These days, the budget in the 356 municipalities in Norway is decided. All over the country there are representatives on municipal councils who, for various reasons, have left the party they were elected to. Many of them end up in a position where they can decide municipal policy. That can make politics ungovernable, the KS director believes. Create your own budget In November, news told the story of Thor Arne Angelsen in Bodø. After the former Ap politician defied his own party, he claims that the party responded by calling him mentally unstable. Angelsen delivered a notice against, among others, mayor Ida Pinnerød to the party’s central office. The conclusion was that none of the Labor Party’s guidelines against harassment had been breached. Here is the case about Thor Arne Angelsen The reason why Angelsen chose to defy his own party was because he wanted to secure more money for the schools in Bodø. He suggested reducing the municipal director’s proposal for cuts in the bodø school from 17 to 11 million kroner. According to Angelsen and the group leaders from Høgre and Frp, it was this that caused the leadership in the Labor Party and the Center Party in Bodø to say that Angelsen was mentally unstable. They were therefore told not to take Angelsen’s proposal seriously. Despite this, Angelsen’s proposal was adopted. The schools in Bodø only got a cut of 11 million kroner. In the end, Angelsen left the party. Now he is an independent political representative. He can therefore become the tipping point for how Bodø will use its money next year. – In the proposal I am presenting to the city council tomorrow, there is investment in both health, care, upbringing and culture. The main part lies in reversing proposals for cuts in the service offer, says Angelsen. – How big a chance do you think you have of gaining traction? – It is of course limited. I only have one vote. In its budget, Angelsen wants, among other things, to give more to swimming facilities and the speech therapy service in Bodø. – I think it is essential to have a good offer. Photo: Sofie Retterstøl Olaisen / news Nevertheless, Angelsen believes that his budget has a chance. Namely, there are no budget proposals with a majority yet. – Then there is a possibility that politicians from other parties can vote for my proposal if their proposal does not get through, explains the former Ap politician. But can also end up sitting in a tilting position. If his budget proposal is not passed, he can choose for himself which proposal he votes for. Ap politician and university lecturer Thor Arne Angelsen has resigned from the party after party colleagues are said to have used his mental health as an argument against the fact that his proposal in the city council was not to be trusted. – What do you think about sitting in such a position of power? – That is the democratic system we have. I don’t do anything to use force, but I think my proposal is more in line with the election program of Ap and the cooperation agreement that the party has come up with, he says and adds: – If I don’t get a majority, I can vote for something else. – Are you going to vote for the Labor Party’s budget proposal then? – The result may be that I vote for Ap’s budget if no other budget gets a majority in the first round. And there are several examples of this in Norwegian municipalities, according to experts. – Politics is becoming more unpredictable Helge Eide, area director of KS, says that they do not have figures on how many similar cases there are in municipalities in Norway. Namely, only the local municipality has an overview of registrations and cancellations of local parties. Nevertheless, they are aware of the challenge. – There are a good number of municipalities where changes in the parliamentary basis create greater unpredictability in municipal politics. Helge Eide, area director for society, welfare and democracy in KS believes that it is a challenge for the municipalities that politicians join and leave parties. Photo: Wilhelm Sverdvik / news In Lillestrøm municipality, around 10 percent of the municipal council are now independent representatives. In Brønnøy, the local Center Party is under the administration of the Nordland Center Party. The reason must be that the party has distanced itself from the party’s own mayor. One also sees several independent representatives in Indre Østfold, Sarpsborg, Nore og Uvdal and Hvaler municipalities. – What do you think this does to democracy in the municipalities? – Politics can become more unpredictable if the proportion of vagrants becomes large. – Of course, it is a challenge for representative democracy. It rests on the fact that the party has gone to the polls on a programme. But as long as the representative who has opted out sticks to the programme, he does not think it is such a big challenge for democracy. – But for management efficiency in the municipality, it could become a problem. For mayors and administrations that depend on stability, it is of course a challenge. – Most of them are loyal to the party news spoke to several defectors already in the autumn of 2019. Several of these told about, among other things, personal conflicts within the local law. As is the case with Angelsen in Bodø. Jonas Stein, associate professor of political science at UiT says that it is not uncommon for party politicians to leave their own party. Jonas Stein, associate professor of political science at UiT, says many politicians who prefer to be independent representatives prefer the election program to the party. Photo: Rune Nordgård Andreassen / news – These politicians have been chosen on an individual basis. Internal things can happen in the party or a change of opinion. They are free to choose which party basis they will vote for. – What does this do to the distribution of power in municipal politics? – It is possible to make quite a few plurals without Angelsen. But if he chooses to vote with the bourgeois parties, he must tell why. At least 32 representatives and 16 deputy representatives had already fallen out with their own party a month and a half after the election in 2019. Nevertheless, he does not think it is beyond the power of the party. – The vast majority are loyal to the party. And most parties continue to govern just fine, even if they lose a representative. Stein adds that it takes a lot to oust a mayor during one term. – It is precisely to prevent someone from leaving the party to use it as a means of pressure. It is a security mechanism in politics. Political commentator in news, Lars Nehru Sand has heard about the argument in Bodø. He thinks it is a special case. Photo: Vidar Ruud Political commentator in news, Lars Nehru Sand, says it is difficult to say whether the budget proposal for the mayor’s coalition will fail as a result of independent representatives. – But there is tension linked to the budget decision in both Bergen and Kristiansand. – Budget decisions are very important for a mayor. If such things make it difficult, it is a potential democratic challenge, and something that affects the entire management of the municipality. People have come closer For Thor Arne Angelsen in Bodø, the time before the budget reconciliation this year was different from previous years. He has actually been called down by the man in the street. – I have received an awful lot of inquiries from, among other things, residents, council representatives and user representatives who want to be included in the budget, says Angelsen. He himself assumes that he has received at least 30 inquiries from, among other things, swimming teachers, speech therapists, nurses and teachers. – This is completely new to me, and it is very interesting. It is something that several of my colleagues with large city council groups should definitely experience. – It’s not a criticism, but you get much closer to people with interests you didn’t know before. I have learned a lot.
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Thor Arne Angelsen can tilt Bodø’s economy by virtue of being without a party – news Nordland
