Norway's PM hits back at Colbert's Twitter invasion
Norway's prime minister has gamely responded to a YouTube and Twitter challenge from US comedian Stephen Colbert, recording her own, admittedly slightly less funny, video.
"Thank you for your powerful message. You've managed to clog my Twitter feed," Erna Solberg told the US comedian in a video recorded in her government offices. "But you’ve got your priorities right: Lutefisk, Norwegian death metal, and girls’ education."
But she stopped short of meeting Colbert and his supporters' demand to further increase Norway's planned annual contributions to the Global Partnership for Education $100m a year for the next five years, instead calling on other countries to up their spending.
Stephen Colbert launched his 'Let's Invade Norway' campaign on Monday, in a video promoting the Global Citizen Festival, a massive charity fundraiser taking place in New York next month.
In his YouTube video he ate Lutefisk, Norway's glutinous dried cod dish, and listened to Norwegian death metal, as he called on his supporters to Twitter bomb Solberg pressuring her to up Norway's financial support for the global initiative to improve girl's education worldwide.
In her response, Solberg underlined the importance of girls' education.
"Education can fulfill dreams, create hopes and secure their future. When you educate a girl you educate a nation," she said.
But she made no new financial commitments.
"My government is massively increasing our support for global education, but even the Vikings of Norway can't do it alone, Stephen," she said. "That's why we encourage other countries, private companies and key partners to do more."
"I promise to eat the rest of that later," Colberg said in his video, as he pushed away plate of white goo after one bite, adding: "My goodness, that has a fishy aftertaste."
At the end of her video, Solberg pushes him to eat the rest.
"See you in New York in September. Now get back to that lutefisk – how do you think we pay for all of this?"
Norwegian PM @erna_solberg is supporting girls' education and has replaced Thor as my favorite Norwegian! https://t.co/AawTsC0PvK
— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) August 19, 2015
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"Thank you for your powerful message. You've managed to clog my Twitter feed," Erna Solberg told the US comedian in a video recorded in her government offices. "But you’ve got your priorities right: Lutefisk, Norwegian death metal, and girls’ education."
But she stopped short of meeting Colbert and his supporters' demand to further increase Norway's planned annual contributions to the Global Partnership for Education $100m a year for the next five years, instead calling on other countries to up their spending.
Stephen Colbert launched his 'Let's Invade Norway' campaign on Monday, in a video promoting the Global Citizen Festival, a massive charity fundraiser taking place in New York next month.
In his YouTube video he ate Lutefisk, Norway's glutinous dried cod dish, and listened to Norwegian death metal, as he called on his supporters to Twitter bomb Solberg pressuring her to up Norway's financial support for the global initiative to improve girl's education worldwide.
In her response, Solberg underlined the importance of girls' education.
"Education can fulfill dreams, create hopes and secure their future. When you educate a girl you educate a nation," she said.
But she made no new financial commitments.
"My government is massively increasing our support for global education, but even the Vikings of Norway can't do it alone, Stephen," she said. "That's why we encourage other countries, private companies and key partners to do more."
"I promise to eat the rest of that later," Colberg said in his video, as he pushed away plate of white goo after one bite, adding: "My goodness, that has a fishy aftertaste."
At the end of her video, Solberg pushes him to eat the rest.
"See you in New York in September. Now get back to that lutefisk – how do you think we pay for all of this?"
Norwegian PM @erna_solberg is supporting girls' education and has replaced Thor as my favorite Norwegian! https://t.co/AawTsC0PvK
— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) August 19, 2015
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