Honoured guests and fellow Members of the Storting

For the past 200 years, Norway has had a government of and by the people!

For the past 200 years, we have lived in peace side by side with our Nordic neighbours!

Over the past 200 years we have gained deeper insight into and sought to develop democracy in Norway!
 
It is our responsibility to convey this knowledge to new generations, because today marks the beginning of the next 200 years of democracy in Norway!

The Constitution of 1814 did away with the practice of absolute monarchy in Norway. In its place came a modern political system with three branches of government, where the will of the people sets the bar for how the State is governed. And where fundamental human rights set the boundaries for the power of the State over the individual citizen. 

The Constitution thus gave legitimacy to the essential prerequisites for the development of democracy, i.e. freedom of expression, the rule of law and the prohibition of torture. We have used these as the basis for building a resilient democratic system in our country.

But none of this happened by itself.

Even though the Constitution was radical and “democratic” for its time, political participation long remained the province of the privileged few.

It would take more than a hundred years of concerted effort by individuals, organisations and popular movements before we achieved universal suffrage, in 1919, for all Norwegian citizens.

An important first milestone in our democratic development was passed in 1837, with the laws introducing local self-autonomy. From that point on, people were able to participate in the democratic decisions taken where they live. Dynamic local democratic government was, and is, essential for the development of democracy at the national level. 

The repeal in 1851 of Article 2 prohibiting Jews from entry to the Realm represented another milestone in the expansion of our democracy.

The next step was the establishment of parliamentarianism in 1884. This gave new strength to the role of the national assembly. The foundation for today’s political system was laid, paving the way to a society in which we as a popularly elected assembly are empowered by, and are the representatives of, the Norwegian people.

In 1884 it was stated that “all power shall be gathered in this chamber.” We have taken on that power, and we are responsible for administering it constructively.
 
The powers we acquired during the 1800s we made use of in the 1900s to build a Norwegian society that could safeguard the wellbeing of its inhabitants.

The Constitution provided the fabric, and within this framework our daily political activity fashioned the solutions. And as we served over time we created our political culture and established the constitutional custom from which our working methods are derived. We have renewed the Constitution gradually – not least in a wide-ranging effort culminating in this bicentenary celebration. However, just as important as renewing the Constitution is ensuring that we are capable of carrying the best parts of our political culture forward into the future.

In the dynamics between the opposition and the Government, the Storting has proven itself to be an excellent arena for political development. New policies are formed and we exercise the Storting’s control functions in an exemplary manner.

Our ambition must of course be to ensure that the Storting will always serve as the most important socio-political arena in our country. It is from here that our nation is governed and it is here that democracy must be shaped.

No one is better placed than we are for ensuring the growth of democracy. No one is better placed for ensuring that respect for human rights is an integral part of our representative government.

The health of a democracy is a mirror of the people’s support for their political system.

As politicians, it is therefore critical that we work to counter one of the worst enemies of democracy: contempt for the political arena. This will require an unceasing focus on the key properties of our political culture.

The interplay between the Government, the parliamentary majority and the genuine participation of the minority in political processes is crucial. This can be challenging when coalitions are the general rule, especially when the coalition holds the majority in the Storting. It is when the real debates and political negotiations take place in the Storting that the true strength of Norwegian democracy is most evident.

It is when all the considerations and arguments are brought to the table, and incorporated into the wider public discourse, that we best promote sustainable democracy.

But this also requires that we as Members of Parliament, and the parties to which we belong, behave responsibly, show that we can listen, and act with generosity. Demonstrate that we are pragmatic and willing to find solutions.

In short: we must win respect by proving that we are capable of governing.

We must base our decisions on knowledge and use that knowledge to promote an enlightened public dialogue. We must take care to ensure that the day-to-day media picture, and the public debate of which we are part, enhance our wisdom instead of diminishing it.

We must be honest in our argumentation and present to our electorate the dilemmas and conflicting interests inherent in the issues.

Honesty in politics propagates respect among the people even in the wake of the difficult, unpopular decisions.

The Storting must be an open house engaged in an ongoing dialogue, based on trust, with individuals and interest groups.

Moreover, our political activity must be conducted in an orderly fashion, under an appropriate formal framework, within a system that is transparent and inspires confidence.

Over the past 200 years, we have built a society characterised by widespread trust among people.

A society where trust among the inhabitants carries greater weight than the execution of power by the leaders is a society that encourages democratic conduct in its people. A “WE” society instead of an “US vs. THEM” society.

True democracy involves more than the right to vote.

It involves shared understanding and a common etiquette – that we are part of a society that expects us to participate. In voluntary activities, our workplaces or in politics, society consists of communities in many forms with room for meaningful participation by all.
 
In a true democracy, the national assembly reflects the people and their attitudes – we are two sides of the same coin. We are one. Democracy has its foundation in the will of the people. Society’s fundamental values must have the support of the populace.

The founding fathers at Eidsvoll gave us the freedom, the prerequisites and the framework, but it is we, the people, who must make the choices and define the essence of our societal structures.

And within this great “we”, each of us has something to contribute. A successful democratic society encourages active participation!

I recently had a visit from the Eikholt National Resource Centre for the Deafblind. A group of people with significant vision and auditory impairment. Before I met with them, I thought about what would be required of me – how would I communicate with them, and what would they be concerned about?

It was an inspiring meeting.

My visitors were well equipped with technical aids and skilled assistants who rapidly communicated to them what I was saying by means of tactile sign language on their backs or arms.

The meeting with Eikholt embodied, for me, a meeting with people who are actively participating in society. It served to remind me that all of us must surmount barriers in our lives; for some, these barriers are more obvious than for others. But overcoming the obstacles in our path entails personal victories for each and every one of us.

Over 200 years we have built up a robust society that embraces values and life qualities of which we can be proud.The bicentenary celebration of the Constitution has truly become a celebration by the people.

We must remember, however, that complacency can be a dangerous steward, and democracy an edifice easily cracked. We must care for democracy, and if it is to survive it must yield solutions that are in keeping with the times.

We live in an era of change. The emergence of information technology has forced us to learn to adapt to new things quickly.

Those of us who remember when cellular telephones weighed 8 kg. and who still believe that Asia is far away are often referred to as guests in the digital world. We can use the technology, but our frame of reference and experience belong to a different time.

The same may be said for many of our democratic institutions and methods of working – they are guests in the digital age. It is up to us to find ways to truly inhabit this world, and take steps to meet the new age on its own terms.

During periods of rapid change it is easy to frame our political thinking in the short-term, and sometimes lose sight of continuity in a historical context. The demands of the present lay claim to most of our attention. Which makes it all the more important, at precisely this point in time, to use the celebration of the Constitution to gather together the threads once again, to link what happened then with what is happening now.

Our Constitution has been, and is, liberating, unifying and normative. It spawns trust and a sense of belonging. It can rise above shifting political winds and provide us with a common platform across social, financial and religious differences in the future as well.

Together let us bring with us the best of the democratic traditions created over the past 200 years. Together we will develop a political culture with the stature to carry a government of the people into the world of tomorrow.

We will do it because we believe in democracy, because we love the society we have sworn to govern, and because we believe that the people should come first.

For 200 years we have administered the freedom given to us in the Constitution by our founding fathers at Eidsvoll.

And just as those men sought what was best for us, it is our task to seek freedom and democracy for the generations to come.

Today, the future is just as important as the past we leave behind.

Today is the beginning of the next 200 years of democracy in Norway.

Congratulations on this memorable day!