Finn Gustavsen

Finn Gustavsen(22 April 1926 inDrammen– 20 July 2005)was aNorwegiansocialistpolitician active from 1945 to the late 1970s. He was noted for his uncompromising style and willingness to take contrarian stands.

Early life

Gustavsen was born into a middle-class family in Drammen, where his father supported the family as the manager of the local cooperative store. Gustavsen started out his career as an industrial worker inHortenandHolmestrand.He became active in theNorwegian Labour Partyyouth movement (Arbeidernes Ungdomsfylking) in the fall of 1945 after he earned his university entrance certificate in a year.

The year after, he was hired as a reporter for the regional socialist paper inVestfold,moved on to the national youth periodical for the Labor Party, then was part of a radical group that formed a foreign affairs journal calledOrienteering.Although most vocal on foreign policy issues related to the arms race and what the editors generally termed "power bloc politics," the magazine became the platform for a left-wing faction within the Labor Party. This opposition was met with threats - sometimes carried out - of expulsion from the party.

Later life

In 1961, Gustavsen left the party and formedSosialistisk Folkepartiand was immediately elected intoStorting, the Norwegian Parliamentas a representative from Oslo. He served as an elected member for theSosialistisk Folkeparti(SF) (1961–1965 and 1965–1969) and it successorSosialistisk Venstreparti(1973–1977). When the Labor Party lost its majority in Stortinget, Gustavsen's party became necessary for Labor Party governments to survive votes of no confidence.

Gustavsen decided to turn out the Labor government ofEinar Gerhardsenin 1963 over the so-calledKings Bay Affair,ushering in a short-lived but symbolically important non-socialist government underJohn Lyng.

Although Gustavsen's personality was strongly associated with his party, he made a considerable effort to resist that association. He opted out of reelection twice and had to be persuaded to resume leadership roles. He was a staunch opponent of Norwegian membership in theEuropean Unionand resisted the alliance with theNorwegian Communist Party.He risked criminal prosecution for his disclosures of Norwegian plans to buildLoran Cfacilities in support of submarine warfare in Norwegian waters.

In 1977 he resigned from politics and accepted the position as theNorwegian Development Agency's representative inMozambique.He also resumed his journalistic career, acting as an editor for the party newspaperNy Tid.