People shouldn’t be hungry or cold when the Labor Party rules, party leaders told VG. Then the government has to give more to the poorest who receive financial aid from Nav, say SV and Rødt.
In a VG case On Thursday, a number of Labor Party central politicians made it clear: rising poverty and people struggling to buy food or freezing for fear of high electricity bills is unacceptable for a PA-led government.
It is good that AP leaders are establishing this, say SV leader Audun Lysbakken and Rødt politician Mímir Kristjánsson.
But it does not work And that no one should be cold or hungry when running the country, the two believe.
– The government is doing very little, if anything, to solve this problem, says Kristjánsson.
– I completely agree with Labor leaders that it is embarrassing when people are starving and freezing in Norway when Labor is in government and we have a red-green majority. It tests the whole red-green project, he continues.
This majority was secured with the promise that people of poorer means would be better off than under Erna Solberg’s government, Rødt’s parliamentary representative believes.
– But people with bad advice are now getting worse. So it’s no wonder they ask what is the point of voting for left-wing parties.
– The rich are leaving
At the moment, Lysbakken’s party is in talks with the government parties Ap and Sp in the Storting – on the basis of a state budget which SV believes is insufficient redistribution.
– This is exactly what I think about when I say this. We really know what it takes to reduce both differences and poverty in Norway, Lysbakken tells VG.
– The main problem with developing differences is that the rich leave, and the main problem for the poor is that many of the benefits and social security are so low that people’s budgets don’t go up, now that prices are going up , keep on.
This is Lysbakken’s advice to the government: tax the richest more and use the money to lift those with the least.
– There are many of these proposals that we have brought with us into the budget negotiations that are currently underway, he says.
– Poverty threshold
In SV’s alternative budget, the party proposes a “pension package” of NOK 8.6 billion, with, among other things, an increase in the minimum pension, child benefits, disability benefits and social assistance.
– What used to be called a job line has become a poverty line over time, says Lysbakken.
The purpose of the line of work is for as many people as possible to be at work. The SV leader points out that he also wants this.
– There is very strong opposition from the majority in the Storting, of which Labor sadly is a part, to increased benefits and social security in the welfare state, he says and continues:
– But living in poverty does not give people jobs and does not make the sick healthy. It’s time to raise these tariffs, and right now the situation is desperate, because the price increase is so strong.
– Between hunger and cold
Rødt-Kristjánsson has three proposals on what the government can do in the short term:
- Raise the minimum rates for pension, employment verification check, disability check and family allowance.
- Remove requirements that could lead to Nav customers having to vacate a car or property in order to receive social assistance.
- Double the support to the Food Center.
– These three things are the only ones that come to mind promising in the short term. It’s all very well to make changes that make working life safer or provide childcare cheaper, but that doesn’t solve the problem when people are between hunger and cold.
– It has to turn the whole economy upside down
If you need social assistance, for example, it is important to Nav that you actually need this support. Therefore, there are strict requirements that you have no choice but to get help from the public.
Nav may require you to sell, for example, a car, cabin or boat that you don’t need to support yourself.
– Many are reluctant to go to Nav, and seek help from organizations instead. Nav has very strict rules about selling a car or apartment to get social assistance, so people have to flip all their finances to get emergency assistance.
Increasing support for the Food Center is a solution to the crisis, Kristjánsson points out.
– It’s not good for people to queue for food, but if they do, there should be enough food for them.
In its proposal for the state budget, the government had first cut funding to Food Center Norway in 2023. But in late October, the Center Party admitted that this was a mistake and that the organization should rather have gotten two million of Norwegian kroner plus next year.
The government should open its wallet a little more, believes Kristjánsson.
– The food center says they can give out double the food for double the money. It’s a matter of change, he says and continues:
– If you can’t find seven million kroner for the Food Center in the state budget, you must have new glasses.
On Saturday afternoon, the day after VG interviewed Kristjánsson, the government sent a happy message to the Food Center and eight other organizations:
Government is giving £20m in extra support to organizations ahead of what will be a difficult time before Christmas for many, writes TV2. The food center receives five of these millions.
This is money that will come this year. The AP and SP are still negotiating with SV on next year’s state budget and Kristjansson’s request for more money in 2023 has not yet been met.
Labor Minister: worried
Labor Minister Marte Mjøs Persen (AP) says she is concerned about how rising prices are affecting the daily lives of those who already have less.
– We’ve done a lot to make things better for people, but we also need to do more, Mjøs Person tells VG.
He says it was important for the government to keep prices in check.
– To deal with the situation, the government will provide additional support to organizations that help people in the difficult situation they are in now. We are providing an additional 20 million in support to organizations helping people in the difficult situation they are in now, he says.
– There are voluntary organizations that organize alternative Christmas parties and social activities, but also Christmas aid in the form of food parcels and gifts for vulnerable groups. With this money, organizations can reach more people.
– I shouldn’t be selling the car
Asked by Kristjánsson to remove requirements that could lead to Nav customers having to get rid of a car or property in order to receive welfare assistance, he says:
– Financial social assistance is short-term support that serves as the ultimate safety net. But everyone who comes to NAV for help must be assessed individually, and the requirements set by NAV must not be unreasonable. If you depend on a car in your everyday life, you shouldn’t be selling it to get welfare.
