Now snapping the wolf also after Erna & Co

Between ten , and twelve thousand angry activists from around the country marched Tuesday night in torchlight procession against the government's ulvepolitikk. They took over the city centre in Oslo and marked the powerful that there are alternative political wills in this country. The commemoration took place at the same time as the four bourgeois parties are sitting together at Hadeland and try to create a new government. In the middle of the fakkeltoget the country in a poll (Norstat for NRK and Aftenposten) that shows a solid rødgrønt majority, that the centre party is now as large as the conservative party and that the Left and the Progress is below the threshold. Now snapping the wolf also for Erna & Co.

According to Rovdata is registered between 67 and 74 wolves in Norway, but the real number is probably higher. In relation to this rather modest figure has wolf an extraordinary political importance, and conflicting role. For many people - especially outside of the larger towns - is the wolf something far more than a predator that is threatening the animals to pasture, and that supplies of the valuable popular. It has become a symbol of an ancient Norwegian conflict that has received a new life: the Conflict between centre and fringe. This conflict is woven together with a growing resistance to anything that tastes of the elite.

Under the fakkeltoget bar many of the demonstrators orange skyggeluer. It is probably an attempt to establish a symbol on the line with the yellow vestene in France.

the Demonstration, on Tuesday night came not rekende on a spline. The great level of support shows in itself that the requirements of strict bestandsmål for the wolf has significant public support. At the same time, there is reason to note that one of the organizers (Naturbruksalliansen) is a federation of strong business interests. Behind stands twelve organizations, bl.a. farmer - and skogeierorganisasjonene, reindeer herding, and representatives of hunters and fishermen. Here is everything from the filthy rich forest owners to geitebønder. At the same time has over 200 mayors requirements a more local rovdyrforvaltning.

implies that the protest hardly will wither from exhaustion, as many politicians probably like. Nevertheless will not this means dropping the case, but exploit it to the last trevl. It promised the party leader Trygve Slagsvold in a speech to the protestors. The pain of the other parties is already significant. There is evidence to outright rebellion both in the Right and the Progress party. The left and the party's minister of the environment Olav Elvestuen, are under severe pressure and has lost credibility as a champion for the environment and nature. His shaking out probably most of the inner frost, but is also depending on support in rural areas if it is to survive.

It is talk about a strong political cocktail, but it contains more ingredients than rovdyrmotstand. The supporters of a rovdyrvennlig politics is less well organized than the resistance, but has significant support in the people. A study undertaken by the Norwegian Institute for nature research last spring indicates that the wolf has many defenders. A key finding in the survey was that 57 percent of those surveyed said they like or like well that there is wolf in Norway, compared to 24 percent who dislike or dislike it strongly. When the issue becomes more concrete and binding, we see a dichotomy of people. When the questions place the wolf in the nature close to people, it's about as big groups like answer “would like” (37 percent) who “dislike” (38 per cent). Also among those who live close to the wolf, there is a considerable group that accepts the situation.

strong polarization also comes up in the trust of politicians and scientists. Among those who dislike that there are wolves in Norway, it is only 2.6 per cent who say they have great confidence in the researchers, while 83.5 per cent of the ulvetilhengerne have such confidence.

This is more than numbers and populist skepticism to evidence based policy. Since the 80's, there has been a fundamental shift in views on how we use and understand the nature. Departure from the agricultural and industrial community also meant a shift in the assessment of how we deal with Norway's resources. Throughout this country's history is about to exploit and magnify the natural resources, whether it is fishing, farming, hunting, fossekraft or oil. So grow it forward an alternative view which looks at nature as something more than a factor of production. It is experienced as a resource and value in and of themselves, preferably without major changes. These two natursynene comes naturally to completely opposite conclusions when it comes to wolves in Norway.

Simultaneously hardly any majority in this country who supports the extremes in the debate. Total frislipp or full slaughter of all of the predators are not commonly used options. Again is the most important value: The difficult tradeoff that pain all the parties, but also to live with.

the Wolf stands strong in the Norwegian people Leader