News from Norway
I'm sure that the Norwegian election and following negotiations hasn't been hitting the international news, so I figured I'd give you all a small update...
First of all, the new government is gender balanced, in the dualistic sense of the term.
Additionally, they are heavy on equal opportunities. I quote/translate: "Even though Norwegian women and men formally have the same rights, there is a long way to go yet until they will actually have the same opportunities." They also go for the 40% model, want to strengthen the protection of the rights of pregnant workers (that sounds vague, but nice - I assume they mean that the laws are fine but they need to be followed up better), they want to start a nationwide research-program on female health, and lots of other nice things.
Then there is the issue of same-sex marriage. What we have now is some sort of civil union, "partnerskap". This government is a coalision one, made up of three parties. Two of them are for the right of same-sex couples to marry, and intend to do something about that. The third is uncommitted (and splitted), so we will see how that turns out.
All in all, I am happy about this. I like the way they have organised things, and I have hopes for the future. While with three parties there is bound to be some conflict, I think that conflict is not bigger than the conflicts within a big party in a system which favors two large parties. All in all, I think we're facing better times.
Edited for spelling and such.
First of all, the new government is gender balanced, in the dualistic sense of the term.
Additionally, they are heavy on equal opportunities. I quote/translate: "Even though Norwegian women and men formally have the same rights, there is a long way to go yet until they will actually have the same opportunities." They also go for the 40% model, want to strengthen the protection of the rights of pregnant workers (that sounds vague, but nice - I assume they mean that the laws are fine but they need to be followed up better), they want to start a nationwide research-program on female health, and lots of other nice things.
Then there is the issue of same-sex marriage. What we have now is some sort of civil union, "partnerskap". This government is a coalision one, made up of three parties. Two of them are for the right of same-sex couples to marry, and intend to do something about that. The third is uncommitted (and splitted), so we will see how that turns out.
All in all, I am happy about this. I like the way they have organised things, and I have hopes for the future. While with three parties there is bound to be some conflict, I think that conflict is not bigger than the conflicts within a big party in a system which favors two large parties. All in all, I think we're facing better times.
Edited for spelling and such.