An agreement with the “deeds”

The Progress Party is getting smaller. The ceiling height is lowered.

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In 2013, Per Sandberg warned that the Progress Party should only consist of “smooth, polished billiard balls.” He fears that the party will cultivate polite and boring types of politicians in its quest for power. The FRP still had to be a little messy, he thought.

Without danger, you could say, seven years later.

There have hardly ever been more scandals and quirks. Travel expenses and metoo. The Bergen party was closed by force. The Sylvi Listhaug continuous noise machine. Sandberg’s own adventure in Iran. The case against Bertheussen. And on the horn, Carl I. Hagen still screams that man-made climate change is pointless.

A more staged protest party

That the party has been overdressed is not the main concern of the day. However, the lack of support is much worse for Siv Jensen.

And voters largely disappear to less complicated parties. Like the Center Party, for example.

Part of the appeal may lie in the fact that the party has become a more arranged protest party. One can speak against power without offering immigration proposals and a deaf climate from more or less central party members.

Espen Teigen, Sylvi Listhaug’s former doctor, has pointed out this challenge for the Progress Party. He pointed out that the Center Party has become “for the majority of the people, but without the exploits.”

National conservative rebellion

Some of these “feats” have been found together in Oslo Frp.

There burns a “national conservative” or “patriotic” fire. The uprising is led by Christian Tybring-Gjedde and former party leader Carl I. Hagen.

The concepts do not say much by themselves. But the bottom line is that they want an even clearer climate and resistance to immigration. His analysis is that there are voters who benefit from being more like Donald Trump.

This winter, they won with their favorite county leader candidate, Geir Ugland Jacobsen.

Since then, Jacobsen has undermined Siv Jensen and believes that Trump actually won the US election. This is the first thing the FRP organizing committee reacts to. A lot of strange things can be said as a county leader in Frp. But not about the party leader.

This is more than just a matter of loyalty. The reason Jacobsen has wanted more leadership candidates is precisely the political leadership. In this way, the case against him also becomes a broader settlement with the rebels.

Siv Jensen’s strategy has always been to minimize this environment. But the “patriots” also seem to have taken over Innlandet Frp. Carl I. Hagen will top the list at Oppland. Recently, they also won in the Aust-Agder nomination match.

Silencing the uprising has not been successful for the leaders. The fact that it is spreading is also a sign that Siv Jensen’s position in the match is not as strong as before.

Lower ceiling height

Ceiling height is rarely a problem in a large home. But the FRP is getting smaller in surveys.

It also makes acceptance lower for all kinds of weird outings. And the kind of culture war the patriots want is not seen as a winning strategy in other parts of the party.

Vestland, Møre og Romsdal and Rogaland asked the central board to consider closing Oslo Frp this summer, following one of Jacobsen’s proposals. The “nationalist crusade” had to end, they thought. The Western Norwegian Party is more concerned with corporate policy, taxes, fees and fighting bureaucracy.

Although the uprising is spreading, the party’s center of gravity is still on a more moderate line. The question in practice is how much room for maneuver the most intransigent culture wars will have.

The case against Jacobsen indicates that the answer is “less than before.” However, exclusion is a tremendous tool for a democratically elected county leader. Strictly speaking, Jacobsen only points to a political disagreement. It was by far the reason he got the job too. The wing can become even more rebellious if they feel unfairly treated.

Regardless of how this ends, the patriots of the Progress Party can take comfort in the fact that there is at least one national conservative party that is flying high in opinion polls right now.