Conservatives accuse Vedum of spreading billions and monopoly money – NRK Norway – Summary of news from different parts of the country

Each fall, all parties present an alternative state budget to show how they would prioritize if they ruled the country. This fall, only the Center Party has yet to present its budget. District and Digitization Minister Linda Hofstad Helleland (H) believes this does not stop SP leader Trygve Slagsvold Vedum from spreading multi-billion dollar pledges.

– I suspect that the Center Party is waiting for its alternative budget to be able to do more where it suits it. Since last week alone, they have proposed bailing out Norwegian, doubling a 22 billion kronor crisis package, and will burn several billion kronor more than any of the other parts of the Storting believe it is right to spend on defense Helleland says.

She believes SP’s pledges last week amounted to more than 50 billion kronor. And then the rescue plan for Norwegian is not included.

– It seems that Sp’s calculator exploded, says Helleland.

Accuses Vedum of spreading billions

Now the Conservatives are asking Vedum and Sp to come up with their alternative budget and show if they can really pay off their promises or if they are misleading their own voters.

– The branch of the Vedum parade is to criticize everything and everyone, and then sprinkle with billions for good causes. But now that Vedum has become a prime ministerial candidate, one must be able to hope not to gamble with the monopoly money. So you have to have your finances in order. Then you have to put a budget on the table that says whether it’s cuts in big welfare plans or unparalleled breaches of promises, Helleland says.

Believe Vedum plays strategic games

In the Storting, the FRP negotiates with the ruling Conservative, Liberal and Christian Democratic parties. It is speculated that Sp is deliberately withholding its alternative budget.

Instead of focusing on their own budget, they position themselves based on what the rest of us do to improve ourselves in the areas that are important to them. It is not an alternative budget that they present, but a comment on what the rest of us do, fiscal policy spokesman Ola Elvestuen (V) tells Dagbladet.

It is supported by Sylvi Listhaug from FRP.

– It has become the way Sp works now. They see what the others come up with and then hang up a bit, Listhaug tells Dagbladet.

Ask conservatives to focus on their own budget

Vedum takes criticism with crushing calm. He believes that conservatives and others should focus more on getting their own budget negotiations in the port than on worrying whether the Social Democrats have presented theirs.

Helleland has made up those numbers himself. We have delivered an alternative budget each year that has risen with a lower tax bracket than the Conservatives and the Green Party. We are responsible. What we fear is that not enough is being done to reduce unemployment and ensure preparedness. That the Conservative minister spends time on when Sp will have a press conference is completely incomprehensible, says Vedum.

He adds that the Center Party will meet the Storting’s deadline to deliver the budget next Friday. At the same time, he points out that this year it is the Conservatives who have asked for an extension of the deadline for budget work.

– We have chosen to spend more time talking to people and less time at press conferences. It is also good advice for conservatives. Less time for press conferences and more time to talk to people, says Vedum.