– I was tired of solving world problems in the living room and in the office, says Silje Natalie Kvello. The 36-year-old is making his debut as a politician in the role of Venstre’s first candidate in Vestvågøy municipality. Initially, it was the threefold division of parental leave that annoyed Kvello so much that she thought “I have to join politics and discuss the issues there, if I am going to help decide.” But after this year’s election campaign, she has realized that politics is not quite what she thought it was. – It’s almost like I feel I could have contributed to more change if I had signed up as a volunteer, she says. WILL DECIDE: Stamsund is one of the towns in Vestvågøy municipality, where Silje Natalie Kvello hopes to get a seat on the municipal council. Photo: kari skeie / news You don’t need to know everything In a reader’s post in Lofot-Tidende, Kvello tells his experiences. The first revelation she had was that you don’t need to be an expert in everything as a local politician in an election campaign. – When I sat with my nose in documents about water and sewage, the others stood by. I thought it was about finding realistic solutions and presenting them. Instead, it is a lot about creating as much buzz and attention as possible around controversial topics, she says. – I don’t want to be like that. I don’t just want to talk about the fact that we have to solve the teacher crisis, but rather present 11 measures for how to keep the teachers here in Vestvågøy. During his time as a new local politician, Kvello has received many good tips and advice from more experienced politicians, across the parties. Something she is very grateful for. But one of the pieces of advice from a ring fox in another party shook her a little. – The person said that if I am to be visible, I had to speak out on the topics that are controversial and most hotly debated. He clarified that it was because we are in the middle of an election campaign and that after the election campaign we can spend time on other topics, says Kvello. – It’s a shame if that’s how it works. Then it will always be the case that only the topics that affect the most people win out. – What does it do to you? – I’m losing a bit of motivation. Here in the municipality, for example, we have some people who do not have water they can drink because of too high an iron content. They are so few that that matter is never given priority. From time to time, those issues also have to be prioritized. Tone Sofie Aglen, political commentator at news, shares Kvello’s view. THE MEDIA IS IMPORTANT: Political commentator Tone Sofie Aglen believes that local media are particularly important for promoting local politics. – At the same time, the politicians must become better at bringing out the differences, and bring out their own personal qualities. – It has been an election campaign where the big cities have received a lot of attention. For example, the discussion around the privatization of elderly care. In many municipalities it is not a challenge, but it can be more difficult for small political matters to penetrate that wall. Asbjørn Røiseland is a professor at Oslo Met. He sees a change in local politics that is worrying. WHO ARE THEY? Professor at Oslo Met, Asbjørn Røiseland, believes that more politicians should focus more on their qualities as political leaders than issues in an election campaign. Photo: Markus Thonhaugen / news – In many municipalities, a form of polarization has occurred. The politicians are trying to create conflict, even though it doesn’t exist, he says. But Silje Natalie Kvello in Vestvågøy hopes the policy works differently in the municipal council. Above all expectations – Election campaigns can be a lot of strategy, but I think that in the municipal council itself, when the politicians are prepared, it is much more about solutions, says Kvello. And now she gets the opportunity. The Liberal Party captured 2.1 percent of the vote. It gives one mandate in the municipal council. The municipal council in Vestvågøy Vestvågøy has undefined seats in the municipal council. The places are distributed as follows: – It is beyond all expectations. We started the election campaign so late that I didn’t think we would make it, she says. – What do you hope to be able to contribute? – I hope to be able to contribute with concrete solutions and ideas, and to be creative and innovative. Although she is now looking forward to taking on a completely new task, she has met with skepticism after she. – Why do you want yourself so badly? – There is never anyone who reacts positively to the word politician, says Kvello. – You have those who ask why I want myself so badly. The arguments are usually that politicians never agree, that they only argue and use ruling techniques. – They say that as a politician I will only “promise and lie”. Political commentator Tone Sofie Aglen talks about surveys that show that trust in local politicians is significantly lower than in Storting politicians. – One is about local politicians being less profiled. Furthermore, it is about the fact that these are ordinary people who often have no political experience. They are not professionals in the same way as the national politicians. But that is also the point of local politics, says Aglen. – In the end, it’s about proximity. Often there can be too close relationships in local politics. The mayor can be the annoying neighbor or a business leader you think is a little high on himself. Then it must be added that we have been through a few years with a general crisis of confidence in politicians, and this affects local politicians as well. Silje Natalie Kvello herself tries to listen to those who do not trust politicians. Missing clearer language – It is often about the fact that they have voted for parties that have issued different messages that they have not subsequently done anything about, and that people feel deceived. – What does that do to you as a politician? – It is demotivating. At the same time, it motivates me that if I only get one good thing through, then everything has been worth it. And Silje Natalie Kvello already has clear plans for the next election campaign. – I miss an election campaign based on facts, so that people know what to base their vote on. Preferably also where you can get information that is true. And debates where the politicians don’t just interrupt each other, she says. – And then we have to talk so that people understand what we are talking about. Does everyone know what social liberalism is, for example? We must have more understandable language, so that more people get involved in politics.
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Silje i Venstre debuts as a politician, and asks questions about democracy – news Nordland
