(Forwarded) Far Right Advancing In Norway ====================== The ultra rightists, with the absurd name "The Progressive party", gets support from nearly 30% of the population while neo-nazi group takes to the streets of Norway. By Tarald B. Ellingsen Who are the worst enemies of democracy in a society that is getting more and more anti-democratic as its capitalist nature gets both rougher and clearer in the era of Globalisation and Neo-liberalism? This is an interesting question to examine. - Is it the most powerful, or may be anti- social drop-outs like neo-nazis? The social democrats versus Progressive party According to different opinion polls published lately the ultra- right Progressive party has surpassed the social democrats as the largest party in Norway. These two parties have publicly placed each other respectively as their main rivals, but in parliament they vote together, not only from time to time, but on nearly all mayor questions regarding industry and defence. Both parties leaderships are pro- membership for Norway in European Union, - which has been voted down by the Norwegian people in referendums in 1972 and 1994. But the Progressive party has recently taken the tactical standpoint that the relationship with EU should not be changed in the forthcoming session of Parliament. - Most probably to avoid hard internal debates and uncertainties who can effect the results of the parliamentary elections next year. These questions plagues the social democrats each time debated . The social democrats also has a serious problem with its leadership. The party leader and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Thorbjørn Jagland, has been a media clown for too long and the Prime Minister, Jens Stoltenberg, child of Thorvald Stoltenberg, ex- minister of Foreign Affairs and former UN- official in Bosnia, is the most unpopular prime minister in Norway ever, regarded as a yuppie born to political power in one of the most influential families in the sector of the party that in Norway is called "academically social democracy". Carl I. Hagen, the charismatic and popular leader of PP, has indeed not this problem with "selling party politics", as politicians themselves call the game they are playing nowadays. He has many times said that the social democratic party has been his main political instrument, and that to change that party has been PPs main political triumph so far. The chance of PP to enter government after next election can not be ruled out. But all parties except The Conservative party has expressed unwillingness to form a coalition government which includes PP. Small group versus big group When a group of maximum 40 neo-nazi extremists in early August applied to the police authorities to get permission to celebrate Rudolf Hess with a march in Oslo at his death day, this was treated as a serious request by the police and therefore also widely debated in society as a "question of freedom of expression". The application was first turned down by a formal argument that another event was going to take place at the same time, but after receiving a new application with a route redirected to the Israeli Embassy it was turned down because of "the possibility of slandering of an ethnical group". The nazis went to Askim, a small town in south-eastern Norway, and arranged an illegal demonstration, which they now are charged fore, there. A wide spectrum of organisations and personalities who had participated in the debate and demanding abolishment of such manifestations arranged a public meeting in Oslo with 15 000 participants the same day the nazis intended to demonstrate in Oslo. There some speakers took the opportunity to talk about the general threat of anti- democratic and totalitarian ideologies which should not bee able to survive last century, - following the rightist intellectual trend of referring to socialism and communism as equal threats to democracy and with a historical record more bloody than the nazis. It was the defeated social democratic candidate for the post as mayor in Oslo last year, Aase Kleveland, who came with this remarks in her speech at the meeting. The Progressive party was also a part of the platform against neo-nazism. This was of course very important for them as they showed themselves in the company of other good established democrats. With its anti- immigrant demagogic practice, far-right populist platform and a leader, Carl I Hagen, who is the far most popular politician in Norway this party close to a classical fascist one - is clearly a bigger problem for so-called Norwegian democracy than small and criminal nazi-groups, which could be dealt with because they are criminals. The Communist party of Norway (NKP) and The Norwegian young communist league (NKU) where on our side even removed from the list of organisations supporting the demonstration by the organisers. Nazi Sub-culture The neo-nazis are not as good organised in Norway as in Sweden, Denmark, Germany, where they have killed several people during the last years, and also many other countries - but rapidly growing probably because of the exaggerated focus they get from media on their few activities together with the fact that they have managed to build up a sub-cult industry by producing and selling records and different nazieffects. They can play this game because of lacking laws against these organisations and manifestations organised by criminal fascist, racist and nazi groups. Can it be that the establishment need them? - not in the classical way as described by Dimitrov as "reserve troops of capitalism" but to show to the public a false democratic and anti-totalitarian picture of oneself while confronting both red and brown beasts? The nazi problem is anyway used to serve exactly that purpose, in Norway as in many other countries. *End*
