MM Special Report: Norway Under Threat

The Kingdom of Norway does not often make headlines, most know it as simply a quiet northern country with few people and many resources. The Norwegians have, on the whole, shown a healthier degree of skepticism towards the European Union than their neighbors and although predominately left-of-center (like most of Europe) the monarchy has remained very popular and seldom criticized. Unfortunately, there has long been a nest of traitors in the Norwegian government, namely the Socialist Left party or SV (isn’t it always the socialists?) which have been part of a leftist coalition government with the little Center Party and more mainstream Labor Party for the last seven years. In the past, the socialists were always alone in their republicanism but now several members of the previously “monarchist” Labor Party have publicly taken up the treasonous cause. In an interview with website TV2.no Labor Party members of Parliament Truls Wickholm and Marianne Marthinsen of Oslo along with Eirin Sund of Rogaland and Jette F. Christensen of Egersund let it be known that on the very day HM King Harald V, HM Queen Sonja and HRH Crown Prince Haakon would be attending the opening of Parliament that they would be introducing a proposal to study replacing the monarchy with a republic and what sort of republic that might be.

Of course, this is no reason to panic as I doubt anyone believes they could actually find majority support for such a move within their own party but it is certainly cause for some alarm or at least concern. This is, after all, the first time that the socialist revolutionaries of the SV have received any mainstream political support for their goal of overthrowing the Norwegian monarchy. However, if anything, this attack is even more dangerous that the usual slings and arrows coming from the socialists. Their proposals were always just short of setting up a guillotine in the middle of Oslo, something Norwegians would certainly never endorse being a very compassionate, accepting and tolerant people (if anything, too tolerant in some areas) but this new line of attack comes wrapped in warm and fuzzy phrases for the Royal Family. They don’t want to storm the palace and drag them out to the tumbrels, they want to ease them out, softly, respectfully perhaps even with some compensation with everything done in a very liberal, civilized, democratic fashion. In other words, they have now adopted a way of presenting things that ordinary Norwegians might just be willing to listen to and plenty of other people in the past have been won over by such talk. Make no mistake about it, this is treason pure and simple; plain, blatant, unadulterated treason against the King and the very principles the modern Norwegian state was founded on.

It is worth remembering that when Norway ended the personal union with the Kingdom of Sweden, the Norwegian throne was first offered to a member of the Swedish Royal Family, just to show there were no hard feelings, so that a younger son of King Oscar II would become the first King of Norway. It was the socialists, even then, who opposed Norway being a monarchy from the very beginning. Prince Carl of Denmark was then offered the throne but he was willing to accept only if a majority of Norwegians desired to be a monarchy. He knew about the republicanism of the socialists and wanted there to be no divisions to poison the political system at the very outset. A vote was held and a vast majority of Norwegians, some 78.9% voted in favor of a monarchy and so Prince Carl of Denmark became King Haakon VII of Norway in 1905. Norway could hardly have chosen better. King Haakon VII was a model constitutional monarch, close to his people, working within the system as it was established and totally impartial, famously saying once that, “I am the King of the Communists too”. He fully proved his worth during the greatest crisis the Kingdom of Norway has so far faced when German forces attacked in World War II.

King Haakon VII oversaw military operations and in the initial naval attack on Oslo a German cruiser was sunk and a battleship badly damaged. The German timetable was upset and the naval forces had to withdraw. While others urged no resistance but cooperation with the unstoppable German invasion force, King Haakon VII, however, advised opposition and stated that he would abdicate if the government chose to collaborate rather than resist. It was his bold stand that inspired the rest of the government to reject the German ultimatum and it was the King who was the focus of the war effort as the Norwegians, hopelessly outmatched, conducted a fighting retreat to the north, resisting all along the way, until the King and the Norwegian government were rescued by the British to continue on as a government-in-exile. He was the inspiration for those who resisted and his monogram was the symbol for the struggle to restore Norwegian independence. He guided the country through her formative years, was always faithful to the constitution and limited government and saw Norway through her greatest crisis. What is more, in those days, virtually everyone was grateful for such service.

Then there was the “People’s King” Olav V. He was a gifted military leader during World War II and had wanted to stay behind and carry on the struggle against the Nazis in Norway when everyone else was getting out but, of course, this was not allowed. All the Allied civil and military leaders who met him were impressed by his great knowledge and clear thinking. As King of Norway, he was famous for driving his own car, taking public trains and for his lack of a security detail. The people adored him and he was always intent on setting the best possible example for his people, one of service, of duty and love of country. Norway could not have asked for a better monarch. Finally, since 1991, there has been King Harald V. In two decades as King, can anyone think of any misstep, scandal or dereliction of duty? Anyone? No, you can’t, because there hasn’t been any. Come what may, the King has always done his duty with fairness, impartiality and absolutely according to the constitution. In the three generations of royal leadership the modern Kingdom of Norway has known, there has been nothing but an unblemished record of success. Which begs the question of why anyone, even the petulant socialists as well as anyone from Labor, would even consider getting rid of the monarchy and replacing the King with one more elected official or political appointee?

Honest historians will agree that Norway as we know it might not have survived without the steady leadership of the monarchy, particularly in the early years. There is absolutely, positively no possible way that this move in favor of republicanism could be justified and I would think those behind it probably know it. Is it going to happen? Probably not and certainly not anytime soon as this gang of traitors would have to gather sufficient support to amend the constitution. However, it just goes to show that there are traitors in every camp and no monarchists anywhere can afford to be complacent, even in the Kingdom of Norway which makes little fuss, grabs few headlines and where the Royal Family has been consistently extremely popular. These republicans should be held up to scorn and monarchists in Norway should close ranks to nip this problem in the bud and see these offending MP’s swiftly voted out of office at the earliest possible opportunity. God bless Norway and long live the King!