Norway's PM becomes taxi driver for a day to canvass opinion

[frigidmagi]

NBC

Norway’s prime minister went undercover as a taxi driver in an attempt to find out what the voters were really thinking.

Donning dark glasses, Jens Stoltenberg canvassed opinion as drove around Oslo in June, only confirming his identity when passengers realized who he was.

Hidden cameras fitted in the cab recorded reactions from the passengers, including one who remarked: "From this angle, he really looks like the prime minister."

The footage was published on Sunday by daily newspaper Verdens Gang (VG) and on the PM's Facebook and twitter pages.

"If there is one place where people say what they really mean about most things, it is in a taxi. Right from the gut," Stoltenberg told VG. “I loved talking to people and we kept driving for several hours. In fact I was quite sad when it was over.”

Reaction to the incognito Stoltenberg, who has led the country for eight years, was mixed. Many of his passengers were left shocked and bemused.

"So, you have begun driving a taxi," deadpanned one passenger after realizing who his chauffeur was. "Have you quit as prime minister?" another asked.

But the discussions soon turned to politics, with his customers raising a number of issues facing the country ahead of the September 9 general election -- which Stoltenberg's ruling leftist coalition appears likely to lose, according to a poll conducted for Norwegian TV station TV2.

An elderly woman who recognized the politician urged him to do something about "the salaries of bosses," complaining that "they should not make millions like that."

A student discussed education policy and another raised environmental issues.

Some of the passengers were handpicked, while others were randomly picked up off the street. Five of the 14 passengers filmed had been paid about $85, the BBC reported Tuesday.

Nearly all were given a bumpy ride.

At one point the prime minister jolted the automatic car by pressing the brake, when he thought he was pressing the clutch.

"I am not really happy about the driving," said one passenger. "I guess I will live," another said. "Your driving is really bad," a third added.

Stoltenberg later confessed he was not used to driving as he usually sits at the back of his chauffeured car.
The stunt was planned with the Try Advertising Agency.

Agency owner Kjetil Try said there had been some concerns from the police to begin with, but that everything had gone to plan in the end.

“There is no political advertising on TV in Norway,” he said. “So we had to come up with something that captured the imagination. The response has been very positive.”

He added that the video would be shown in cinemas across the country.

Stoltenberg said he was not ready for a career change.

“First, I will not lose the election,” he told VG. “I believe this country and its taxi passengers will be better off without me as a taxi driver.”

[rhoenix]

I remember reading about a Roman Emperor (apologies, his name escapes me) who, once a year, put a strange concoction on himself to make it look like he had boils, dressed like a beggar, and spent the day begging in the streets.

Personally, if only in my own thoughts, having the powerful be required to walk in the shoes of the powerless every so often could only improve things.

So - in short, I say good on this guy, even if it had tinges of "political stunt" to it.