Past Your Eyes wrote:
"openly gay Finance Minister Per-Kristian Foss of the Conservative Party." Evidently Conservative means something entirely different in Norway.
It does, for the following reason:
Norway has a multi-party system, so what would be sepparate voting blocks of the same party in the US, i.e. "values voters", "fiscal conservatives" etc. have separate parties in Norway, forming coalition governments. The conservative party focuses on tightening fiscal policy, and will sell out on most other issues for increased leverage on fiscal issues, social policy is not a concern to them. They are currently part of a coalition government which includes the social conservatives, as mentioned. Other right of center parties in Norway includes Venstre, a classical liberal party focusing on transparency of government and streamlining/simplification of business regulation (with a focus on small business), and FRP, seeking to restrict immigration, beef up law enforcement, and extend criminal sentences.
I like our form of democracy, and usually vote for the conservatives. If support for the right coalition government doesn't pick up by electiontime this fall however, I might vote for labour in order to strengthen their internal leverage in the unavoidable left coalition government. (Labour being to the right of the various green and socialist parties, and with something of a focus on fiscal restraint and economic efficiency)