For a month, we planned the annual strategy seminar for editors and managers at Mediehuset Dagsavisen. New offensive plans were to be discussed. A year and a half of Corona challenges was to be evaluated. We checked potential hotels around Oslo, and finally found one with room for us. Most press work was done on the elections and the epidemic was in its final stages. We were looking forward to meeting at the Hurdalsjøen Hotel.
[ Drømmen til Jonas ble knust på Hurdalsjøen ]
Then the Labor Party, the Socialist People’s Party and the Socialist People’s Party decided to travel to the same place. Then the character of our layout changed. We talked about Jonas Gahr Støre, Trygve Slagsvold Vedum and Audun Lysbakken’s reaction to seeing us there. Do we stumble upon a scoop in the elevator? Some launched the idea that the parties would definitely book the entire hotel and close it to other guests. In my naivety, I declined the last option as an option after checking that the hotel has 111 rooms, and I knew the cost per night for ten Dagsavisen managers in full board. 111 rooms for ten nights indicates about 100 times more in expenses, probably more than two million kroner. I concluded that responsible politicians would not do this at the taxpayer’s expense.
[ Trist Lysbakken etter å ha forlatt sonderingene ]
It turns out I was wrong. First came the phone call from the hotel that we had lost our reservation. It wasn’t a pity for us, but it was a little worse for the future bride and groom that we could read about at VG. NSCatherine Inge and her fiancé’s wedding was suddenly canceled in Hurdalsjøen. APS communications director Jarle Roheim Håkonsen told VG that the party was sorry for the situation. “We apologize to everyone affected by this situation. We had to follow the clear advice of the police, who recommended keeping the hotel closed for security reasons. It’s particularly sad for families and possibly weddings that are affected,” Hoconsen said.
[ Fellesforbundets leder er glad for at Ap sto på valgløftene i oljepolitikken ]
The point of this slightly joking comment is not to complain that we at Dagsavisen had to move our management seminar, but there is some seriousness behind the words as well. In a strategy seminar at an alternative, smaller, and cheaper hotel, we talked a little bit about how a new government is going to run its mission and not least how to use our shared money. If there are unavoidable security reasons for doing this kind of exploration in a closed hotel, one wonders if there are no financial reasons to choose a place where one doesn’t have to pay 100 empty rooms in common tax dollars? Good Friday!
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