Giske will talk about the warning cases

Former Deputy Leader of Labour , Trond Giske, Photo: Stortinget

Giske will talk about the warning cases in his Orkdal speech

Former Labour Deputy Leader, Trond Giske, will address the warning cases when he makes a political comeback at the founding meeting of the Orkland Labour Party on Saturday afternoon. He will likely not come up with any more concessions, though.

 

The four municipalities of Orkdal, Meldal, Agdenes and Snillfjord will merge into one big municipality. That’s why the four organizations will merge as well.

It is not known what Giske is going to say in Orkdal on Saturday, but after what NTB is informed, he will address the warning cases in his speech. Giske opens the meeting around 2 pm and will allow for questions thereafter.

He has announced that he will not answer any questions regarding the warning cases after the speech, representative from Trøndelag Ap, Per Olav Skurdal Hopsø, tells NTB.

Does not expect any apology

Saturday will be the first time the party’s former deputy is entering the political scene after he obtained a sick leave before Christmas as a result of the warning cases in Labour (Ap). The cases led to that Giske had to resign as deputy chairperson and lost the seat in the central committee and position as the party’s fiscal spokesperson.

Trude Cathrine Tevik Gulbrandsen, leader of the interim board in Orkland Labour, has no knowledge of the content of Trond Giskes speech, but says that she does not expect Giske to apologize for the sexual harassments.

– I do not expect any apologies. Whatever he will say about the warning cases, it will be interpreted wrongly. If he says he’s sorry, some will say he says too much, others will say he does not go far enough, says Gulbrandsen.

To NRK, Gulbrandsen says that she looks forward to Giske’s speech and that he is an excellent introducer.

– Trond Giske was with us in January when we had a kickoff in Orkdal Town Hall for the local team. It is natural for him to return. The ring is completed with him introducing. This will be good in my opinion, says Gulbrandsen.

Labour’s situation

Many believe Giske will take up the situation the Labour Party is in, as well as what the party has to do to rise from the low support shown by all polls.

– I think he wants to talk about the situation the party is in and what matters we need to spend more time on to appear as the party we are. And he will be concerned that Trøndelag will be even clearer and stronger now that we are united as one county, says parliamentary representative, Jorodd Asphjell from Orkdal, to Dagens Næringsliv.

– We need Trond back as an ideologist, as an organizer and to front the party’s policy in many important matters, says Asphjell.

Healthy

Labour’s former deputy leader went on sick leave December 22, 2017, but on Wednesday this week returned back to work. he was however not in present in Parlament, and his office remains closed. In total, Labour has received more than 20 warnings since mid December, several of those are linked to other people than Trond Giske.

Giske has repeatedly criticized the Labour leadership for having concluded prematurely in the cases against him. On February 2, he sent a letter to the party’s central committee, where he among other things writes that the party’s handling of the alerts has been made into a legal process, with a “reversed burden of proof” – being guilty until otherwise proven.

– the alerts were finalized before I was healthy and could reply. The conclusions were thus given, and the possibility of a thorough contradiction has been lost. I can only take note of that fact, he writes.

Back as Cabinet Minister

Adresseavisen has been in contact with 19 of Labour’s 25 Local Leaders in the former South Trøndelag county before the founding meeting of Orkland Labour Party Saturday. Of them, 13 believe that Trond Giske can one day return as a Cabinet Minister.

The newspaper also asked if they wanted Giske heading the list if there was a nomination meeting today. The party colleagues are more skeptical to that. Eight out of 19 say no, while only six say yes.

One might wonder how long it will take Giske to realize that as long as he does not stop mentioning the sexual harassment cases involving him, he will not only hurt himself, but mainly the Labour Party.

Støre looks forward to cooperation with Giske in Parliament

Labour Party leader, Jonas Gahr Støre, wishes the party’s former deputy Trond Giske welcome back after his absence.

– I welcome Trond back after his sick leave and look forward to good cooperation in the parliamentary group, says Støre in a comment to NTB.

Giske also expressed his wish for cooperation in the Parliament (Storting) after his speech to Orkland Labour on Saturday.

– We are going to work well in the parliamentary group, I’m sure, says Giske, who is now part of the family and culture committee.

Last week, Giske returned to the Parliament, and according to VG he will be physically in place at the national assembly as of Tuesday.

 

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today.