Could imitation of Norwegian politics mean less noisy argy-bargy in Scotland?
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IN a high-profile article in The National last week, Lesley Riddoch pointed out that the five Nordic countries now have social democratic governments for the first time in a generation. And she stressed that this was important for Scotland, as the company of the Nordic countries was far better than the current dysfunctional relationship Scotland has with the rest of the UK.
Norway has just elected a Social Democratic government (to be led by Jonas Gahr Støre, below), but my experience is that the way Norway chooses its government is very different from Scotland. For almost exactly 20 years now, Norway has been governed by coalition governments made up of three or four parties. Most recently, the SNP and the Greens formed Scotland’s first coalition government in 14 years.
READ MORE: Lesley Riddoch: The Model and the Opportunity Presented by Our Northern Neighbors
In Scotland, the differences between the five main parties – namely the SNP, Tories, Labor, Greens and Liberal Democrats – are all too clear. It would be difficult for a Conservative to vote for the Greens or vice versa. Likewise, it is difficult nowadays to imagine an SNP voter going to Labor.
But in Norway, more and more voters (including me) must seek advice on which party to vote for. The differences between the nine main parties represented in parliament are often very small. The most common complaint I heard from people before the last Norwegian election on September 13 was: âI can’t decide who to vote forâ. And we have a choice of nine main parties and a plethora of smaller ones representing minority interests.
Norwegian radio and several newspapers have therefore found a solution. They have designed a questionnaire where you are asked for your opinion on 25 to 30 questions. Your answers are then compared to the policies of the nine parties. You are then informed of the party to which your opinions are closest and therefore for which party you should vote. Questions range from whether you are for or against more immigration, building more cycle lanes, EU approval or rejection, private preschools, whether the Prime Minister is doing a good job, whether Norway should stop oil exploration, etc. In fact, I used this service and voted for a small party that was slightly to the right, but with liberal views on the environment and immigration. My wife used the same service but came up with a different party.
Because the differences between the parties are minimal, politics in Norway is very distinguished and civilized, and quite different from the murderous and virulent version I witness in Scotland. Perhaps Scotland, by imitating the Nordic Social Democrats, could introduce a little more divergent opinions and less loud argy-bargy?
Mike Fergus
Oslo, Norway
As a former shipyard worker, I too am both surprised and disappointed by the decision of the Calmac procurement organization to exclude Ferguson Marine from the tender for the new ferries.
After all, this facility does indeed belong to the Scottish people.
In my opinion, their tender criteria are too narrow. What if there was a more comprehensive assessment of the offers? Shouldn’t the judgment be on the best value for Scotland and the people of Scotland?
READ MORE: ‘No ifs and no buts,’ Kate Forbes told government-owned shipyard
Have some or all of the following been considered?
- The impact on the community of Inverclyde by excluding Fergusons
- The real costs of the absence of work for Fergusons
- The real costs for the unemployed and their families
- The carbon footprint of both increased delivery AND remote construction supervision
- Hidden or even secret subsidies in all or part of the selected countries
- Union recognition and employment practices What if all or even some of these elements were taken into account?
Willie Oswald
Blanefield
WE should remember the fatal Piper Alpha disaster, but that shouldn’t be the end of our thoughts on the cost of North Sea oil.
Just ten weeks later, there was another fatal explosion on September 22, 1988. The survivors of Ocean Odyssey were evacuated to the offshore oil rig I was a medic on.
Any personal impact of this experience is of no consequence when put in the context of the global temperature now being at its highest for at least three million years.
READ MORE: Conservatives’ call for PSMs to support new North Sea oil and gas projects dismissed
However, this global emergency is not always evident at the local level. Most of this temperature rise has taken place over the past 250 years, since the development of global warming and climate chaos caused by the carbon-producing industry previously using coal. This includes in particular the combustion of hydrocarbons such as those produced by oil from the North Sea.
If we in Scotland allow the burning of oil from the ‘new’ Cambo field in the West Shetlands, we are also liable for the damage done to the environment for our descendants when we could easily invest in a transition to works.
Norman Lockhart
Innerleithen
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