Calling our elected representatives “criminals” tastes foul, but it rings truer by the day.

As though ordinary crooks weren’t burden enough for Norway, now we must face the fact that our top trusted figures act like extras from a gangster movie. The Epstein document revelations aren’t just a Labour Party or Foreign Office embarrassment. They mark the total collapse of Norwegian democracy and the very trust our society rests upon.

We’re dealing with a trio of Thorbjørn Jagland, Terje Rød-Larsen, and Mona Juul, who’ve been playing in a murky grey area that would embarrass even banana-republic strongmen. These lifelong beneficiaries of public funds have hobnobbed with one of the planet’s most infamous sex criminals. It turns the stomach to learn how former PM and Nobel Committee chair Thorbjørn Jagland pleaded with Jeffrey Epstein for a 10-million-kroner loan to buy a place in Oslo. Equally revolting is how he fed lies to the media, inventing encounters with Bill Gates to hide his dealings.

This is not statesmanship. It’s sheer greed disguised as diplomacy.

It gets far uglier with the Rød-Larsen-Juul couple. Norway’s top diplomats have accepted sponsorships worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, lavish trips, and assistance in slashing the price of a high-end Frogner apartment. When Terje Rød-Larsen texts a convicted paedophile and procurer that he’ll do whatever it takes for him, this isn’t just bad decision-making. It’s Norwegian interests being sold off. This is outright corruption: trading personal perks for access and favours.

It is corruption in its purest form when you receive personal financial benefits in exchange for access and services.

What truly makes the blood boil isn’t their actions—it’s the system’s reaction. The government and Foreign Ministry won’t set up an independent probe; they’re opting for an internal self-review. Classic case of the fox guarding the henhouse. Ambassador Mona Juul is apparently to be investigated by her own mates and colleagues at the ministry. It’s a slap in the face to everyone. In a healthy democracy, an external independent commission would be automatic. Not here in Norway.

The elite are circling the wagons, praying the fuss dies down.

Opposition to a genuine clean-up makes it crystal clear: the corruption goes way beyond a handful of rotten apples. It reveals a system built to protect the powerful from prying eyes. When Støre’s government won’t dare allow an independent external probe, it screams that they’re petrified of what skeletons might fall out. This mates-helping-mates culture is toxic for our society. We see a clear pattern: the political elite elevating themselves above the rules the rest of us must follow. Had a regular local-authority worker taken luxury holidays and monetary gifts from a crook, they’d be out of a job and facing charges before the ink dried.

When the elite do it, they get paid leave and a quiet internal chat.

Norway likes to portray itself as world champions in ethics and morality, but the truth is we have a corruption culture so deeply ingrained that we don’t even notice it anymore. We call it networking and favours among friends, but the reality is influence-peddling. That Thorbjørn Jagland acted as a door-opener for Epstein into the Putin regime is a betrayal of the very values the Council of Europe is supposed to uphold. That he now sits tight-lipped, hoping we’ll all forget, is unforgivable.

It’s time to call a spade a spade. We are governed by people who lost their moral compass long ago. They’ve grown so accustomed to privilege and power that they believe they can do as they please without consequences. The demand from the people must be crystal clear, and it must echo all the way into the government quarter. We demand a full, independent and merciless investigation into every connection between Norwegian public officials and Jeffrey Epstein. Anything less is an admission that corruption has won.

We cannot accept our elected criminals getting away with it simply because they hold the right party membership. Enough is enough.