THE GUARDIAN – EDITORIAL: Yesterday's remarkable court proceedings were the start of a long and harrowing - but necessary – phase for Norway
In a variety of ways Norway offers a model of the kind of country that many would like Britain to emulate. On the left, there is envy for Norway's enduring social solidarity and its long commitment to international peacemaking. On the right, there is a wish for Britain to enjoy the semi-detached relationship with the European Union that Norwegians have always preferred. For their part, supporters of Scottish independence like to imagine themselves as a second Norway, a green northern European economy bankrolled by oil revenues.
Meanwhile, across the spectrum from left to right and north to south, there is no financially embattled European nation that does not envy Norway its resilient finances, with its billions in the bank and a state-owned investment fund that guarantees most Norwegians the kind of pensions that workers here can only dream of. If only we had planned for our futures the way Norwegians have done for theirs. Yesterday, the eyes of the world were once again glued to a very different and far from ideal side of Norway. » | Editorial | Monday, April 16, 2012
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