process, anchoring and communication. None of these analyzes could be heard from the official part of LO’s cartel conference. Speaking advice On the other hand, one can get the impression that the problems will be solved if the Labor Party improves its social profile: Increase social assistance, remove poverty, ban renting and create a separate social minister. Or as it was formulated from the pulpit: If you continue the escalation of the correctional system, Jonas, you will be fine. Something the prime minister promised to do. And maybe there are trolls in words. We understand the times we live in, but people don’t believe in the solutions, Støre said at LO’s cartel conference. The Prime Minister believes that when the government gets control of price inflation, the voters will return. Photo: Terje Bendiksby / NTB But there is concern in parts of the party that Ap has been pushed too far to the left. In politics as well as in rhetoric. Anyone who can read polls can see that voters are not fleeing to the left, but to the fence and to the Right. The fear is that it gives the party Høyre a large space to frolic. While it is in the center that the large number of voters are. Large playground in the center There are several reasons why it is like this. With SV’s key position in the Storting, many of the debates take place on SV and Rødt’s half of the pitch. It is often about welfare services, social benefits and free offers. With prices rising, much of the social debate is about people struggling to make ends meet. In the face of individual destinies and people standing in the food queue at the Poor House, politicians often fall short. Ways out of the crisis When Auf leader Astrid Hoem is to point a way out of the crisis for the Labor Party, it will be through increased social assistance, more housing allowance, free kindergarten and after-school. Labor needs a new social policy, is the diagnosis from former deputy leader Hadia Tajik, who wants to increase (and tax) child benefit. Many also believe that the rhetoric has been shifted, or pushed, to the left. It is about salmon barons, tax evaders, children and the stock exchange, major cleaning in working life and a ban on letting. The business world obviously feels undervalued by the government. Jonas Gahr Støre also announces a new policy for those who are hit hardest by rising prices. Old slogans revisited In a meeting with the government employees at Gol, Støre was keen to redefine the old slogan “we must create in order to distribute”. But Støre’s approach was not about what you traditionally put into creating value, such as industry and commercial activities. The message today was that child protection and BUP were also “creating values”. After the session at Gol, Støre could go home with the experience that things will go well with the party as long as they raise their social profile. In today’s political climate, all this advice and admonitions are hard to argue against, but you can also get lost in well-intentioned advice. It might have been easier for Støre if he had just been slapped a little.
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It might have been easier with a bit of a joke – Expression
