Yesterday was Labour Day. Decades ago, inveterate men marched and carried the banners of their Union. They demanded 8 hours of work, 8 hours of leisure and 8 hours of rest. The slogan: “Hold out comrades – eat bread and herring.” That is all part of the proud history of the Labour movement.
Thousands of dedicated men (and many women) spent their free time organising unions and strikes. They endeavoured to educate themselves and to become politically adroit. Despite half-empty stomachs and aching bodies.
My father grew up in a small cottage with two rooms and nine children. During the 1930s he often went to bed hungry. Those childhood experiences left indelible stains on him.
The closest thing to God in the unreligious home I grew up in was the Labour prime minister after World War II. Einar Gerhardsen and his government lifted Norway out of poverty. Before the war, my home country had been one of the poorest in Europe. Today, it is one of the most developed, most free and richest countries in the world.
(There are numerous flaws to be found in Norway. I will save them for another time).
Despite this homage, I have never voted for the Labour Party. I oppose collectiveness. I detest the increasing political correctness. The outdated overfocusing on rights and a tincture on obligations. Besides, the job is done. What the Labour movement fought for has come to pass here in Scandinavia. “We are all social democrats,” the leader of a conservative party said.
Because we have reached a common understanding: We can never have good and mature societies if we do not eradicate poverty. If your basic needs are not fulfilled little else matters. You will also have a society with little trust. Between the “haves” and the “have-nots.” The perfect conditions for endless frictions, instead of progress.
Don’t get me wrong. The poor around the world also need to take responsibility. Social norms keep people down. The lack of ambition despite opportunities. The bad school results. Domestic abuse. And other deplorable features of deprivation.
That makes the achievements of the Labour movements in my part of the world even more laudable. The movement set out norms for good behaviour. It expected men to be responsible husbands and fathers. And no one took more pride in their appearance than the working-class man who put on his best shirt and his only suit to take part in the Labour Day parade. Women were much left out of the picture. Our battle came later.
I am immensely grateful to all those brave people who fought the fight for me. For creating a welfare society. If you want to end up homeless and destitute in Norway, it takes a lot of effort. That ensures a harmonious society with harmonious people. I have often heard abroad, “How come you are so calm?“ Now you know.
But, perhaps the Labour Movement’s most important result was to instil in us, the importance of contributing, not just taking. That is Maturity, indeed.
If all this could be achieved in a small country close to the North Pole, it can be achieved anywhere. It may take time. It may look different. But it is not a question of a colonial past, the culture, or any other circumstances. It is a question of will.
