Landsforbundet for folkeavstemning
Encyclopedia
Landsforbundet for folkeavstemning ('The National Association for Referendum') was a Norwegian
lobby organization.
in the Norwegian Constitution. The context was the Norwegian "one-party state", which lasted from 1945 to September 1961, and was marked by the continuous majority held by the Norwegian Labour Party
in the Norwegian Parliament. The Labour Party did win their majority through a series of free elections, but the opposition wanted to introduce referenda to balance Parliament. In several debates the centre-right opposition (Liberal, Christian Democratic, Centre
, Conservative
) was unanimous in their demand of constitutionalized referenda.
The association had a predecessor in a study circle organized by the Norwegian Shipowners' Association
. It was launched with an appeal from eight notable citizens: barrister Sven Arntzen
, Chief Justice Paal Berg, director Gunnar Jahn
, professor of medicine Jan Birger Jansen
, national archivist Reidar Omang
, lawyer Astri Rynning
, chief physician Johan Scharffenberg
and barrister Sigrid Stray. The chairman of the association's board was Ivar Kaldager, and secretary general was Th. Hasle
. People associated with the Labour Party were asked to join, but declined.
The first national convention was held in October 1962. Acting chairman Ivar Kaldager was formally elected. Deputy chair was Paal Berg, and board members were Astri Rynning, editor-in-chief Kjell Bøe, civil servant Trygve Eckhoff, editor-in-chief Dagfinn Flem, engineer Steinar Grundt, barrister Lars Chr. Hægg
and lawyer Reidar Selmer.
Notable writings which outlined some the association's ideas were Dagfinn Flem's 1945 book Det sveitsiske demokrati about Swiss democracy
, as well as Johan Scharffenberg's 1945 book Qui vadis Norvegia? in which he proposed constitutional reform. In the early 1960s Scharffenberg was working on a book named Velgerne som statsmakt, which was to capture his ideas on referendums.
became a hot issue in the autumn of 1961. People in higher social strata, including the ruling Labour Party, tended to support this membership, whereas opponents were people associated with the Socialist People's Party
, the Communist Party
and the Norwegian Farmers and Smallholders Union
. To complicate matters, these fringe organizations proposed that a referendum on the possible Norwegian membership be held. In this situation, Ivar Kaldager soon became vague about the association's views on referenda. It was said that integrating referenda in the Constitution was a more pressing issue than actually holding one.
As it turned out, Norwegian politicians became in favor for both membership and a referendum during 1962. However, French President Charles de Gaulle
vetoed Norway's membership, instantly killing the initiative. The same thing happened in 1967. As de Gaulle stepped down, a third debate arose in the early 1970s, but the initiative fell after 53.5% voted against it in the Norwegian European Communities membership referendum, 1972.
In 1984 Landsforbundet for folkeavstemning crafted a law proposal that was forwarded by Odd Einar Dørum
, Oddleif Fagerheim
, Hans Olav Tungesvik
and Ola O. Røssum
. The proposal was about the right of a minority in Parliament to call a referendum on cases ratified by a parliamentary majority. The proposal received 15 votes, and thus fell. Landsforbundet for folkeavstemning later faded out, and no longer exists.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
lobby organization.
Inception
It was founded in April 1961 with the goal of including the institution of referendaReferendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
in the Norwegian Constitution. The context was the Norwegian "one-party state", which lasted from 1945 to September 1961, and was marked by the continuous majority held by the Norwegian Labour Party
Norwegian Labour Party
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is the senior partner in the current Norwegian government as part of the Red-Green Coalition, and its leader, Jens Stoltenberg, is the current Prime Minister of Norway....
in the Norwegian Parliament. The Labour Party did win their majority through a series of free elections, but the opposition wanted to introduce referenda to balance Parliament. In several debates the centre-right opposition (Liberal, Christian Democratic, Centre
Centre Party (Norway)
The Centre Party is a centrist and agrarian political party in Norway, founded in 1920. The Centre Party's policy is not based on any of the major ideologies of the 19th and 20th century, but has a focus on maintaining decentralised economic development and political decision-making.From its...
, Conservative
Conservative Party of Norway
The Conservative Party is a Norwegian political party. The current leader is Erna Solberg. The party was since the 1920s consistently the second largest party in Norway, but has been surpassed by the growth of the Progress Party in the late 1990s and 2000s...
) was unanimous in their demand of constitutionalized referenda.
The association had a predecessor in a study circle organized by the Norwegian Shipowners' Association
Norwegian Shipowners' Association
The Norwegian Shipowners Association is an employers' organization and interest group for Norwegian shipping and offshore companies. The organization's primary fields are national and international industry policies, employer issues, competence and recruitment, environmental issues and innovation...
. It was launched with an appeal from eight notable citizens: barrister Sven Arntzen
Sven Arntzen
Sven Arntzen was a Norwegian barrister. He was also the acting director general of the Norwegian Prosecuting Authority from 1945 ot 1946, and played an important role in the legal purge in Norway after World War II....
, Chief Justice Paal Berg, director Gunnar Jahn
Gunnar Jahn
Gunnar Jahn was a Norwegian jurist, economist, statistician, politician for the Liberal Party and resistance member...
, professor of medicine Jan Birger Jansen
Jan Birger Jansen
Jan Birger Jansen was a Norwegian physician, anatomist and scientist, specializing in brain research. He played an important role in the Norwegian civil resistance during the Second World War.-Personal life:...
, national archivist Reidar Omang
Reidar Omang
Reidar Omang was a Norwegian historian and librarian. He edited several governmental doucments on Norway during World War II, including treatises on Norway's relation to Sweden, on the Altmark Incident, and on the relation between the government-in-exile and the resistance movement. He published...
, lawyer Astri Rynning
Astri Rynning
Astri Sverdrup Rynning was a Norwegian judge and politician representing the Conservative Party. She served as a Member of Parliament 1965–1969; originally elected as a deputy member, she became an MP when Kåre Willoch was appointed to Cabinet...
, chief physician Johan Scharffenberg
Johan Scharffenberg
Johan Scharffenberg was a Norwegian psychiatrist, politician, speaker and writer.-Early life:Scharffenberg was born in Moss as the son of military officer Hedvard Carl Scharffenberg and Caroline Fredrikke Dietrichson . He was a nephew of priest Johannes W. C. Dietrichson...
and barrister Sigrid Stray. The chairman of the association's board was Ivar Kaldager, and secretary general was Th. Hasle
Th. Hasle
Th. Hasle was a Norwegian civil servant.He started working with postal administration in 1914, and was later hired in the Ministry of Trade. He was promoted to assistant secretary in 1937. In 1946 he was promoted to deputy under-secretary of state in the Ministry of Transport and Communications,...
. People associated with the Labour Party were asked to join, but declined.
The first national convention was held in October 1962. Acting chairman Ivar Kaldager was formally elected. Deputy chair was Paal Berg, and board members were Astri Rynning, editor-in-chief Kjell Bøe, civil servant Trygve Eckhoff, editor-in-chief Dagfinn Flem, engineer Steinar Grundt, barrister Lars Chr. Hægg
Lars Chr. Hægg
Lars Chr. Hægg was a Norwegian barrister.He was born in Drammen, and took the cand.jur. degree in 1940. During World War II he participated in Norwegian resistance work, getting the Defence Medal 1940 – 1945. He got his lawyer's licence in 1945, and worked as a partner in a law firm to 1949...
and lawyer Reidar Selmer.
Notable writings which outlined some the association's ideas were Dagfinn Flem's 1945 book Det sveitsiske demokrati about Swiss democracy
Voting in Switzerland
Voting in Switzerland is the process by which Swiss citizens make decisions about governance and elect officials. Voting takes place over the weekend, with emphasis being put on the Sunday...
, as well as Johan Scharffenberg's 1945 book Qui vadis Norvegia? in which he proposed constitutional reform. In the early 1960s Scharffenberg was working on a book named Velgerne som statsmakt, which was to capture his ideas on referendums.
Later work
The association soon ran into problems. Political scientist Tor Bjørklund has made note of the narrow demographic stratum associated with the association. This soon became evident, as the question of Norwegian membership in the European Economic CommunityEuropean Economic Community
The European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) The European Economic Community (EEC) (also known as the Common Market in the English-speaking world, renamed the European Community (EC) in 1993The information in this article primarily covers the EEC's time as an independent...
became a hot issue in the autumn of 1961. People in higher social strata, including the ruling Labour Party, tended to support this membership, whereas opponents were people associated with the Socialist People's Party
Socialist People's Party (Norway)
Socialist People's Party was a splinter group of the Norwegian Labour Party . SF was principally dissatisfied with the pro-NATO/European Economic Community external policies of DNA. A group centered around the magazine Orientering had been expelled from DNA...
, the Communist Party
Communist Party of Norway
The Communist Party of Norway is a political party in Norway without parliamentary representation. It was formed in 1923, following a split in the Norwegian Labour Party. The party played an important role in the resistance to German occupation during the Second World War, and experienced a brief...
and the Norwegian Farmers and Smallholders Union
Norwegian Farmers and Smallholders Union
The Norwegian Farmers and Smallholders Union is a Norwegian interest organization for farmers.It functions both as a labour union and as a trade union...
. To complicate matters, these fringe organizations proposed that a referendum on the possible Norwegian membership be held. In this situation, Ivar Kaldager soon became vague about the association's views on referenda. It was said that integrating referenda in the Constitution was a more pressing issue than actually holding one.
As it turned out, Norwegian politicians became in favor for both membership and a referendum during 1962. However, French President Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
vetoed Norway's membership, instantly killing the initiative. The same thing happened in 1967. As de Gaulle stepped down, a third debate arose in the early 1970s, but the initiative fell after 53.5% voted against it in the Norwegian European Communities membership referendum, 1972.
In 1984 Landsforbundet for folkeavstemning crafted a law proposal that was forwarded by Odd Einar Dørum
Odd Einar Dørum
Odd Einar Dørum is a Norwegian politician and former member of parliament, representing The Liberal Party.Dørum was Minister of Transport and Communications from 17 October 1997 to 15 March 1999, then Minister of Justice until 3 March 2000. He was again Minister of Justice in the second government...
, Oddleif Fagerheim
Oddleif Fagerheim
Oddleif Fagerheim was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party.He was elected to the Parliament of Norway from Sogn og Fjordane in 1969, and was re-elected on two occasions...
, Hans Olav Tungesvik
Hans Olav Tungesvik
Hans Olav Tungesvik was a Norwegian politician for the Christian Democratic Party.The son of a farmer, Tungesvik graduated from the University of Oslo with a cand.med. degree in 1964 and became a specialist in psychiatry in 1975...
and Ola O. Røssum
Ola O. Røssum
Ola O. Røssum is a Norwegian politician for the Centre Party.He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Oppland in 1969, and was re-elected on two occasions...
. The proposal was about the right of a minority in Parliament to call a referendum on cases ratified by a parliamentary majority. The proposal received 15 votes, and thus fell. Landsforbundet for folkeavstemning later faded out, and no longer exists.