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The head of state has become famous for a short stint driving an Oslo taxi during which he listened to the views of ordinary people
Name: Jens Stoltenberg
Age: 54.
Appearance: Where you least expect him ...
On the surface of Mars? All right, not on Mars.
Where? In the driver's seat of a Norwegian taxi.
I didn't expect that, you're right. Nor did his passengers, although they recognised him straight away. You see, Stoltenberg is Norway's prime minister.
Well if their royal family ride bicycles, I suppose their politicians can drive taxis. This isn't something that he does habitually. It was just for one afternoon in June. He dressed in an Oslo taxi uniform, got his identity card and picked up a mixture of random and selected passengers, none of whom knew what was coming.
I understand. Yet at the same time I don't understand at all. It was a campaign stunt. "As prime minister it is important to listen to people's opinions," Stoltenberg explains on the video of his adventure, "and in taxis people say what they really mean."
Or snog. Or vomit everywhere. All right, some also do that. But perhaps Norwegians are brought up better. Basically the general election is coming up next month, and this is a way of showing the public that he's human.
Has that been in doubt? Not biologically. But his governing Labour-led coalition isn't popular. The wheeze was dreamed up "in collaboration with" their advertising agency.
So how did his passengers react? Oh it varied. Some thought it was funny. Some did a lot of weird high-fives and hand-rubbing. In most cases they just had a short mental breakdown. I mean how would you react if you got into a cab and saw that David Cameron was driving?
Hard to say. It might not bring out my best side. Wasn't Stoltenberg nervous that someone might take the opportunity to throttle him? He was nervous, he says, but not for that reason. It was, "because I haven't driven a car for many years, because I've been prime minster".
Yes, you'd expect him to be rather busy. You wouldn't expect it for much longer. Most pundits think he'll lose his job in a few weeks.
At least he's got something to fall back on. I'm sure that will be a great comfort.
Do say: "You'll never guess who I had in the front of my cab the other day."
Don't say: "It's the politicians I blame. They come over here, they take our jobs ..."
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Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
