[Larzen]

The Labour party has usually never accepted orders; I think one of them said that you should not do your public duty just to get a ribbon. The Socialist party wants a republic so therefore they naturally won’t accept any orders either. Parts of the labour party also want a republic although it says in their program that they are pro monarchy.

Previously politicians never got orders whilst on duty, but during the last government and PM Bondevik the rules was changed so that the PM and Minister of foreign affairs would get an order after 1 year and the rest of the ministers after 2 years. This was criticized by several Labour members and called pompous, and it would seem strange if they should accept what they criticized other for taking.

The only strange thing is that former President of Stortinget Kosmo just accepted the St Olav even if he comes from Labour, but I guess it is the exception to the "rule" of course if one of the labour politicians desperately wanted an order PM Stoltenberg could not refuse him or her to receive it but it seems now the three parties in the government has agreed not to receive them, and asked that the King does not nominate them for it so that they would not have to decline.

Hope it makes sense, very difficult to explain

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Queen Sonja yesterday
Queen Sonja of Norway during a visit to the Elvebakken school in Oslo, Norway, November 3, 2005. Photo Erlend Aas / SCANPIX