How ‘Power Play’ can inspire innovation in moderate political parties

The award-winning Norwegian political drama ‘Power Play’ tells the compelling story of a young female politician’s journey to reinvent Norway’s governing party during the late 70s and early 80s. This series holds valuable lessons for today’s moderate parties struggling to innovate and stay relevant. Here’s what they are. 

The echoes of past and present

While the political issues of the 70s and 80s differ from those faced today, ‘Power Play’ brilliantly illustrates parallels between these periods. The series, acclaimed with a special recommendation at the Europa Prix awards and winning best series award at Cannes International Series Festival, delves into the Norwegian Labour Party’s internal struggles during the ascent of Mrs. Gro Harlem Brundtland. She’s thrown into the government as a female alibi, at a time when the men want to keep things the way they’ve been. Brundtland, however, sees the need for immediate renewal.

In an interview with Dramaquaterly, co-producer Johan Fasting discussed the series’ focus on the Labour Party’s transformation during this era, with Brundtland at the heart of the change. “You’ve got this story about an era of the old Labour Party that’s fading away and then they have to die and be reborn into something new. Gro was in the middle of that change, so she becomes the pinwheel that everything revolves around.”

Norway’s Labour Party: a quest for renewal

Today, Norway’s Labour Party again finds itself fighting for its soul and in need of renewal. As is the case with social democratic parties around Europe, the old post-war state-building party of Norway is shrinking. From its historic peak parliamentary election in 1985 (40.8 percent) to this year’s local election, where the party gained only 21.6 percent of the votes, the downward trend is apparent. Led by Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, the party grapples with scandals, leadership issues, and a disconnect from voters’ needs.

Lessons from ‘Power Play’ on how to innovate the party

The series offers more than just entertainment—it provides a lens through which to view the challenges and potential paths forward for moderate, centre-based parties. Tarjei Skirbekk, Gahr Støres, a former political adviser who is currently the advisor to the CEO of Norway’s largest state-owned oil-company, Equinor, argued in his recently published book The Fall of the Moderate People’s Parties in Europe, that these parties must return to their social roots, embrace boldness, and respond to current and future societal concerns.

The moderate parties seem to be aware of the problem. In a recent zoom-meeting, I had a conversation with an EPP-researcher in Brussels who said that old parties have awakened to the fact that they no longer have strong roots with the electorate, like they used to. Looking at the current voting trends, the question remains: has the realisation come too late?

A wake-up call for moderate parties

Reflecting on my childhood in the 80s, I remember how blown-away I was with the hefty political debates between political opponents, such as Kåre Willoch and Gro Harlem Brundtland. These debates sowed the seeds for my own political involvement, which began as a locally engaged and elected party member, and lead to me serving as a national advisor in the Parliament of Norway. 

The political landscape of my childhood was, in many ways, very different to the one today. The geopolitics and the challenges were also different, yet similar. This is why the potential learning from the series may be highly relevant. What Mrs. Gro Harlem Brundtland realised then, in the late 70s, was the need to redefine the purpose and the ‘why’ of the party. She understood that the electorate of Norway, and of the party, no longer were mainly industrial blue-collar voters, but largely middle-class and professionally diverse. Other issues, such as gender-equality and the growing severity of the climate crisis, gained momentum. ‘Power Play’ captures these trends. The series brilliantly describes the power struggles in the party, with the ruling elite of men fighting Brundtland´s desire to move the party into a new era.

A timely tale of political transformation

Today, the older, established parties also have their ruling elites and their organisational cultures. They seem less able to answer the needs of the electorate, as they are being pushed back by new and in many ways, less stable, entrants. There is an obvious need for renewal. Perhaps this is why the series is so timely, and so catchy. The producers are able to tell the story based on truth, lies and bad memories, with the artist’s period-dressed against the backdrop of modern-day Oslo, making the series extremely engaging, also with younger viewers. The use of mockumentary-style camerawork adds to this.

Yet, it’s not just a period drama, but also a relevant case study in political innovation, offering insights for current political leaders on navigating change and staying relevant. The series can teach incumbent leaders of established parties a thing or two on how to renew themselves in order to stay relevant.

This article was first published in the European non-partisan political magazine PartyParty at December 14th 2023.