Reason Magazine: Michael Moynihan- Interviewing Norway Progress Party Leader Siv Jensen: 'Norway's Myths & Realities'

Source:Reason Magazine- Siv Jensen, the Leader of the Progress Party, in Norway.

"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." 

From Reason Magazine

I'm glad to hear that there's another type of political party in Norway. That it's not just a country thats dominated by Democratic Socialists. That there is another choice, political party, ideology that people can choose. 

Norway has a ruling Socialist Party, but the opposition party is a Conservative Party called the Progress Party. So Norwegians definitely have a political choice, between Socialists and Conservatives and I'm sure other choices as well.

Either socialism or conservatism is definitely a choice. Interesting enough that a Conservative Party would call itself the Progress Party. I would think a party called the Progress Party would be a Socialist Party or a an actual center-left Progressive Party, but of course they can call themselves anything they want. 

Norway is not the only Nordic state in Scandinavia thats reexamining its welfare state and its democratic socialist policies. Sweden in 2010 elected a Conservative Party or conservative coalition (at least by Swedish Standards). In a country where the Democratic Socialists have been in power for a long time. And Scandinavia especially Sweden, is the socialist utopia the place that Socialists look at to make their case for socialism in their country.

Norway is lucky in a sense that they do have a clear choice in who they want to run their government. The ruling Socialist Party (or whatever they call themselves) and the opposition Progress Party. Which is actually a Conservative Party. Because they really do a get a real choice between democratic socialism and conservatism.

Where Democratic Socialists essentially believe and this might be putting it simply in collectivism. Where you essentially put all of the resources in a country all in one pot. Where no one is allowed to have "too much more than anyone else". And you do this with high taxes basically on everyone to finance a large welfare state for the whole country. Where the Central Government plays a big role in providing goods and services for the country. 

And then with the opposition party Conservatives who believe the best way to provide these goods and services for the country, is to give the people as much freedom as possible to get these services for themselves. So there's a clear choice for Norway.

I'm glad democratic socialism is alive and well in Norway, because Democratic Socialists are definitely democrats. And they believe in democracy and freedom, even though I disagree with them a lot on economic policy as well as foreign policy. But I'm also glad that there's another choice for Norway. And conservatism definitely represents a clear choice for Norwegian voters.