Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Thanks a lot, Sponheim

I used to respect Lars Sponheim and Venstre, but dude's become the patron saint of self-aggrandizing douchebaggery as of late. His most recent stunt - some 18 months before the election - is to officially deem the leader of Høyre - Erna Solberg - unfit for the position of Prime Minister in the planned coalition involving both mentioned parties. Seeing as how Høyre is the biggest party in the hypothetical coalition, it would be natural for them to get the position of Prime Minister - a strategy they failed to utilize in the previous election and thus got owned like a 1982 Ford Escort. So; out of the blue, Sponheim rolls out an official statement denouncing Solberg and claiming that she does not possess any of the qualities necessary to hold the position of Prime Minister. What the hell? Way to derail the best hope we've got of replacing the current line-up of losers with someone less likely to have posters of Marx above their bedposts. And even doing so before the train has a chance to leave the station.

If this was a real concern for Sponheim, why didn't he contact Høyre and discuss this in a professional manner instead of affirming the current crimson regime as the only stable and viable alternative? 'Cause now the headlines and general political situation show that the political alternative does not exist, instead of establishing a strong presence. Bearded freakshow.

In the previous national election, one of the biggest reasons I didn't vote for Venstre was that it's so obviously a one-man show. In 2005, I read the programs for all the political parties, and tried to follow the debates and issues as closely as I could. What I really noticed about Venstre's roster was that I only knew of three politicians from that party. The leader, Lars Sponheim, that dude who used to be married to a former airhead model, and the leader for the youth-faction, who used to be in the news all the time because he wanted to legalize drugs and polygamy. These were the only ones battle-tested in visible public debates.

...so I found myself another party to vote for

8 comments:

Anders said...

What I really noticed about Venstre's roster was that I only knew of three politicians from that party.

How 'bout Odd Einar Dørum? I think he has a lot of good points, but I can't say that the sparks fly when he's on TV. That dude needs a personality. Real bad! He's never going to be a charismatic leader for the large masses...

Wilhelm said...

Dude; he represents Venstre? I never knew. You're sure right about him needing a personality transplant asap

Anders said...

Yes, he is. Even worse: He was the leader of Venstre when they managed to crawl back into Stortinget in the early 90's(?). Also, I think you know one more Venstre politican: Does the name Leif Helge Kongshaug ring a bell?

Wilhelm said...

Dude; I've repressed that name. All kidding aside, I never saw Kongshaug as a major player, to put it mildly. He was one of many mayors from small municipalities who won the lottery and got shipped off to the parlament when Venstre had a good election year, never to be heard from again.

Anders said...

I never saw Dørum as a major player either, but appreantly he is. Go figure.

Wilhelm said...

...so that's why they never use him in public debates for big stuff?

Anders said...

I think Venstre sometimes use him in debates regarding imigration or crime.

Wilhelm said...

...in other words, debates where everyone agrees that "something should be done",and then proceeds to descend into a full-on "we suggested that we do something back in '54" fiesta.