Published: 29 November 2024 at 15:09Last updated: 29 November 2024 at 17:58
THE NEWS INTERVIEW: Trond Giske (58)
- Trond Giske from Trondheim is a former leader of AUF and a parliamentary representative for the Labor Party with 24 years of experience in the Storting (1997-2021).
- He has served as Minister of Education, Minister of Culture, and Minister of Business during Jens Stoltenberg’s three terms in office (2000-2001, 2005-2009, 2009-2013).
- In 2018, he resigned as deputy leader after violating the party’s rules on sexual harassment.This subsequently sparked intense power struggles within the Labour Party.
- In 2021, he left the Storting. Soon after, he became the leader of Nidaros Social Democratic Forum, which is now the Labour Party’s largest local chapter with 4,500 members.
- In the autumn of 2024, Trond Giske is trying too get nominated for a seat in the Storting for Sør-Trøndelag Labour Party.
– It is Saturday, November 30. There is a nomination meeting in the trøndelag Labour Party, electoral districts South and North – at a hotel in Hell. How do you envision this day will go?
– I envision it as a tidy and factual nomination meeting. It is indeed completely legitimate that there are several candidates and that people vote on who should be on the list. This happens in many counties, in many parties, so it is a natural part of a party’s work.
– It’s about your comeback in national politics. is this the most exciting meeting of your long political life?
– Not in terms of the outcome, as I’m very confident that there is a majority for the list I am on. So I have been to meetings that have been more exciting, and that have been related to politics. It has been 30 years as the referendum on EU, and back then we had some very exciting votes both in AUF and in the Labour Party, and not least in the actual referendum. those are probably meetings I remember as much more thrilling.
– In the 1994 referendum, you voted no and were on the winning side. So you feel you are on the winning side this time as well?
– Yes, I feel very confident about that.
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– You,as a former AUF leader: It must impress you that the newly elected AUF leader Gaute Skjervø is so harsh towards you? He is one of those who believes you “cleansed” the nomination meeting of others than your own supporters,and who writes in a debate article: “It is indeed sad to see how one individual can do so much harm to a party”?
– I do not appreciate personal attacks in politics. I believe we should talk about issues. we should talk about the housing crisis for youth. We should discuss the Gaza war or climate change. We should address fighting poverty or ensuring a more practical school. How Skjervø uses his time, that must be up to him.
– Still, there has been a lot of commotion surrounding your nomination, both in Trondheim Labour Party and Trøndelag Labour Party. If you win, will it be a victory that costs a bit more than it tastes? Do you feel that you have caused a division in Trondheim Labour Party?
– There are indeed divided opinions, both in Trondheim and in Trøndelag. We just have to live with that, but it’s completely normal when there are multiple candidates. It’s perfectly fair that several people are running for election. So we discuss, then we vote, and then we move on. We have done that before, and we will handle it well this time too.
– You are in Trondheim right now: Do you sense that your party is in upheaval? Do people become a bit tense when they see you coming?
– Hehe, no! We have many good processes. We are working on the party programme, preparing for the election campaign, educating people, and doing
– There was a debate in which you were asked if AUF was frustrated that they did not get a seat at the nomination meeting. But you replied that AUF has its spots,regardless?
– Yes,they have ten direct mandates to the nomination meeting,which they elect themselves,where they decide what they want to advocate.That is much better. In my time as an AUF member, we were completely bound by the decisions made by the municipal parties.
– The list of delegates that was finally adopted, do you still stand by it? Do you have any guilty feelings towards anyone, whether it be AUF or the trade union movement?
– No, absolutely not, but it is not me who has chosen it; it is over 100 delegates in the representatives’ council of Trondheim Labour Party who made that choice. It is the membership democracy that has decided the delegates for that list.
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– Let’s say you win and enter the Storting next autumn. Why do you want to be there so badly?
– I thought I was done with national politics when I left the Storting in 2021. but then I became the leader of a small local chapter that had nine members,and which now has 4,500 members. What has impressed me the most are all the stories people tell. They feel that it is very far from power, that they are not heard, that they have challenges in life that are not taken seriously, and that they hope that I will stand up and fight for them. That is probably the most important driving force. I experience that many of them say they are social democrats at heart,but that they do not recognize their party well enough.They are looking for a clearer party.
– What is the biggest difference between the party your members want and the party you have?
– I think the common denominator is that they want a stronger political control over important societal areas. That we are tougher in our governance. That we take action on the electricity market and ensure that electricity is an affordable resource for both people and businesses. That we also take stronger action on the housing market, so that we contribute to helping young people establish themselves and find a place to live. I think they want us to be even tougher in the fight against poverty and for fair distribution. Many are struggling to pay their bills and are deeply worried about their own economy.
– You woudl like to help revive the labour Party. do you think that will be your role in the Storting? And not least, in the election campaign before that?
– I hope that we make the adjustments necessary to lift ourselves. We have been below 30 percent for seven years, below 20 percent for two years, and now we have polls as low as 17.5 percent. It is indeed obvious that we must change to restore trust. We cannot wait for the voters to change! Then you can ask: Is this due to a strong right-wing wave? It is in the polls, but not in surveys about political attitudes. There is
– It is never pleasant to face personal attacks, but I actually believe that these personal attacks have contributed to my nomination. It creates awareness that I represent a course change, but also that people dislike that type of political debate. People want us to talk about their everyday lives and how we can make their lives better, not about ourselves and internal quarrels.
– It is indeed unavoidable that a nomination debate is about people. I think it is a very good rule that you speak well of those you support, and do not belittle others. We have adhered to that, making it more pleasant to be involved in politics, and increasing the chances that we will make a good choice after we finish the nomination.
– No, I just saw the headline. But I do feel that there is to some extent an underestimation of ordinary members. That it is believed that they cannot think for themselves, cannot form opinions by themselves, do not know what they are doing.I believe that is a very harmful approach. A party that does not take its members seriously can very quickly be suspected of not taking ordinary people seriously. This is a general trend in society today, that many feel they are not heard or seen. Last year, 1.6 million stayed home on election day. What happens next is that they get swept up by fringe parties.
In Norway, the Progress Party is surging, among other things, because they capture voters in this group. Many of them are people with low or middle incomes, people with vocational degrees, unskilled workers, people with ordinary, practical jobs. It was our historical task to give this working class a voice.If we fill that role, I believe many of them will return to us in the Labour Party.
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– The newspaper Nidaros also pointed out that over half of the members going to the nomination meeting for Trondheim Labour Party were born before the Berlin Wall was built in 1961. This may appear as an elderly uprising?
– It is a general trend in politics that there are very many over 50 involved. We have the youngest, and we have those who are so old that their children are adults, and we are missing that middle layer with young families. This has been the case for as long as I have been involved. I remember a survey of the membership of Trondheim Labour Party in the 1990s, where we had more members over 80 than under 30. So this is nothing new.
The Nomination Struggle in Trøndelag Labour Party Autumn 2024
August 15: After a meeting in Trondheim Labour Party, a majority stated they wanted Trond Giske as the top candidate on Sør-Trøndelag’s list for the 2025 parliamentary election.
September 12: It became known that onyl one of Sør-Trøndelag’s nine nomination committee members wants Giske in the Storting.
September 19: It was revealed that a majority in Trondheim Labour Party voted for Trond Giske as the top candidate again.
November 13: After a meeting in Trondheim Labour Party, it became clear that Trond Giske’s list of delegates for the nomination meeting on November 30 received a majority. It is indeed expected that a majority of these delegates will vote for Giske, who has faced strong criticism from, among others, 10 local party leaders in Trondheim Labour Party. They believe Giske and his supporters have overrun the minority and used “undemocratic means”.
November 20: The matter will be decided at Trøndelag Labour Party’s nomination meeting in Hell, Trøndelag. If Giske wins the vote for the parliamentary seat against the other candidate, Per Olav Hopsø, he will make a comeback in national politics.
– It started back in the EU fight in the early 1990s when I was on the no side in the party. so this is a role I am very used to. I was part of that struggle in 1992 in AUF and in the party,and in 1994 during the referendum.I believe the “no” vote was the right decision, and I stand by that. However, not everyone was equally pleased, and some of them probably still haven’t forgiven the fact that we won a no victory in 1994.
– There’s no doubt that we have had strife in the party since 2017. My experience is that we win elections when we are a broad coalition that comes together.
– Yes, I spent almost ten years in government under Jens Stoltenberg as prime minister, so I have had notable responsibilities. There has been no shortage of that.
– What is important to me is to have influence, because I want to fight for what I believe in. Politicians who say they are not concerned with power and influence should be viewed
– Yes. I truly thought I wouldn’t return. For the first time in 30 years, I was without a single position.Then I was asked to be the leader of a small local chapter with nine members. And neither I nor anyone else could foresee the incredible growth we would experience in membership.
– We struck a political nerve, showing enormous mobilization potential for social democratic politics. That gives a lot of hope that we can revive ourselves. I believe there are many who are sitting on the fence, or perhaps have even gone to other parties, who could come back to us if we are just clear and have a project they believe in. I believe the vast majority of the Norwegian people care about the Norwegian welfare state and the society we have built in Norway.
– I have actually written a book on this, titled “Worth Fighting For”. in it, I discuss what I call
– I have been out of national politics since 2021, so I don’t think anyone will succeed in placing the duty for the opinion polls on me. I also believe that our challenge is political, to present policies and visions that create support and trust.
– I perceive that the government is doing very well. Cheaper daycare and SFO, really good issues, very important to combat poverty. Much of what Kari Nessa Nordtun does in school policy, Tonje Brenna’s efforts for the workforce – a lot of it is really good, social democratic politics. Still, we are polling at 17-18 percent in some surveys, so something is standing in the way of our support.Partly, it is perceived that we are not sufficiently taking control of societal development and have been reactive in some issues related to fighting poverty and ensuring good economics. It is by no means too late to adjust this. There is less than a year until the election. We have a lot of good cases to present.
– In many issues, there are significant differences, such as in labor market policy and views on sick pay. The matters that need adjustment are those where the perceived differences might potentially be smaller, for example in electricity policy. If we show a willingness for social democratic governance, as generations before us have done, people will see the divide between us and the right side more clearly. I am completely convinced that this is an advantage for us.
– I live in Trondheim now and am registered in Trondheim. I spend most of my time here, and my family, who still live in Oslo, are here often. I have two parents who are nearing 90 and who need considerable help from me, so I spend a lot of my life in Trondheim.
– The eight years in Jens Stoltenberg’s red-green government from 2005 to 2013 are my favourite period, as Minister of culture and Minister of Business. Firstly, it was very beneficial to have a majority government. This made us much more capable of governance and action. The red-green government suited me very well: a social democratic foundation with a strong Labour Party,a Centre Party that pulled us a bit more towards the districts,and a Socialist Left Party that leaned more towards good redistribution policy. That suited my position in the Labour Party like hand in glove! I thrived very well there; there was good atmosphere, and we achieved a lot: full coverage of daycare, the cultural lift, and the handling of the financial crisis. I thought it was very unfortunate in 2021 that there was no Labour/Center/Socialist Left government. That would have been good for the country and for the three red-green parties.
– You have had some significant falls, such as in 2018 when you stepped down as deputy leader. Since then, you have made several attempts at a comeback. You are good at rising again after a fall?
– I’m not sure if it’s a ”comeback” we are talking about, as I’ve been involved in politics in my spare time as I left the Storting in 2021. It will be a comeback in a national political role,but my political heart burns all the time. I have a fundamentally good mood and a strong will to persevere, and I look forward to channeling that into working to improve people’s everyday lives.That’s what I am passionate about.
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What strategies can be implemented to unite party members and overcome divisions within the Trøndelag Labor Party?
Looks like there is a disconnect between our policies and voters’ perceptions, which is reflected in our current polling numbers. we need to ensure that we are not only implementing good policies but also effectively communicating our vision and the impact of our actions to the public.
As we head into the nomination struggle within the Trøndelag Labour Party, the tension around candidates like Trond Giske shows the growing rift among party members. On one hand, there is strong support for Giske, as highlighted by the majority votes in his favor. On the other hand, significant opposition exists, echoing concerns about internal democracy and representation.This division could have implications for the party’s unity and overall success in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
To win back disillusioned voters, especially those who feel overlooked by traditional parties, Labour must reaffirm its commitment to the working class, communicate effectively about its policies, and unite its members around common goals. Engaging younger families and those in the workforce with practical, relatable issues will be essential in expanding our base and reinforcing our historical mission as champions of social democracy in Norway.