Reason.tv: Progress Party Leader Siv Jensen on Norway's Myths and Realities

In a country of exceptionally high rates of personal taxation and home to one of the world's most generous welfare states, Norway's Progress Party, which describes itself as a "classical liberal" organization committed to "personal freedom," is something of an anomaly. But it is an increasingly powerful anomaly, now ranking as the country's second biggest political party.

In August, Progress Party leader Siv Jensen sat down with Reason senior editor Michael C. Moynihan and explained that Norwegians are growing tired of "regulation, bureaucracy, and high taxes" and why the Scandinavian health care model is bad for America—and Scandinavia.

Approximately 5 minutes.  Shot by Jim Epstein and Meredith Bragg.  Edited by Josh Swain.

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Comments

[ryback's cook]

what a fucking mess this website is

[ryback's cook]

what a fucking mess this website is

[Paul]

You can say that again.

[Abdul]

Aw, shit, looks like the server squirrels just got into the coke stash!

[Slap the Enlightened!]

Ok, it's a great story... but feature it for 3 posts in a row? C'mon!

[hmm]

OHHH DOUBLE POST!?!?!

[hmm]

OHHH TRIPLE POST!!! OMG OMG OMG

*cries*

[Colin]

Funny how tan she is living in Norway.

[A is Awesome]

Funny how she chooses to live in Norway.

[T]

So it's not only us lowly commenters that get screwed by the Most Puissant and Fearsome Squirrel. Good to know. Kneel before Squirrel.

[Sandi]

I took a shit in Norway once.

[Eric]

She loves freedom right, but only for white ppl/non-muslims

[Old Mexican]

Re: Eric,

She loves freedom right, but only for white ppl/non-muslims[.]

And that's a bad thing . . . right?

Because last I saw, Muslims are not extremely fond of freedom themselves...

http://www.city-journal.org/html/eon_11_15_04td.html

[Dennis]

Classical liberal, eh? Perhaps populistic and xenophobic are better descriptions.

[Old Mexican]

Re: Dennis,

Classical liberal, eh? Perhaps populistic and xenophobic are better descriptions.

Why?

[Kjetil]

Because their main causes is anti immigration and higher welfare spending. Well, higher spending on old people. That was what propelled them into power in the first place, and that's the draw they're using in every election: Bitch and moan endlessly about the plight of the poor old people and how we should use more money on roads.

[Old Mexican]

Re: Kjetil,

Bitch and moan endlessly about the plight of the poor old people and how we should use more money on roads.

Oh, so they are like the Republicans!

Is there a true libertarian party in Norway?

[Kjetil]

>Oh, so they are like the Republicans!

Pretty much, except there is no religious element in Norwegian politics and they are liberal on booze.

>Is there a true libertarian party in Norway?

Well, there is a collection of objectivists somewhere...

They consistently get around 300 votes :p

So the answer is no, but there are significant libertarian impulses in the conservative and progress party youth parties. These libertarians pretty much get their views from american libertarian institutions and blogs, so what you're doing is giving positive ripple effects 🙂

[Robert]

they are liberal on booze.

Most people are. Then they sober up and get the bill.

[Ray]

Well, they're doing the best they can in uber-socialist Norway. Might as well get the useful idiots to vote for you.

[Robert]

People need to understand the nature of political parties. They don't represent ideologies solely. The successful ones need to compromise enough, to make enough deals, to advance their core ideology while contributing to byproducts they can just barely tolerate. I'm glad libertarians in some countries manage to do that.

[Ray]

I agree. It's all very well and good to be ideologically pure, but it doesn't matter unless you're able to build a coalition and actually get elected.

[Old Mexican]

Progress Party leader Siv Jensen [...] explained that Norwegians are growing tired of "regulation, bureaucracy, and high taxes[.]"

Ok, slowly tired. VERY slowly. It's not like they are taking to their drakens en masse and migrating to Ireland... or Constantinople.

[Ray]

Me, yesterday:

http://reason.com/blog/2010/09.....nt_1924759

Do I have ESP, or what?

[Tony]

She's lying. She probably isn't even Norwegian. All Norwegians love their government and know that the government gives them better services than the private markets can. Norwegians are happy to give 75% of their income to live in paradise. This bitch is just an anti-Norway corporate shill.

[Old Mexican]

Hahaha!

Nice parody of Tony, but a little over the top!

[Douglas Fletcher]

Put a helmet on her head and halberd in her hand and she'd take your head off with one swipe easy, buster.

[Tonio]

And a big H&R Welcome to our Scandinavian drive-by trolls Eric, Dennis and Kjetil!

[albo]

Listen to that voice. Sounds like she's well familiar with Norway's $10 packs of cigarettes.

[Ted S.]

Let's just say that although the Finns I know complain about the monstrously high prices there (and take a ferry to Estonia to stock up on goods), those Norwegians in neighboring Lapland travel to Finland to take advantage of cheaper prices.

[Douglas Fletcher]

I thought the Lapps were in Finland.

[Lefty]

I would love to be spanked by her any day of the week. She's damn hot, spray on tan or not. She's a good night's work. How do you say vararooooooom in Norwegian?

[Douglas Fletcher]

brrrr

[Ola Nordmann]

Norway's next prime minister.

[SIV]

Gotta love her name

[Will]

So they aren't taxing tanning salons there I guess...

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