Money is the least problem – VG

Petty and antisocial. A tax scandal and a champagne party for the rich. A climate disappointment and a budget that punishes ordinary workers. A poisoned arrow and a request for resignation.

The opposition shows as much restraint in vocabulary as the government shows restraint in spending. Something is at least as normal at a time that, according to Finance Minister Jan Tore Sanner (H), is characterized by great uncertainty.

Reactions to the state budget are usually written long before a single page is read, but there are still some reactions that the government is paying more attention to than others. Sylvi Listhaug will negotiate the state budget on behalf of Frp. And the government can take comfort in the fact that she did not choose the words “a request to resign.”

On the other hand, he describes as “petty and antisocial” the 1,514.8 billion that the state will spend next year, and “a strong reminder of why the FRP decided to leave the government.” Listhaug is clear that KrF and the Liberal Party have had more freedom of action.

What is clear to the rest of us is that the budget negotiations can quickly end as an illusion of the disputes of the previous seven years between the FRP, on the one hand, and the KrF and the Liberal Party, on the other. The difference is that this time it’s the FRP they have to crawl through.

The right wing, which is apparently tired of being a self-destructive glue in the alliance, just needs to get stronger. And take comfort in the fact that, in any case, they have received all the profit just for the handling of the government crown.

Frp has some advantages because they are well known. They know that Erna Solberg will do everything possible to make everyone happy. Paradoxically, there is still no money to spend on budget negotiations. Although no economist would use the exact word moderate, the budget contains less money from oil than many might fear. The economic outlook is also more optimistic than previously thought. Even economists say there could be room for more.

Therefore, the government is prepared for the FRP to sell dearly. What makes it more complicated is that the FRP will pursue the heart problems of KrF and the Liberal Party in areas where it is not so easy to buy the problems.

An example is the quota of 3,000 refugees that the government will receive. Although the FRP emphasizes that it is not an ultimatum, they believe that the perfect number of refugees for the quota is roughly zero. At the same time, they expect cuts in aid. Although the Conservatives will be willing to negotiate on this, neither KrF nor the Liberal Party have a single refugee to give. KrF also cannot see itself in the mirror if the development aid budget is cut.

Another area is fiscal policy. FRP wants to end “sponsorship of Sweden”. The government has complied with the FRP with a tax cut on soft drinks. It’s probably the only thing that doesn’t contain any of the ingredients f and f and sugar, alcohol, nicotine, gasoline, or diesel.

Although not necessarily in the billions, such cuts will clash with strong party ambitions in other areas. The Liberal Party will fight hard for its climate profile, and so cheaper gasoline and diesel are not desirable. KrF will oppose anything that tastes like cheaper alcohol, and neither sugar nor tobacco is high on the menu for Health Minister Bent Høie.

So, after all, it will be easier to negotiate changes to the waiver card rules, which the opposition says will make it more expensive to be sick. Or more to the elderly or cuts in tolls, to name a few other matters of the heart.

FRP has already rejected the prestigious government project to capture and store CO₂. It costs more than you know, says the party’s energy policy spokesman, Jon Georg Dale. The government’s consolation is that the FRP consistently uses economic arguments, not climate skepticism. It is easier to handle.

It doesn’t take a great astrologer to see that fall will be in the FRP sign. The challenge is that this is not a completely ordinary state budget. It will not only show Norway a way out of the crown crisis. It is also the budget with which the government will win the elections and which will lead KrF and the Liberal Party to cross the threshold. Traditionally, the two small parties have gained little from internal disputes in government. For Frp, the situation is different. They almost always win in conflict and visibility, and can continue to the end.

At the same time, voters are more on the move than in a long time. Polls show Labor is in serious trouble. The situation around the border barrier is more open than in a long time. This week, all parties have been above the threshold, to the same extent. It may seem that the Liberal Party and KrF have a positive trend, if you use a magnifying glass. The MDGs should not win prematurely. It is a backdrop that shows that much is at stake, both for the parties and for the alternatives of government.

In the fight for KrF and Venstre to cross the barrier, several camels must be swallowed. Maybe even on the Swedish border.