Is it a fine line between communism and egalitarianism?

Having worked mainly in big companies where every job is graded and all grades and salary boundaries were available on most noticeboards, for most of my life all my work colleagues knew how much I earned, to a couple of hundred pounds, although not how much tax I paid and I knew how much they earned.

Sago

Is it right that your salary is public knowledge?

Our son who lives and works in Norway has never had anyone look up his salary but he knows people who have!

Nothing new here tho we might find it strange - DT trying to do a shock horror job

but

For more than 200 years Norwegians have been able to see how much their fellow citizens earn and how much tax they pay

Overnight on a date in October, income tax returns are posted online, allowing neighbours and colleagues to peer into one another's financial affairs

However, since 2014, if you look up someone’s data, they will be sent an email notification informing them of the fact – with the exception of the Norwegian media.

There are other limits: the data only reveals your total income and your total tax paid. So if you have various sources of income, this isn’t broken down.

The thought of anyone being able to find out what you earn is enough to make many people uncomfortable, but for Norwegians it’s not unusual. “It’s been in place a very long time and is generally accepted by the people of Norway”

www.weforum.org/stories/2016/04/norway-can-see-everyones-tax-returns/#:~:text=For%20more%20than%20200%20years,into%20one%20another's%20financial%20affairs.

Is it right that your salary is public knowledge?

Our son who lives and works in Norway has never had anyone look up his salary but he knows people who have!

Chocolatelovinggn
That’s what the uk were promised when they built the first Dartford tunnel crossing.
It never happened.

Oh, and they do build toll roads and tunnels- they're big in tunnels(!) - until the cost has been recouped, then these become free again. Is this communism, socialism, or just a good way to treat it's citizens?

This is not the view of my family who live in Norway.
It's a mixed economy with, indeed, high taxes and a very robust welfare state, but everyone receives a fair share of the wealth.
The price of electricity, for example,frequently dips to very low ( arranged by the government)
This is important, because there is no gas for the home market, as the infrastructure/ geography makes this too difficult.
There are high incentives for new heating to be via a heat exchanger, or ground source pump.
Entrepreneurs may leave any country, but I have not heard of Norway having a particular problem with this.

Eloethan

A year or so ago - maybe longer - I watched the Norwegian drama State of Happiness (I think it is being re-shown on on one of the channels). I admit to not knowing a lot about the global oil industry and it was interesting to see that the Norwegians stuck to their guns and ensured that their oil industry was controlled by them and not by the Americans who were making a play for it.

I believe sectors that provide essential services and which require more of a focus on the needs of the country as a whole, rather than the demands of shareholders, should be nationalised. We have seen the disaster made of privatised, and allegedly "competitive" private water and transport provision. That is not to support communism but to provide protection against those who would squeeze every penny out of the public purse without providing even a basic level of service.

I couldn’t agree more

I have actually read the article on Norway published in the DT today. It was a descriptionof what is happening in Norway at the moment. It offered no opinions, just facts.

As I have said before, I do not think anyone is going to accuse me of being right wing in my thinking, I am broadly left-of-centre, nevertheless I try very hard to be objective in my political judgments, as in everything else, and I find, once you get past the politics in both the notriously Comservative supporting Dt and DM, the quality of journalism and the depth far excedes that found in The Guardian and the DM

The Telegraph has done more than constantly criticised.

It has knowingly misinformed its readers.

M0nica

Ilovecheese

Norway cares about the people who live there and they care about the future of our planet. So of course the DT is going to criticise.

That is not a contribution to a serious discussion it is merely a statement of prejudice. Have you read the article?

I think what it is, is that the Daily Telegraph has overdone it with the constant criticism of the new Government. I am no fan of Starmer but they just keep producing article after article to fearmonger.

This has lead, I am afraid to me treating anything they produce with less respect that I might have done in the past when I regarded them as a serious newspaper, even though I disagreed with their politics.

It means we would expect nothing less from the Daily Telegraph.

I expect Norway is not immune from the sorts of economic, social and climate issues that beset the rest of the world. But, on balance, it appears they are not doing too badly as compared to some countries.

PoliticsNerd

Sago

Just read an interesting article on Norways current government, they are not popular, growth is being stifled in every area except green energy and oil and gas.

Entrepreneurs are leaving and it’s becoming harder for businesses to grow.
This is due to hefty wealth taxes.

Everyone’s salary in Norway is a matter of public record!

Is it becoming more communist than egalitarian?

Is this the way we are heading under Starmers Britain?

Wyllow3 The article is from todays DT.

Ah, the Daily Telegraph again. As you were, everyone.

What does that mean?

PoliticsNerd

Sago

Just read an interesting article on Norways current government, they are not popular, growth is being stifled in every area except green energy and oil and gas.

Entrepreneurs are leaving and it’s becoming harder for businesses to grow.
This is due to hefty wealth taxes.

Everyone’s salary in Norway is a matter of public record!

Is it becoming more communist than egalitarian?

Is this the way we are heading under Starmers Britain?

Wyllow3 The article is from todays DT.

Ah, the Daily Telegraph again. As you were, everyone.

😄😄

Sago

Just read an interesting article on Norways current government, they are not popular, growth is being stifled in every area except green energy and oil and gas.

Entrepreneurs are leaving and it’s becoming harder for businesses to grow.
This is due to hefty wealth taxes.

Everyone’s salary in Norway is a matter of public record!

Is it becoming more communist than egalitarian?

Is this the way we are heading under Starmers Britain?

Wyllow3 The article is from todays DT.

Ah, the Daily Telegraph again. As you were, everyone.

I think we are just getting wind-ups, WWM2!

mum2three

I have just read that the retirement age may be raised to 70. Surely it is very unfair to expect people to carry on working to this age? 65 should be the limit.
I think this government want to do away with the benefit system altogether.
Starmer keeps referring to those who disagree with him as 'far-right', but surely this policy is similar to the Nazis, wanting to eradicate all those who were dependent on state help.

And this has something to do with Norway - how?

I have just read that the retirement age may be raised to 70. Surely it is very unfair to expect people to carry on working to this age? 65 should be the limit.
I think this government want to do away with the benefit system altogether.
Starmer keeps referring to those who disagree with him as 'far-right', but surely this policy is similar to the Nazis, wanting to eradicate all those who were dependent on state help.

Ilovecheese

Norway cares about the people who live there and they care about the future of our planet. So of course the DT is going to criticise.

That is not a contribution to a serious discussion it is merely a statement of prejudice. Have you read the article?

Eloethan

A year or so ago - maybe longer - I watched the Norwegian drama State of Happiness (I think it is being re-shown on on one of the channels). I admit to not knowing a lot about the global oil industry and it was interesting to see that the Norwegians stuck to their guns and ensured that their oil industry was controlled by them and not by the Americans who were making a play for it.

I believe sectors that provide essential services and which require more of a focus on the needs of the country as a whole, rather than the demands of shareholders, should be nationalised. We have seen the disaster made of privatised, and allegedly "competitive" private water and transport provision. That is not to support communism but to provide protection against those who would squeeze every penny out of the public purse without providing even a basic level of service.

State of Happiness is one of my all-time fave dramas and I'm now on watching series 2 again.

It is certainly not a Communist country but has a robust and efficient welfare state.

Unfettered free market Capitalism has taken such a hold in the west that any attempts by the state to intoduce welfare reforms for the good of the people is labelled as communist.

What a sad state of affairs...

Whitewavemark2

Not sure that there is a great understanding of what a communist economy looks like.

I'm not even sure there's a consensus on what communism actually is! My American friends are convinced that British Labour supporters are OF COURSE communists (but then their interpretations of Left & Right don't really mirror ours anyway). As for Norway, they have a different viewpoint altogether, as does every other country in the world. Sorry, I took a long time to say that I can't offer an answer to the OP!

A year or so ago - maybe longer - I watched the Norwegian drama State of Happiness (I think it is being re-shown on on one of the channels). I admit to not knowing a lot about the global oil industry and it was interesting to see that the Norwegians stuck to their guns and ensured that their oil industry was controlled by them and not by the Americans who were making a play for it.

I believe sectors that provide essential services and which require more of a focus on the needs of the country as a whole, rather than the demands of shareholders, should be nationalised. We have seen the disaster made of privatised, and allegedly "competitive" private water and transport provision. That is not to support communism but to provide protection against those who would squeeze every penny out of the public purse without providing even a basic level of service.

Ilovecheese

Norway didn't waste its oil money, it invested in the country. We wasted ours.

True

Norway didn't waste its oil money, it invested in the country. We wasted ours.

But it’s run more or less like a Socialist country with people there being so well cared for by a left leaning government which they’re able to do as it’s a well off place with a tiny population.Imagine Scotland being run by a left wing group and with shed loads of money.

Norway is not a socialist economy

Norway is a mixed economy - so government departments are responsible for various companies that run things like airports, transport, communication etc.

But is also have a thriving private sector. Most people work in the private sector. Most government workers work in the local authorities.