Politicians must stop lying about each other.
Sylvi Listhaug’s (Frp) harsh outburst against MDG politician Josefine Gjerde is deeply problematic. Photo: Stian Lysberg Solum / NTB (Archive)
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Manager–This is a leader. The editorial expresses Bergens Tidende’s journalistic idea: A party-politically independent, independent, liberal and bourgeois (non-socialist) newspaper.–
Josefine Gjerde (MDG) will not give birth until she can be sure that the world will reach its goals in the Paris Agreement. Gjerde is MDG’s second candidate for the Storting in Hordaland. The emission cutter will prevent uncontrolled warming that has enormous consequences for life on earth.
“I fear for the future of the children. We have to halve the emissions if we are to reach the goals, and at today’s pace I am not sure that we can do it “, said Gjerde to Dagbladet.
She has joined the campaign “Birthstrike”, where the women who participate refrain from giving birth before the climate crisis is averted.
It has created violent reactions.
Frp leader Sylvi Listhaug raged against “baby shame” and claimed the following in Dagbladet: “They do not just want to take from us the car, the Friday taco and trips to the south, now they will go after our children.”
That is simply not true.
On the contrary, Gjerde said that it is not immoral to have children. “It is not having children that is stupid, but the fact that we are engaged in predation on the planet”, Listhaug could read Gjerde say.
Politicians must be too good at spreading lies about each other. It restricts the space for expression in political discussions. By exaggerating so much, Listhaug opens the door for a young woman to be provoked on the internet.
—-Josefine Gjerde is MDG’s second candidate for the Storting from Hordaland. Photo: Private
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The media also has a responsibility in such cases.
It does not appear that Listhaug has been met with critical questions about the claim that Gjerde goes after the children. On the contrary, Dagbladet used the erroneous claim that Gjerde “goes after the children” to lure people into the case.
It’s sad, and contributes to a poorer public conversation.
It should be unnecessary to remind the Progress Party that women themselves must be allowed to decide whether they want to have children. It’s their bodies and their choices.
Those who choose not to have children – regardless of the reason – must be allowed to choose it without the FRP leader interfering.
Gjerde’s personal choice not to have children until the world has gained control of the climate crisis, of course, has politics in it.
But the fact that the FRP is furious at a young woman’s personal choice not to have children, shows how bad things are in the party during the day.
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