Problem. Symptom. Rescuer. Mystery. It is not only dear children who have many names. Comeback kid Trond Giske once really managed to surprise. After observing how he maneuvered through the metoo cases, resigned as deputy leader and several times built himself up for new positions in the party, the impression was of a politician who never gave up. As a rule, it didn’t take many weeks from the time he retired before he was again able to find a village house far off the beaten track with coffee, waffles and a dozen people in attendance. He seemed unstoppable. Therefore, it almost felt like witnessing a historic moment when Trond Giske retired from politics at the emotionally charged county annual meeting of Trøndelag Ap in autumn 2020. There was both disappointment and relief in the hall during his farewell speech when he said that “I hardly know who I am without the Labor Party”. The listeners didn’t quite know what Trøndelag Ap was without Trond Giske either. Now neither the Labor Party nor Giske himself managed to figure it out. It was like April fools in August. Two years later, Giske is more present than ever. He has become so present that Ap’s central board now says that they will change the party’s statutes in a way that makes Giske lose influence. There are many reasons why the critic Giske is so demanding for the party to deal with, writes Tone Sofie Aglen. Photo: Joakim Halvorsen / NTB “We will come again, yes, we are already here” As leader of Ap’s largest local team, as the party’s most important internal opposition and not least as the politician talked about over cups of coffee and around the lunch table. What is he really thinking about? Although the answer is “blowing in the wind”, there is a noticeable change of pace. There are many reasons why the critic Giske is so demanding for the party to deal with. And with a Labor Party that is constantly in the 16th century, there is plenty of room for internal critics. Trond Giske understands power Both how to obtain it and how to use it. That is why he has always sought positions of trust in the party, however small and unimportant they may seem. This was the case with Nidaro’s Social Democratic Forum. A forgotten local team in Trondheim with 16 members when Giske “agreed to a voluntary local position in a small party team”. The rest is history. In just over a year, the local team has gained 3,000 members, and remains in considerable formal power. Not least in Trondheim Ap, which has its annual meeting on Friday. He never completely lost the informal power in the party team. He knows how power can be used. In politics, it’s not about being liked by everyone, but about winning a vote. Therefore, it was clear to everyone that the person who will become leader in Trondheim Ap, must have the support of Nidaros in order to be elected. A clearer critic of the party Alle who heard Giske’s speech to his own in Nidaros last week, could not help but notice that things are now getting tougher. Not only have Nidaros become the party’s leading mainstream critics. He has also become a more important dissenting voice when it comes to pensions, poverty and the line of work (that it should be more profitable to work than to receive social security). He also seems more systematic in finding the government’s weak point. There are areas where they struggle with their communication with voters. And Giske’s motivation appears unassailable: This is primarily bad for the people, not for the party. More than just criticizing politics, he has also become a critic of the system. Hints that Ap has become a party that is more concerned with protecting the system than serving the people are thick between the lines. Ingredients in Nidaros are current political issues mixed with coffee and waffles, courses for new members, all-singing trip, end of summer and Christmas party, writes Tone Sofie Aglen. Photo: Joakim Halvorsen / NTB “Ordinary people’s turn” was not dead Giske has made it his trademark to build politics from below. Every time Giske has recovered, it has been about taking a position as a grassroots and left-wing man. He speaks of ordinary people as “experts on lived life” in contrast to the political elite. Commentators also get their passports signed. This new, waffle-eating Giske provokes many of his party colleagues to no end. They believe he is operating under a false flag, and is really just an elite-mingling power politician in disguise. But politics is about getting people to believe in you. And there is a common denominator whether Giske is speaking to ten people in a village house in Snåsa or to thousands of TV viewers at news’s debate: He has a unique ability to excite many who belong to the Labor Party. Party builder with a cup of coffee At the annual meeting last week, he warned against stripping Nidaro of influence. While Giske has managed to engage several thousand members, many have speculated how that influence will be limited. The fact that many of Giske’s members live in other parts of the country is worrying and upsetting. Now APS’s central board has therefore decided that the power will be curtailed. It should perhaps be a cross of thought for Ap (and other parties) that they could have a thing or two to learn from him. Under the motto “pleasant and interesting”, the local team in Trøndelag has organized 30 board meetings, 12 member meetings and one political festival this year. Ingredients are current political issues mixed with coffee and waffles, courses for new members, all-singing trip, end of summer and Christmas party. The average age may be high, but many are members of a party for the first time. And it is definitely about ordinary people who are talked about a lot in the party speeches. Trond Giske speaks to his own members during the annual meeting of Nidaro’s social democratic forum. Photo: Bjarte Johannesen / news The contrast is particularly stark with the Labor Party’s power structure, which is certainly effective in good times, but which is hardly suitable to bring new oxygen into the room. The party’s powerful central board is so full of ministers that it is joked that the meetings there are mistaken for government conferences. Eager journalists who call around to the county leaders in the country to hear how satisfied they are with the government’s efforts, stand back. Because if you call Akershus, it is Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt who answers the phone. In Trøndelag, you will be able to speak to Health Minister Ingvild Kjerkol. Labor Minister Marte Mjøs Persen is county leader in Vestland. And they are satisfied with the government’s efforts, if you were in any doubt. It may seem a long way from a members’ meeting in Nidaros to the central board of Ap. But it can also be short. Trond Giske has burned himself before for being too impatient in his eagerness to return to power. At the same time, it is not certain that the Nidaros wave will last forever. Where will this end? It is somewhat reminiscent of an episode in the film classic Forrest Gump, with the character Tom Hanks immortalized in the 90s. After a personal defeat, Forrest Gump started running. At first people looked strangely at this creature that just ran and ran. Gradually more people joined in, he got more and more attention and eventually he had a long tail of followers who followed him. Where were they really going? Nobody knew that. But in an Ap that digs at the bottom, there is room for a Trond Giske.
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The problem Trond Giske – Speech
