– I think we deserve better

For this year’s Christmas interview, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has invited us to the Prime Minister’s residence at Inkognitogata 18. The plan is that TV 2 will be allowed to participate in the Christmas baking.

But the day before the interview, a text message arrives from the Prime Minister’s office:

“There will be gingerbread baking – nice if you bring dough, rolling pin and moulds.”

TV 2 arrives at the prime minister’s residence half an hour before Støre himself to make preparations. He then receives a brief briefing on what will happen.

– Yes, we can go to work, says the Prime Minister after being handed the dough.

He will manage this, he assures. We’ll get back to how it went.

Støre’s Christmas speciality

Anyway, in a busy Prime Minister’s everyday life, there is not much time for Christmas treats. But one family tradition remains – namely krumkake baking.

Støre had an evening set aside for this this year as well. And the shortbread, which Støre calls “the Rolls Royce of Christmas cake”, is made according to mother’s old recipe.

Read the recipe below.

For Christmas dinner there are ribs. Then there is mullet cream for dessert, filled in the shortbread houses.

– And they have I baked. I will be responsible for that.

But in the prime minister’s residence there is also a cook, Espen, Støre says. And he makes both macaroons and traditional Christmas cakes such as shortbread and Mor Monsen.

– They are highly valued.

Then it’s time for some quick Christmas questions.

– Best Christmas movie?

– Best Christmas movie? So, I actually like it when it’s “Flåklypa”, me.

– Best Christmas carol?

– Christmas carol? It must be “Delicious is the earth”.

– What did you want for Christmas this year?

– I don’t really have … well, it sounds a bit boring, but: peace and quiet with the family close by. It is not a purchase request. Then I leave it to my wife, children, grandchildren and sons-in-law to … They must have seen something I can be happy about.

– Is time with the family in short supply?

– Time with the family is in short supply, yes.

Støre’s annus horribilis

It has been a demanding year, there is no doubt about that. First the omicron wave. Then the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis, rising prices and rising interest rates.

While TV 2’s reporter prepares for the Christmas interview, several colleagues comment that they think Støre looks tired now.

– Are you?

– It’s serious if I look tired. I know that it has been an intense autumn. It hasn’t exceeded the hours I put in at work, but there are many big issues. It hits me.

And then there were these opinion polls, then.

When the Prime Minister was due to hold his summary press conference before Christmas, he received an Advent present in his lap that he would hardly have wanted. Just 20 minutes before the press conference began, published Our country a new opinion poll from Norstat in which the Labor Party received a support of only 14.6 per cent.

APS’s government partner, the Center Party, fell below the threshold in the same poll with a support of 3.8 per cent.

– What does it actually do to motivation?

– No, it won’t get any smaller in any case, says Støre.

– I think we deserve better than that. And then I have said that I understand that many voters – and the statistics also show that – are sitting on the fence and are waiting because they are experiencing things in their everyday lives now that they have not experienced in Norway for many, many years, says Støre.

Everything is getting more expensive now, he points out.

– And then I think people say: “Who is in charge here? Can they fix this?”. And the answer to that is that we should. We will make it, I have faith in it. But I also have to explain that it’s going to take some time.

Throws himself into the gender debate

Then the Prime Minister places a Santa figure in the gingerbread dough. But that goblin figure, is it a goblin man or a goblin person?

Støre has no doubts:

– This is a goblin. No, we have to, we have to speak Norwegian that people understand. It’s a goblin.

In November, Dagbladet was able to report that the canteen at the Stortinget had stopped selling cake men. Now there were “cake people” instead – “he, she and she”.

There was a big fuss about it.

But the Prime Minister is not afraid of making mistakes in the gender policy debate:

– No, it is a debate in our time. I thought it was unusual to begin with, but it has its explanations, and we have to put up with that.

– So it is not provoked when people call it a goblin person?

– No, it’s just completely foreign for me to say. We have elf wives and elf husband.

Has no “quick fix”

Then the prime minister puts the gingerbread in the oven, and TV 2’s reporter sets the alarm for nine minutes.

In the meantime, we move out into the living room to talk further.

Støre says he feels quite certain that electricity prices explain many percent of the Labor Party’s fall. But he will not make new promises now.

– We want to return to a situation with low and stable electricity prices, as soon as we can. It is important for Norwegian business, important for companies. But, as I have said many times: There is no “quick fix” for this. The basic problem is that they lack power in Europe.

Støre emphasizes that it is not the political will that counts.

– But if we are going to make a change, then we must have investigated it properly, know what the consequences are and not get into a situation that has negative consequences that threaten security of supply, he says.

– We are using our best people, both politically and professionally, to solve this as soon as we can. But it is taking longer than we would like.

Export brake

One measure Støre can nevertheless promise: a new management mechanism for power exports. This was announced already this summer, and it will be presented in the new year.

– This means that if the filling rate is too low, then we must prioritize bringing it up to an acceptable level. Then we cannot produce electricity for export, says Støre.

Now the alarm has gone off. But we prioritize letting the prime minister finish speaking. He explains that the new export brake does not mean that the exchange of power with other countries will stop completely. But it must ensure that the important perennial magazines are not emptied too much.

– There must be an arrangement that will give very clear signals to the power companies that below a certain level they are obliged to top up, says Støre to TV 2.

Then he runs into the kitchen to take the gingerbread out of the oven. There, Støre has to admit that the goblin has had his hat a bit burnt.

– No, it was TV 2 that took the time, he says.

– I cannot take the blame for the burning.