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Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap) is getting rid of three problems: the electricity crisis, the foreign minister and the high prices. The dark age is at the end of the road, writes Dagbladet commentator Sondre Hansmark.
LIGHT IN THE TUNNEL: Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre can face brighter times. Photo: Bjørn Langsem / Dagbladet Show more
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Published on Monday 16 October 2023 – 05:36
Almost ever since its conception, the Ap/Sp government has been in serious trouble.
Recently, Jonas Gahr Støre and Trygve Slagsvold Vedum were able to celebrate their second anniversary since the two and their chosen, hopeful ministers wandered out onto Slottsplassen.
But it is not exactly a period of growing pains that the government is in. At their worst opinion polls, the two governing parties together have been halved with the general election.
Because if there hasn’t been a power crisis and deplorable opinion polls, then there have been various ministers’ scandalous resignations and disqualification crises.
Then you can debate until you are blue in the face about whether the government is struggling because it is doing a bad job, or whether there are external circumstances that are weighing on it.
Anyway: Now we are probably at a watershed.
Jonas Gahr Støre is getting rid of three rather big problems:
The electricity crisis, the minister who means that he has not been able to criticize Erna Solberg’s disability crisis, and last but not least: the expensive era.
Although the Ap polls are still historically low, there is now no fear that the party will see 14 figures as it did at Christmas time last year.
The government suffered its first serious setback when electricity prices skyrocketed just a few months after taking office. At its worst, it cost NOK 9 to use one kilowatt-hour of electricity before the electricity subsidy was factored in.
But few talk about electricity prices anymore. There is no longer any popular demand to change the power market, and political slogans such as “maximum price for electricity” are almost a distant memory.
The power price committee handed over on Thursday its report to the government. A year ago it was the hottest potato in Norwegian politics. But few care about either the selection or the electricity crisis anymore.
Electricity prices have plummeted compared to December last year, and eyes are on the Gaza Strip, the biggest integrity scandals and the announced changes in the government.
The magazine capacity is also significantly higher than it was in both 2022 and 2021. It is also higher than the median of the last twenty years. The extreme weather Hans must have his share of the credit for that.
The power analysts therefore do not expect the same price level as in previous years through this winter.
As sources confirm to Dagbladet: Anniken Huitfeldt is leaving the government against her will. Just before the election, it became known that her husband had bought and sold shares while she was a minister. In practice, it has silenced the entire Labor Party, which would actually use the opportunity when Erna Solberg is down for the count to push her out.
Now he doesn’t have to take such considerations into account. Dismissing Anniken Huitfeldt is part of the desire to get rid of Erna Solberg as a political opponent.
Finally: the expensive time. The interest rate peak may already have been reached, or it will probably be reached in December. Over the next two years, interest rates will fall, and people will probably experience a better development in purchasing power.
Inflation is already on the way down from record high levels. Statistics Norway recently pointed out that a number of the drivers behind the high inflation are now in retreat.
For Støre, it may herald a new era. The right has begun to fall in the opinion polls, and the gap between the two blocs in Norwegian politics is closing.
For the first time since Jonas Gahr Støre took office as Prime Minister, he seems to have the momentum in Norwegian politics.
2023-10-16 03:39:58
#crisis
