That the connection between the labour movement and social democratic parties were strong in the past has always been known. That the labour unions poured money into these parties was a part of the game, in the same way as the confederations of entreprises funded the conservative parties. However, placing conditionalities on these fondings were never an issue, as these parties were seen as promoting the interests of their financial contriubtors even if they differed on some issues. In Norway this was the case until the 1990s when NHO, the Norwegian Commerce Organisation, decided to no longer be a partisan actor and stopped sending cheques to the Conservative Party. Soon after followed LO, the main labour union, who ended its century-old partnership with Labour. This however, seems like nothing but a short intermission today.
In 2004, well before the 2005 general elections, Gerd-Liv Valla, then head of LO, pumped vast sums of mony into the Labour election machine and initiated "The Long Campaign" desitned to (succesfully) replace the then centre-right governing coalition with today's so-called red-green centre-left government. As a "thank you" for the support Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg made labour union membership tax deductable. It is now under a year left to the next general elections, due to take place in September 2009, an the debate over financial support has once again been revitalised. As I've mentionned in an earlier post Ms Liv Signe Navarsete, cabinet minister and leader of the Centre Party, as threatened to oppose the implementation of the Services Directive in Norway. She has now a mighty ally. Leading figures in LO agitate that unless PM Jens Stoltenberg (who is a staunch pro-European and who's spine reflex is economic liberal) and his Labour, who holds 10 out of 19 ministerial posts, vetos the directive they can forget funding for next year.
Allow me to repeate and rephrase that last part: LO, the main financial contributor to Labour, threatens to withdraw its support unless the Government does a certain thing. Or in other words, if Labour do oppose the directive, they will then gain the financial and moral backing of LO. In my eyes this looks very much like buying and selling of votes, or corruption as some might call it.
In 2004, well before the 2005 general elections, Gerd-Liv Valla, then head of LO, pumped vast sums of mony into the Labour election machine and initiated "The Long Campaign" desitned to (succesfully) replace the then centre-right governing coalition with today's so-called red-green centre-left government. As a "thank you" for the support Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg made labour union membership tax deductable. It is now under a year left to the next general elections, due to take place in September 2009, an the debate over financial support has once again been revitalised. As I've mentionned in an earlier post Ms Liv Signe Navarsete, cabinet minister and leader of the Centre Party, as threatened to oppose the implementation of the Services Directive in Norway. She has now a mighty ally. Leading figures in LO agitate that unless PM Jens Stoltenberg (who is a staunch pro-European and who's spine reflex is economic liberal) and his Labour, who holds 10 out of 19 ministerial posts, vetos the directive they can forget funding for next year.
Allow me to repeate and rephrase that last part: LO, the main financial contributor to Labour, threatens to withdraw its support unless the Government does a certain thing. Or in other words, if Labour do oppose the directive, they will then gain the financial and moral backing of LO. In my eyes this looks very much like buying and selling of votes, or corruption as some might call it.
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