The Labor Party’s city council leader in Bergen, Rune Bakervik, is now opening up to resign, and to start talks with Høgre and the party’s city council leader candidate, Christine Meyer. Ap grounds this with an attempt to save that the Bybanen to Åsane is built. The big political issue in Bergen is whether this light rail route should be built along the front of Bryggen, or in a tunnel under the area behind Bryggen. – If my eventual departure can save Bybanen, I am willing today – as I was last week – to discuss it with Meyer. That’s what Bakervik wrote on SMS. He claims he has conveyed this to her several times, but that she has not been interested. It was BT who first reported the case. Bakervik: – Meyer is unpredictable Monday evening there is a meeting of the representatives of the Bergen Labor Party. Instead of the planned evaluation of the election and the election campaign, much of the meeting has been about the political situation after the election. Bakervik commented in his speech that it may be him now resigning as city council leader. – If there is something that I and the Labor Party can do for Bybanen, then we are ready to talk about it. And if this ends with us going into opposition, we must of course use the time to rebuild ourselves as a party, and we must be ready to take power at the first opportunity again. Although Bakervik invites Høgre to talks, he comes down hard on his opponent: – If there is one thing the days since the election have taught me, it is that Meyer is unpredictable and lacks control. City council leader Rune Bakervik says on Monday evening that it may be that he resigns and the Labor Party goes into opposition in Bergen, in order to contribute to the construction of the Bybanen to Åsane. Photo: Tony Roald Ågotnes / news Rematch or not The background is that Meyer guaranteed in the election campaign a number of times that there would not be a rematch for the light rail route if Høgre gets city council power. She also stated that it is more important to build the Åsane line than to take over the power of the city council in Bergen. Nevertheless, after the election, Høgre conducted soundings with the Progress Party (Frp), the Center Party (Sp), the Bergen List and the Industrial and Business Party (INP), all of whom want or demand a rematch against the Bryggen alternative for Bybanen. Now Høgre, Frp and Sp are negotiating to form a minority council as a team. Meyer, for his part, directs the fire back at Bakervik: – I am a little surprised by those characteristics and wonder if the invitation is actually meant sincerely. She claims that she has told Bakervik several times that she would like to collaborate across Høgre and Ap, and hopes they can make it happen in the next city council term. – That invitation still stands, but now we are in discussions with parties other than Ap, she says. Høgre went to the rematch party Until Thursday, Høgre negotiated with Venstre and Christian People’s Party to form city councils as a team. These three parties do not want a rematch for the light rail route, but do not have a majority in the new city council after the local elections. On Thursday afternoon, she tried to get Bakervik to leave before 4 p.m. the same day, to help “save the Bybanen til Åsane”. Bakervik rejected that, because he was in the middle of investigations with other parties about a possible city council collaboration. Thus Meyer broke with Venstre and KrF and instead turned to a party that is against the Bybanen langs Bryggen, or against the Bybanen altogether. Meyer has placed the responsibility on Bakervik for the fact that he has now turned to the rematch party in order to get a majority to take over the city council. Right-wing city council leader candidate Christine Meyer has turned to the “rematch party” in order to secure a majority to take over city council power, and says the invitation from Ap comes too late. Photo: Linnea Skare Oskarsen / news Høgre rejects Bakervik’s response On Monday, Bakervik responded by accepting the invitation that Meyer gave before the weekend. But now she doesn’t exactly welcome him with open arms. – I am very happy that the Labor Party has now turned around and realizes that there is a need for broad reconciliation and a constructive conversation across the blocs in the next city council term. But now we are in discussions with other parties, as a direct consequence of Bakervik saying no to Høgre’s handout last week, she wrote in an SMS. Meyer further writes that Høgre’s goal is to ensure a change and a bourgeois city council. – The right is for building a light rail to Åsane. If the Labor government actually believes that the Bybanen should be realised, then there is nothing to prevent them from lending money – also if the tunnel alternative is paid out. Meyer: – Too late. On Monday afternoon, Meyer tells news that Bakervik is too late to respond to the invitation from Høgre. – He had two weeks to do something about this, while we sat after the election and worked to find a solution where the route over Bryggen could be safe. We sat and waited, and we extended a hand, which he chose to decline. In the end, Høgre had no choice but to try to get a governing majority on the other side. – You reject Bakervik and Ap when it comes to the light rail route? – I hope that in the coming city council term we can get cross-functional cooperation on many big, important issues: care for the elderly, schools, speeding up housing development. But precisely when it concerns the specific matter of the light rail, we probe with others. – Is it only appropriate for Høgre to go to Ap if these probes do not lead? – I have faith that this will be able to lead. The talks promise very well, says Meyer.
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– They are out too late – news Vestland
