Inge Ryan
Encyclopedia
Inge Ryan is a Norwegian
politician for the Socialist Left Party
. Since 2009, he has been County Governor of Nord-Trøndelag. Ryan was mayor of Namsskogan
from 1991 to 1995, and was a member of the Parliament of Norway from 2001 to 2009, the last four years as his party's parliamentary leader.
and association football as a goalie. He attended Namdal Upper Secondary School from 1972 to 1975, where he took general academics. During secondary school, his best subject was history.
On 5 November 2005, Ryan married Bjørg Tørresdal
. She was a fellow member of parliament, representing the Christian Democratic Party. Priest and Minister of the Environment
Helen Bjørnøy
wedded the couple.
In June 2009, Ryan was admitted to Ullevål University Hospital
for treatment. His close friend and Minister of Health and Care Services
, Bjarne Håkon Hanssen
from the Labour Party, phoned director Tove Strand at Ullevål to inquire why Ryan was not admitted to Rikshospitalet
and whether he was receivin the necessary treatment. This spurred a public debate about the incident.
. Ryan worked as a teacher at Skorovatn School from 1975 to 1977, after which he studied teaching at Levanger College
and Alta College
, graduating in 1980. He has also studied history at Bodø College
and pedagogy at the University of Trondheim. He then started working as a teacher at Trones School in Namsskogan
until 1987, when he was appointed principal. Among his pedagogical methods were starting a local radio station, run by the students, and establishing the zoo Namsskogan Familiepark, with the pupils as minority shareholders, and established a bakers run by the students. He returned as teacher again in 1991, but chose to apply for the job as principal in Alvdal
. He war awarded the job, but never started working before he was elected mayor. Ryan was also a board member of Namsskogan Familiepark from 1987 to 1991. He worked as mayor from 1991 to 1995, and from then until 1997 was regional director of the Norwegian Public Employment Service. In 1996, he applied for the job as chief-of-administration in Tromsø
, but failed to get the job. He quit this job in protest against the state's unemployment policies, because he had been instructed to "depopulate Indre Namdal", because the agency policies required people to be moved if they could not get jobs locally. From 1997 to 2001, he was the director of Indre Namdal Regional Council. From 2001 to 2009, Ryan worked as a full-time member of parliament. On 19 December 2008, Ryan was appointed County Governor of Nord-Trøndelag. He started on 1 November 2009, succeeding Oddbjørn Nordset
, who had been acting for Inger Lise Gjørv
since 2008. Initially, he holds the position for six years.
politician Guttorm Hansen
. In 1971, Ryan attended Red Youth
's summer camp, the youth wing of the Red Electoral Alliance
. He was given a code name and started a chapter in Overhalla. At upper secondary school, Ryan became an active promoter of the socialist newspaper Klassekampen
. Ryan's interest for politics died down afterwards.
, Odd Einar Dørum
, the leader of the Liberal Party asked him to run as a candidate for the municipal council, and Ryan accepted since he did no disagree with anything on the program. He was however not elected. In 1989, the Socialist Left Party started a chapter in Namsskogan, and Ryan was nominated as top candidate. Following the 1991 election
, the party won 26.2% of the popular vote. The party cooperated with the Centre Party
, which involved the Socialist Left Party gaining the mayor for the four-year term in exchange for supporting the Centre Party's candidate in the next term. Ryan, who had never met in a single municipal council meeting, was thereby elected mayor. Nationally, the party captured only seven mayors in the election. In the same election, Ryan was also elected member of Nord-Trøndelag County Council
. The following year, Ryan was appointed as board member of the county-owned power company Nord-Trøndelag Elektrisitetsverk
, where he sat until 1999. He was also leader of the Namsskogan chapter of the Socialist Left Party.
In the 1995 election
, Ryan was re-elected to the municipal council and county council, and subsequently appointed deputy mayor of Namsskogan and the county's executive board. In 1996, he was appointed to the board of a government committee to grant subsidies to local stores in remote locations. The same year, became a deputy board member of Nord-Trøndelag University College
, and from 1999 until 2001 he was a regular member. From 1998 to 2002, he also sat on the board of Trøndelag R&D Institute. Following the 1999 election
, Ryan was re-elected to the municipal and county councils, and was appointed to the county's executive board. From 1999 to 2001, Ryan sat on the board for Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities
(KS). Ryan also sat in the KS-appointed Stand Committee, led by Morten Strand
, that suggested to reduce the number of directorate and reduce the influence of the county governors.
, Ryan was one of three nominee candidates for the Socialist Left Party's list in Nord-Trøndelag. Ryan was nominated on third place on the list, after Jorunn Hageler
and Inge Staldvik
. Hageler was elected to parliament, and Ryan was her second deputy during the term 1993 to 1997. Prior to the 1997 election
, Ryan was launched as an alternative top candidate for Nord-Trøndelag. At the nomination meeting, Hageler won 23 against Ryan's 13 votes, and Ryan was placed on second place on the list. After the nomination, Hageler stated that she regreted having said that Ryan was less suitable to sit in parliament than her because of his down-to-earth appeal and informal dress code. The party failed to win a seat from the county in 1997. Ryan was a possible candidate to became deputy party leader of his party in 1997, but was instead appointed as central board member. He became deputy leader in 1999, a position he held until 2001.
In the 2001 election
, Ryan was the party's top candidate in the county, and succeeded in winning a seat. The party did its best election every, including in Nord-Trøndelag, where it won 13.8% of the votes, up 7.5% compared to 1997. Ryan became member of the party's largest parliamentary group ever. During the parliamentary term from 2001 to 2005, Ryan was a member of the Standing Committee on Business and Industry
and the Election Committee
. He was a member of the parliamentary delegation to the Nordic Council
. He also was a deputy member of the European Committee
and the delegation to the United Nations General Assembly
.
In the 2005 election
, Ryan was successful at retaining his seat. Following the Socialist Left Party entering government as part of Stoltenberg's Second Cabinet, Ryan was appointed the party's parliamentary leader. He was appointed first vice chair of the Standing Committee on Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs
, a position he held until 24 November 2007, when he again sat on the Standing Committee on Business and Industry. For the full term 2005 to 2009, he was a member of the Election Committee and the Enlarged Committee on Foreign Affairs. He was a delegate to the Nordic Council, and from 2007 a delegate to the United Nations General Assembly.
Ryan's election as party deputy leader in 1999 was largely due to the party's parliamentary support for the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
. Ryan represented the branch of the party that was apposed to the Norwegian participation in the war, and was appointed to supplement the Kristin Halvorsen
and Øystein Djupedal
, who were both in favor of the bombings. In 2001, Ryan proposed allowing local stores to function as branches of Vinmonopolet
, the state-run liquer stores, to allow liquer and wine retailing in rural areas.
During the 2001 election, Ryan's main issues were related to regional policy. He wanted to introduce subsidies for local stores in rural areas, and equal price throughout the country for power line component in the electrical prices. Other issues were increased funding for schools, increasing the progressivity of taxation
and making a two-tier system for taxes on electricity. After being elected, Ryan worked to try to establish public service offices, and wanted to force state agencies to participate in these. He also called for a separate Minister of Rural Affairs.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
politician for the Socialist Left Party
Socialist Left Party (Norway)
The Socialist Left Party or SV, is a Norwegian left-wing political party. At one point one of the smallest parties in Parliament, it became the fourth-largest political party in Norway for the first time in the 2001 parliamentary election, and has been so ever since...
. Since 2009, he has been County Governor of Nord-Trøndelag. Ryan was mayor of Namsskogan
Namsskogan
Namsskogan is a village and municipality in Nord-Trøndelag, Norway. Namsskogan is located in the upper part of the long Namdalen valley region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Namsskogan...
from 1991 to 1995, and was a member of the Parliament of Norway from 2001 to 2009, the last four years as his party's parliamentary leader.
Early and personal life
Ryan was born on 15 August 1956 in Overhalla of forester Arvid Ryan and nurse Irene Opdal. He attended Øysletta School from 1963 to 1969. At the age of eight, be started the association Tiger to establish a ski jump. He attended Overhalla Lower Secondary School from 1969 to 1972, and was during the period active in orienteeringOrienteering
Orienteering is a family of sports that requires navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain, and normally moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specially prepared orienteering map, which they...
and association football as a goalie. He attended Namdal Upper Secondary School from 1972 to 1975, where he took general academics. During secondary school, his best subject was history.
On 5 November 2005, Ryan married Bjørg Tørresdal
Bjørg Tørresdal
Bjørg Tørresdal is a Norwegian politician for the Christian Democratic Party.She was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Sør-Trøndelag in 2001, and has been re-elected on one occasion...
. She was a fellow member of parliament, representing the Christian Democratic Party. Priest and Minister of the Environment
Minister of the Environment (Norway)
The Norwegian Minister of the Environment is the head of the Royal Norwegian Ministry of the Environment. The Ministry was established in 1972....
Helen Bjørnøy
Helen Bjørnøy
Helen Oddveig Bjørnøy is a Norwegian Lutheran minister and politician . From October 2005 to October 2007, she was Minister of the Environment in the Red-Green Coalition cabinet headed by Jens Stoltenberg...
wedded the couple.
In June 2009, Ryan was admitted to Ullevål University Hospital
Ullevål University Hospital
Ullevaal, Oslo University Hospital was opened in 1887. From January 1, 2009, the hospital is part of the Oslo University Hospital.Ullevål has more than 8,600 employees. 940 of them are doctors and 2,400 nurses. With a total of 1,200 beds Ullevål, admits some 45,000 patients per year and its...
for treatment. His close friend and Minister of Health and Care Services
Minister of Health and Care Services (Norway)
The Norwegian Minister of Health and Care Services is the head of the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services. The position has existed since 1 January 2002, when the Ministry of Health was created...
, Bjarne Håkon Hanssen
Bjarne Håkon Hanssen
Bjarne Håkon Hanssen, has been the Norwegian Minister of Health since 20 June 2008 as part of the second cabinet Stoltenberg. On October 8, 2009 Hansen announced that he would step down as a minister when Stoltenberg's new cabinet is put together...
from the Labour Party, phoned director Tove Strand at Ullevål to inquire why Ryan was not admitted to Rikshospitalet
Rikshospitalet
Rikshospitalet is located in Oslo, Norway. From January 1, 2009, the hospital is part of Oslo University Hospital....
and whether he was receivin the necessary treatment. This spurred a public debate about the incident.
Professional career
While attending secondary school, Ryan had several small jobs, including for Øyvind Johansen. When 18, Ryan worked at a fish factory in SørværSørvær
Sørvær may refer to the following locations:*Sørvær in Hasvik municipality, Finnmark, Norway*Sørvær in Bodø municipality, Nordland, Norway...
. Ryan worked as a teacher at Skorovatn School from 1975 to 1977, after which he studied teaching at Levanger College
Nord-Trøndelag University College
Nord-Trøndelag University College or HiNT is a Norwegian university college located throughout the county of Nord-Trøndelag...
and Alta College
Finnmark University College
Finnmark University College is a university college with three campuses throughout Finnmark, Norway. The Faculty of Education and Liberal Arts and the Faculty of Business and Social Work is located in Alta, while the Faculty of Nursing is located in Hammerfest. The Barents International School,...
, graduating in 1980. He has also studied history at Bodø College
Bodø University College
The University of Nordland , previously Bodø University College, is a public university located is located in Bodø, Norway. The university is located 10 km outside the city centre...
and pedagogy at the University of Trondheim. He then started working as a teacher at Trones School in Namsskogan
Namsskogan
Namsskogan is a village and municipality in Nord-Trøndelag, Norway. Namsskogan is located in the upper part of the long Namdalen valley region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Namsskogan...
until 1987, when he was appointed principal. Among his pedagogical methods were starting a local radio station, run by the students, and establishing the zoo Namsskogan Familiepark, with the pupils as minority shareholders, and established a bakers run by the students. He returned as teacher again in 1991, but chose to apply for the job as principal in Alvdal
Alvdal
Alvdal is a municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Østerdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Alvdal....
. He war awarded the job, but never started working before he was elected mayor. Ryan was also a board member of Namsskogan Familiepark from 1987 to 1991. He worked as mayor from 1991 to 1995, and from then until 1997 was regional director of the Norwegian Public Employment Service. In 1996, he applied for the job as chief-of-administration in Tromsø
Tromsø
Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.Tromsø city is the ninth largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population...
, but failed to get the job. He quit this job in protest against the state's unemployment policies, because he had been instructed to "depopulate Indre Namdal", because the agency policies required people to be moved if they could not get jobs locally. From 1997 to 2001, he was the director of Indre Namdal Regional Council. From 2001 to 2009, Ryan worked as a full-time member of parliament. On 19 December 2008, Ryan was appointed County Governor of Nord-Trøndelag. He started on 1 November 2009, succeeding Oddbjørn Nordset
Oddbjørn Nordset
Oddbjørn Karmhus Nordset is a Norwegian civil servant and politician for the Centre Party.He took an agricultural education, graduating from the Norwegian College of Agriculture with the cand.agric. degree in 1973. Before enrolling at the Norwegian College of Agriculture, he was a secretary for...
, who had been acting for Inger Lise Gjørv
Inger Lise Gjørv
Inger Lise Gjørv was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party.-Career:She was born in Oslo as the daughter of physician Sverre Strand and housewife Liv Alnæs . She enrolled as a student in 1957, and graduated with the cand.mag. degree in 1962 from the University of Oslo...
since 2008. Initially, he holds the position for six years.
Political career
Ryan's first political activity started at the age of 15, when his grandfather Helge Opdal took him to a political meeting, where Ryan listed to the LabourNorwegian Labour Party
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is the senior partner in the current Norwegian government as part of the Red-Green Coalition, and its leader, Jens Stoltenberg, is the current Prime Minister of Norway....
politician Guttorm Hansen
Guttorm Hansen
Guttorm Hansen was a Norwegian writer and politician for the Labour Party. He started his career as a mechanic, but after 1945 he was a journalist and editor of magazines and newspapers. Via local politics in his native Namsos he was elected to the Norwegian Parliament in 1961, serving six terms...
. In 1971, Ryan attended Red Youth
Red Youth (Norway)
Red Youth is a Norwegian revolutionary youth league. It is the youth organization of the party Red and former Red Electoral Alliance and the Workers' Communist Party. The current leader of Red Youth is Iver Aastebøl.-Politics:...
's summer camp, the youth wing of the Red Electoral Alliance
Red Electoral Alliance
Red Electoral Alliance was an alliance of left-wing groups formed into a Norwegian political party to promote revolutionary far-left ideals into the Norwegian parliament...
. He was given a code name and started a chapter in Overhalla. At upper secondary school, Ryan became an active promoter of the socialist newspaper Klassekampen
Klassekampen
Klassekampen is a Norwegian daily newspaper, which styles itself as "the daily left-wing newspaper".Klassekampen was founded in 1969 with a Marxist-Leninist-Maoist platform. Until recently, it was owned by The Workers' Communist Party...
. Ryan's interest for politics died down afterwards.
Municipal and county
Prior to the 1983 municipal electionNorwegian local elections, 1983
Country-wide local elections for seats in municipality and county councils were held throughout Norway in 1983. For most places this meant that two elections, the municipal elections and the county elections ran concurrently.-Municipal elections:...
, Odd Einar Dørum
Odd Einar Dørum
Odd Einar Dørum is a Norwegian politician and former member of parliament, representing The Liberal Party.Dørum was Minister of Transport and Communications from 17 October 1997 to 15 March 1999, then Minister of Justice until 3 March 2000. He was again Minister of Justice in the second government...
, the leader of the Liberal Party asked him to run as a candidate for the municipal council, and Ryan accepted since he did no disagree with anything on the program. He was however not elected. In 1989, the Socialist Left Party started a chapter in Namsskogan, and Ryan was nominated as top candidate. Following the 1991 election
Norwegian local elections, 1991
Country-wide local elections for seats in municipality and county councils were held throughout Norway in 1991. For most places this meant that two elections, the municipal elections and the county elections ran concurrently.-Municipal elections:...
, the party won 26.2% of the popular vote. The party cooperated with the Centre Party
Centre Party (Norway)
The Centre Party is a centrist and agrarian political party in Norway, founded in 1920. The Centre Party's policy is not based on any of the major ideologies of the 19th and 20th century, but has a focus on maintaining decentralised economic development and political decision-making.From its...
, which involved the Socialist Left Party gaining the mayor for the four-year term in exchange for supporting the Centre Party's candidate in the next term. Ryan, who had never met in a single municipal council meeting, was thereby elected mayor. Nationally, the party captured only seven mayors in the election. In the same election, Ryan was also elected member of Nord-Trøndelag County Council
Nord-Trøndelag county municipality
Nord-Trøndelag County Municipality is the regional governing administration of Nord-Trøndelag, Norway. The main responsibilities of the county municipality includes the running of 12 upper secondary schools, with 7,000 pupils...
. The following year, Ryan was appointed as board member of the county-owned power company Nord-Trøndelag Elektrisitetsverk
Nord-Trøndelag Elektrisitetsverk
Nord-Trøndelag Elektrisitetsverk or NTE is a power company serving Nord-Trøndelag in Norway and owned by Nord-Trøndelag county municipality. NTE is one of the largest producers of electricity in Norway, with an annual production of 3,995 GWh per year...
, where he sat until 1999. He was also leader of the Namsskogan chapter of the Socialist Left Party.
In the 1995 election
Norwegian local elections, 1995
Country-wide local elections for seats in municipality and county councils were held throughout Norway in 1995. For most places this meant that two elections, the municipal elections and the county elections ran concurrently.-Municipal elections:...
, Ryan was re-elected to the municipal council and county council, and subsequently appointed deputy mayor of Namsskogan and the county's executive board. In 1996, he was appointed to the board of a government committee to grant subsidies to local stores in remote locations. The same year, became a deputy board member of Nord-Trøndelag University College
Nord-Trøndelag University College
Nord-Trøndelag University College or HiNT is a Norwegian university college located throughout the county of Nord-Trøndelag...
, and from 1999 until 2001 he was a regular member. From 1998 to 2002, he also sat on the board of Trøndelag R&D Institute. Following the 1999 election
Norwegian local elections, 1999
Country-wide local elections for seats in municipality and county councils were held throughout Norway in 1999. For most places this meant that two elections, the municipal elections and the county elections ran concurrently.-Municipal elections:...
, Ryan was re-elected to the municipal and county councils, and was appointed to the county's executive board. From 1999 to 2001, Ryan sat on the board for Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities
Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities
The Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities is an employers' organisation in Norway.It was founded in 1972 as a merger between the Union of Norwegian Cities and the Norwegian Association of Rural Municipalities...
(KS). Ryan also sat in the KS-appointed Stand Committee, led by Morten Strand
Morten Strand
Morten Strand is a Norwegian footballer and politician for the Conservative Party.He hails from Bekkestua in Bærum, but now resides in Vollen. In his younger days he was a football goalkeeper for Stabæk, from 1965 to 1974, and Strømsgodset from 1975 to 1976. He has later been involved in the local...
, that suggested to reduce the number of directorate and reduce the influence of the county governors.
Parliament and national politics
Prior to the 1993 parliamentary electionNorwegian parliamentary election, 1993
A general election to the Storting, the parliament of Norway, was held on 13 September 1993. The Labour Party won a plurality of seats, and Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland remained in office. The Centre Party was particularly successful, gaining 21 seats....
, Ryan was one of three nominee candidates for the Socialist Left Party's list in Nord-Trøndelag. Ryan was nominated on third place on the list, after Jorunn Hageler
Jorunn Hageler
Jorunn Hageler is a Norwegian politician for the Socialist Left Party.Hageler was born in Sortland as a daughter of industry worker Kåre Innvik and cleaner Signe Nikolaisen. She attended school in Glomfjord from 1953 to 1962, when she went to Eidsvoll to study at upper secondary school, where she...
and Inge Staldvik
Inge Staldvik
Inge Staldvik is a Norwegian politician, first for the Labour Party and later for the Socialist Left Party.Staldvik was mayor of Røyrvik from 1983 to 1985. He sat as the Labour Party's first deputy member from Nord-Trøndelag in the Parliament of Norway from 1981 to 1985. In 1985, he was elected to...
. Hageler was elected to parliament, and Ryan was her second deputy during the term 1993 to 1997. Prior to the 1997 election
Norwegian parliamentary election, 1997
A general election to the Storting, the parliament of Norway, was held on 15 September 1997. Before the election, Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland of the Labour Party, issued the 36.9 ultimatum declaring that the government would step down unless it gained 36.9% of the vote, the percentage gained...
, Ryan was launched as an alternative top candidate for Nord-Trøndelag. At the nomination meeting, Hageler won 23 against Ryan's 13 votes, and Ryan was placed on second place on the list. After the nomination, Hageler stated that she regreted having said that Ryan was less suitable to sit in parliament than her because of his down-to-earth appeal and informal dress code. The party failed to win a seat from the county in 1997. Ryan was a possible candidate to became deputy party leader of his party in 1997, but was instead appointed as central board member. He became deputy leader in 1999, a position he held until 2001.
In the 2001 election
Norwegian parliamentary election, 2001
A general election to the Storting, the parliament of Norway, was held on September 10, 2001. The Labour Party won a plurality of votes and seats, closely followed by the Conservative Party...
, Ryan was the party's top candidate in the county, and succeeded in winning a seat. The party did its best election every, including in Nord-Trøndelag, where it won 13.8% of the votes, up 7.5% compared to 1997. Ryan became member of the party's largest parliamentary group ever. During the parliamentary term from 2001 to 2005, Ryan was a member of the Standing Committee on Business and Industry
Standing Committee on Business and Industry
The Standing Committee on Business and Industry is a standing committee of the Parliament of Norway. It is responsible for policies relating to business, industry, trade, shipping, state ownership policy, competition and price policy, agriculture, food policy, fisheries, whaling and aquaculture...
and the Election Committee
Election Committee (Parliament of Norway)
The Election Committee ) is a special committee of the Parliament of Norway. The 37 members are responsible for allocating the members of parliament in the various standing and special committees and to allocate the members of the presidium. The committee is also used to conduct elections....
. He was a member of the parliamentary delegation to the Nordic Council
Nordic Council
The Nordic Council is a geo-political, inter-parliamentary forum for co-operation between the Nordic countries. It was established following World War II and its first concrete result was the introduction in 1952 of a common labour market and free movement across borders without passports for the...
. He also was a deputy member of the European Committee
European Committee (Parliament of Norway)
The European Committee , formerly known as the EEA Committee is a special committee of the Parliament of Norway. It discusses important issues regarding the European Union , the European Economic Area and the European Free Trade Area with the government...
and the delegation to the United Nations General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
.
In the 2005 election
Norwegian parliamentary election, 2005
Parliamentary elections were held in Norway on 12 September 2005. More than 3.4 million Norwegians were eligible for vote for the Storting, the parliament of Norway. The new Storting has 169 members, an increase of four over the 2001 election....
, Ryan was successful at retaining his seat. Following the Socialist Left Party entering government as part of Stoltenberg's Second Cabinet, Ryan was appointed the party's parliamentary leader. He was appointed first vice chair of the Standing Committee on Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs
Standing Committee on Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs
The Standing Committee on Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs is a standing committee of the Parliament of Norway. It is holds a supervisory role in relation to the proceedings of the parliament and public sector. The committee has 11 members and is chaired by Anders Anundsen of the Centre.From...
, a position he held until 24 November 2007, when he again sat on the Standing Committee on Business and Industry. For the full term 2005 to 2009, he was a member of the Election Committee and the Enlarged Committee on Foreign Affairs. He was a delegate to the Nordic Council, and from 2007 a delegate to the United Nations General Assembly.
Political policy
Since the 1970s, Namsskogan had experienced a rapid decline in the population, from 1,750 to 1,000 in the early 1990s. Among Ryan's political changes as mayor was to encourage people to take their holidays in the winter instead of the summer. He argued that the three main industries in Namsskogan—agriculture, forestry and tourism—all had their peaks during May through October, but that it was difficult to get sufficient work-force during this period because people were on holiday. The municipality offered to anyone who took their three-week summer vacation during the winter. Ryan also introduced a public service office, where residents could be served with all necessary public over-the-counter services at one place. For people living outside the community center, a cooperation was made with local stores where people could send in standardized application there. Some simple applications, such as erecting a simple garage, were approved on the stop at the service office. The Socialist Left Party used Namsskogan during the 1995 election as their prime example for how they wanted to modernize the public sector.Ryan's election as party deputy leader in 1999 was largely due to the party's parliamentary support for the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was NATO's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The strikes lasted from March 24, 1999 to June 10, 1999...
. Ryan represented the branch of the party that was apposed to the Norwegian participation in the war, and was appointed to supplement the Kristin Halvorsen
Kristin Halvorsen
Kristin Halvorsen is a Norwegian socialist politician and was the Minister of Finance from 17 October 2005 until 20 October 2009. She is now the Minister of Education in Stoltenberg's second cabinet....
and Øystein Djupedal
Øystein Djupedal
Øystein Kåre Djupedal, born 5 May 1960 in Oslo, Norway, is a Norwegian politician for the Socialist Left Party and a member of Storting for Sør-Trøndelag County where he has sat since the 1993 election. For two years from 17 October 2005 until 18 October 2007 he was the Minister of Education and...
, who were both in favor of the bombings. In 2001, Ryan proposed allowing local stores to function as branches of Vinmonopolet
Vinmonopolet
Vinmonopolet , symbolized by Ⓥ and colloquially shortened to Polet, is a government owned alcoholic beverage retailer and the only company allowed to sell beverages containing an alcohol content higher than 4.75% in Norway....
, the state-run liquer stores, to allow liquer and wine retailing in rural areas.
During the 2001 election, Ryan's main issues were related to regional policy. He wanted to introduce subsidies for local stores in rural areas, and equal price throughout the country for power line component in the electrical prices. Other issues were increased funding for schools, increasing the progressivity of taxation
Progressive tax
A progressive tax is a tax by which the tax rate increases as the taxable base amount increases. "Progressive" describes a distribution effect on income or expenditure, referring to the way the rate progresses from low to high, where the average tax rate is less than the marginal tax rate...
and making a two-tier system for taxes on electricity. After being elected, Ryan worked to try to establish public service offices, and wanted to force state agencies to participate in these. He also called for a separate Minister of Rural Affairs.
Municipal elections
| Party | 1983 Norwegian local elections, 1983 Country-wide local elections for seats in municipality and county councils were held throughout Norway in 1983. For most places this meant that two elections, the municipal elections and the county elections ran concurrently.-Municipal elections:... |
1991 Norwegian local elections, 1991 Country-wide local elections for seats in municipality and county councils were held throughout Norway in 1991. For most places this meant that two elections, the municipal elections and the county elections ran concurrently.-Municipal elections:... |
1995 Norwegian local elections, 1995 Country-wide local elections for seats in municipality and county councils were held throughout Norway in 1995. For most places this meant that two elections, the municipal elections and the county elections ran concurrently.-Municipal elections:... |
1999 Norwegian local elections, 1999 Country-wide local elections for seats in municipality and county councils were held throughout Norway in 1999. For most places this meant that two elections, the municipal elections and the county elections ran concurrently.-Municipal elections:... |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | ||
| Labour Norwegian Labour Party The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is the senior partner in the current Norwegian government as part of the Red-Green Coalition, and its leader, Jens Stoltenberg, is the current Prime Minister of Norway.... |
395 | 53.8 | 236 | 35.7 | 31.8 | 5 | 205 | 37.2 | 7 | |
| Socialist Left Socialist Left Party (Norway) The Socialist Left Party or SV, is a Norwegian left-wing political party. At one point one of the smallest parties in Parliament, it became the fourth-largest political party in Norway for the first time in the 2001 parliamentary election, and has been so ever since... |
— | — | 173 | 26.2 | 27.5 | 5 | 114 | 20.7 | 3 | |
| Centre Centre Party (Norway) The Centre Party is a centrist and agrarian political party in Norway, founded in 1920. The Centre Party's policy is not based on any of the major ideologies of the 19th and 20th century, but has a focus on maintaining decentralised economic development and political decision-making.From its... |
71 | 9.7 | 111 | 16.8 | 20.9 | 4 | — | — | — | |
| Liberal | 36 | 4.9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Christian Democratic Christian Democratic Party Christian democratic parties are those political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social teaching, and it continues to be influential in Europe and... |
— | — | 31 | 4.7 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Local list | 232 | 31.6 | 110 | 16.6 | 19.8 | 3 | 232 | 42.1 | 7 | |
| Outcome | Not elected | Mayor | Deputy mayor | Elected | ||||||
County elections
| Party | 1991 Norwegian local elections, 1991 Country-wide local elections for seats in municipality and county councils were held throughout Norway in 1991. For most places this meant that two elections, the municipal elections and the county elections ran concurrently.-Municipal elections:... |
1995 Norwegian local elections, 1995 Country-wide local elections for seats in municipality and county councils were held throughout Norway in 1995. For most places this meant that two elections, the municipal elections and the county elections ran concurrently.-Municipal elections:... |
1999 Norwegian local elections, 1999 Country-wide local elections for seats in municipality and county councils were held throughout Norway in 1999. For most places this meant that two elections, the municipal elections and the county elections ran concurrently.-Municipal elections:... |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seats | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | |
| Labour Norwegian Labour Party The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is the senior partner in the current Norwegian government as part of the Red-Green Coalition, and its leader, Jens Stoltenberg, is the current Prime Minister of Norway.... |
16 | 35.9 | 17 | 20,412 | 37.5 | 18 |
| Centre Centre Party (Norway) The Centre Party is a centrist and agrarian political party in Norway, founded in 1920. The Centre Party's policy is not based on any of the major ideologies of the 19th and 20th century, but has a focus on maintaining decentralised economic development and political decision-making.From its... |
14 | 32.6 | 15 | 11,469 | 21.1 | 10 |
| Socialist Left Socialist Left Party (Norway) The Socialist Left Party or SV, is a Norwegian left-wing political party. At one point one of the smallest parties in Parliament, it became the fourth-largest political party in Norway for the first time in the 2001 parliamentary election, and has been so ever since... |
6 | 7.0 | 3 | 5,651 | 10.4 | 5 |
| Conservative Conservative Party of Norway The Conservative Party is a Norwegian political party. The current leader is Erna Solberg. The party was since the 1920s consistently the second largest party in Norway, but has been surpassed by the growth of the Progress Party in the late 1990s and 2000s... |
4 | 8.5 | 4 | 5,179 | 9.5 | 4 |
| Christian Democratic Christian Democratic Party Christian democratic parties are those political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social teaching, and it continues to be influential in Europe and... |
2 | 4.8 | 2 | 3,749 | 6.9 | 3 |
| Progress Progress Party (Norway) The Progress Party is a political party in Norway which identifies as conservative liberal and libertarian. The media has described it as conservative and right-wing populist... |
1 | 4.6 | 2 | 4,007 | 7.4 | 3 |
| Liberal | 2 | 5.2 | 2 | 2,897 | 5.3 | 2 |
| Other | 0 | 1.4 | 0 | 1,031 | 1.9 | 0 |
| Outcome | Elected | Elected | Elected | |||
Parliamentary elections
In the 1993 and 1997, Ryan was third and second candidate on the lists. For the 2001 and 2005 elections, he was the top candidate.| Party | 1993 Norwegian parliamentary election, 1993 A general election to the Storting, the parliament of Norway, was held on 13 September 1993. The Labour Party won a plurality of seats, and Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland remained in office. The Centre Party was particularly successful, gaining 21 seats.... |
1997 Norwegian parliamentary election, 1997 A general election to the Storting, the parliament of Norway, was held on 15 September 1997. Before the election, Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland of the Labour Party, issued the 36.9 ultimatum declaring that the government would step down unless it gained 36.9% of the vote, the percentage gained... |
2001 Norwegian parliamentary election, 2001 A general election to the Storting, the parliament of Norway, was held on September 10, 2001. The Labour Party won a plurality of votes and seats, closely followed by the Conservative Party... |
2005 Norwegian parliamentary election, 2005 Parliamentary elections were held in Norway on 12 September 2005. More than 3.4 million Norwegians were eligible for vote for the Storting, the parliament of Norway. The new Storting has 169 members, an increase of four over the 2001 election.... |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | |
| Labour Norwegian Labour Party The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is the senior partner in the current Norwegian government as part of the Red-Green Coalition, and its leader, Jens Stoltenberg, is the current Prime Minister of Norway.... |
38.4 | 3 | 29,370 | 40.1 | 3 | 22,703 | 32.4 | 2 | 29,359 | 40.0 | 2 |
| Centre Centre Party (Norway) The Centre Party is a centrist and agrarian political party in Norway, founded in 1920. The Centre Party's policy is not based on any of the major ideologies of the 19th and 20th century, but has a focus on maintaining decentralised economic development and political decision-making.From its... |
31.1 | 2 | 14,003 | 19.1 | 1 | 10,878 | 15.5 | 1 | 11,966 | 16.3 | 1 |
| Socialist Left Socialist Left Party (Norway) The Socialist Left Party or SV, is a Norwegian left-wing political party. At one point one of the smallest parties in Parliament, it became the fourth-largest political party in Norway for the first time in the 2001 parliamentary election, and has been so ever since... |
9.8 | 1 | 4,601 | 6.3 | 0 | 9,671 | 13.8 | 1 | 8,399 | 11.5 | 1 |
| Progress Progress Party (Norway) The Progress Party is a political party in Norway which identifies as conservative liberal and libertarian. The media has described it as conservative and right-wing populist... |
2.5 | 0 | 6,651 | 9.1 | 1 | 7,445 | 10.6 | 1 | 10,916 | 14.9 | 1 |
| Christian Democratic Christian Democratic Party Christian democratic parties are those political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social teaching, and it continues to be influential in Europe and... |
4.6 | 0 | 8,845 | 12.1 | 1 | 7,260 | 10.4 | 1 | 3,439 | 4.7 | 0 |
| Conservative Conservative Party of Norway The Conservative Party is a Norwegian political party. The current leader is Erna Solberg. The party was since the 1920s consistently the second largest party in Norway, but has been surpassed by the growth of the Progress Party in the late 1990s and 2000s... |
8.1 | 0 | 4,981 | 6.8 | 0 | 7,191 | 10.3 | 0 | 5,094 | 6.9 | 0 |
| Liberal | 4.1 | 0 | 3,446 | 4.7 | 0 | 2,408 | 3.4 | 0 | 3,165 | 4.3 | 1† |
| Other | 1.0 | 0 | 1,394 | 1.8 | 0 | 2,550 | 3.6 | 0 | 1,000 | 1.4 | 0 |
| Outcome | Second deputy | Not elected | Elected | Elected | |||||||