– I had to rip it out right away!

Trygve Slagsvold Vedum talks about the mini-drama that unfolded just before he went live on the European debate on NRK last night.

Vedum has worn NATO pins on his lapel since Russia invaded Ukraine last year, as well as a pin with the Norwegian flag.

But yesterday he received the worst message imaginable:

– Lan Marie Berg asked why I opted for an EU pin! And I could let people think I did. I had to act quickly, says Vedum.

– Vedum with an EU pin – a fate worse than death?

– In any case, I am at least as much against the EU today as I have ever been, says Vedum.

Go calm everyone

The PS leader says he doesn’t hope anyone believed he, who leads the country’s most EU-critical party, has been walking around openly with an EU pin for a year.

– I have to calm everyone down. It’s bad enough that only Lan Marie Berg thought it was an EU pin. No one should think I’m wearing an EU pin, Vedum laughs.

From now on, the Minister of Finance will be looking for a NATO pin that cannot be confused with the EU in any way, and in no case.

– I need to get a bigger NATO brooch. Jens Stoltenberg gave me a NATO tie, so I might have to fish for that too, says Vedum.

Tribute to NATO

Vedum says he has received many questions about the last word regarding the pins he wears on his lapel.

– NATO is so important to our national security. Along with our national defence, NATO is the cornerstone of our security. I started wearing NATO pins every day after the war in Ukraine. The struggle for freedom in Ukraine is also the struggle for freedom in Norway.

Vedum describes the main line which means that in his view there is a principled separation between NATO and the EU

– NATO is an intergovernmental collaboration, while the EU is about giving up national sovereignty.

Norwegian flags on May 17

Additionally, Vedum also has a pin with the Norwegian flag.

– It is to symbolize the Norway that we love so much, to support the community project, he says.

– You who love the flag so much, what do you think of the flags other than Norwegian in the national parade on May 17?

– If someone wants to bring the Swedish flag or something, then it doesn’t matter. But we are, after all, celebrating Norway’s National Day, so it’s only natural that you’ll be flying our flag. It is the Norwegian people’s government that is celebrated on May 17, says Vedum.

– Perhaps the Swedish flag is best suited for midsummer anyway, concludes Vedum.

Hoksrud’s theory of decision technique

In all cases of pins, there is one man whose craftsmanship surpasses all others: Bård Hoksrud (Frp). Dagbladet contacted the Storting – and Norway’s biggest pin collector.

– Pentecost of NATO can be confused with Pentecost of EU at first glance when you move away a little, confirms Pentecost expert Hoksrud.

But after thinking about it a bit, Hoksrud smells owls in the bog. The NATO star is not so similar to the EU stars when you get close to it. Can Lan Marie Berg take a cheeky look at Vedum just before he’s about to enter a debate?

– I think it might be Lan’s maneuver. An unsophisticated decision technique to get Trygve flying and stressed just before a debate, Hoksrud said with a big wink.

– Have you yourself been exposed to such low blows before a debate?

– It’s mainly that I go to see the others and ask them where they got their pins, said Hoksrud.

History since 1896

Since we have Bård Hoksrud on the thread, the rest of the topic will be about pins in general. We just let Bård Hoksrud speak.

– Pins started out wanting to give each other something. I will be giving a talk on pins on Monday and it started at the Olympics in 1896. People gave each other a symbol of respect. Now it’s used to symbolize affiliation or opinion, like Trygve does with NATO’s Pentecost, says Hoksrud, and recounts when it all started for him.

– I worked in a grocery store before the Lillehammer Olympics, then we sold badges. I was bitten by the bacillus and it became quite “fermented”. I think I am the only one with a complete collection of pins from the Oslo 1952 Olympics and I am the only one in Norway with a complete collection from the Lillehammer Olympics.

– While you’re on the wire, I have to tell you about one of the most special things I had: only 6-7 of the lanterns carried the Olympic flame. I got my hands on the one they smuggled through Sarajevo during the war. It had been ten years since Sarajevo itself hosted the Olympic Games in 1984. That’s the thing with pins and other things I collect, there’s always a story behind it.