Vidar Kleppe
Encyclopedia
Vidar Sveinung Kleppe is a Norwegian politician. He was a Member of Parliament
and deputy chairman of the Progress Party
until being suspended and left the party in 2001. He has since 2002 been leader of the Democrats, and since 2003
held office as a member of the Vest-Agder
county council
and Kristiansand
municipal council.
to CEO Erling Kleppe (1941–1989) and his wife Harriet Uthaug (born 1944), and was raised in Fedje
. He received education at a mechanical school from 1980 to 1981, and after this went to sea for a year. When he came back he worked as an industrial labour
er in Kristiansand
for four years, until 1987 when he was a businessman for two years. As of July 2007 he is married and have three children, and is occupied as a seller. For his wedding, Jan Simonsen
was his best man.
, notably ran numerous campaigns together, popularly known as the "Hedstrøm & Kleppe Show", where they discussed issues regarding immigration and integration.
In early 2001 turmoil however erupted within the Progress Party, and Kleppe was suspended and soon left the party, in spite of strong opposition to the suspension in many local chapters of the party. Kleppe was seen by party chairman Carl I. Hagen
as a "leader" of a rebellious faction of the party, as well as being controversial, mostly because of his tougher positions against immigration, in addition to other issues were he contradicted the official party policy. He was also accused of not being a "constructive team player", and of "not playing for the team of the Progress Party, but for the team of Vidar Kleppe". It was also claims of him being a conspirator
and "spider", and Kleppe himself eventually became noted with the saying "I am no spider, I am a teamplayer". His earlier history was toppled when Kleppe went out against then vice chairman Terje Søviknes
in the turmoil around the sex scandal he was involved with at the time, insinuating him of fooling around with young girls
and possible sexual assault
s.
as a candidate for the Southern Norway List
(Sørlandslista). However, he was unsuccessful and received only 2.8% of the vote in Vest-Agder, a largely disappointing result as he was regarded as having a strong support there, with a poll in March where 17.5% said they would vote for him.
In early 2001 he had also apparently been nominated as the top candidate for the Liberal People's Party
in two counties, but this was soon revealed to be nothing more than a PR
-stunt by the Liberal People's Party. Later though, he and other Progress Party breakaways came in a dispute with the sleeping party as they sought to take it over. As these had appeared to take over the originally social liberal Liberal People's Party, this received remarks by the public by its political contradiction. The dispute was resolved in June when they announced that they had launched the "Freedom Party" (Frihetspartiet), which at least by the media and mainstream politicians was connected to Jörg Haider
and his Freedom Party of Austria
, but this party was however never realised. Since this failed, they instead had to go by their "Plan B", and run by several newly created independent county lists
.
county council
and Kristiansand
municipal council in the 2003 local elections
, and was re-elected again in 2007
. Before the 2005 parliamentary election
a poll showed that close to 10% of those voting for the Progress Party in Hordaland
in 2003 would consider voting for Kleppe, but the final outcome became significantly lower.
weekly newspaper Norge IDAG described him as a "Christian libertarian". When running for the 2007 local elections
, Kleppe cited as his most important issues to fight for the weak in society and against poverty
, as well as to stop the Islamisation and dechristianisation of Norway. To accomplish the latter, he sought to, among other things, remove all public economical support for Muslim religious societies. During the 1990s, he at various times suggested George H. W. Bush
, the Salvation Army
and Bill Clinton
for the Nobel Peace Prize
. He has publicly endorsed the controversial short film Fitna
, made by Dutch
politician Geert Wilders
, and recommends everyone to see it.
In January 2009, Kleppe was denied membership of the eurosceptic
organisation Nei til EU
as he, according to its leader Heming Olaussen
(a former member of the Socialist Left Party
), stood for "racist attitudes". This action led to the resignations of a large number of members, including one county secretary citing it to be totally unintelligible to deny Kleppe membership, as he was "one of the greatest supporters of Nei til EU during the last EU-referendum". Kleppe, regarding this event, even received support from one of his strongest political rivals, Harald Sødal, a former Christian Democratic deputy mayor of Kristiansand.
After his suspension from the Progress Party in 2001, it has been noted that many of the proposals raised by Kleppe earlier, then being very controversial even within the Progress Party, has since been "copied" by the party. This include a proposal of limiting kontantstøtte (social security
for children chosing not to go to kindergarten
) to only Norwegian citizens in 1998, which was later raised by Per Sandberg
in 2004. With his tough line against Islam
, he later also welcomed controversial episodes of criticism of Islam by Carl I. Hagen
in 2004 and Siv Jensen
in 2009.
over his head. First by Jan Otto Hauge, then editor of Journalisten, and secondly by singer-songwriter
Lillebjørn Nilsen
, with the latter getting a 100.000 NOK fine, as well as losing a culture award he had been awarded by the municipality of Oslo
.
In August 2005 Kleppe was physically assaulted by a former Workers' Communist Party
deputy leader, and was thrown eggs at, physically assaulted, and had equipment for a public speech sabotaged by members of a demonstration by left-wing organisations SOS Racism
, Blitz-movement
and Socialist Youth
. In 2003 he also received numerous death threats.
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
and deputy chairman of the Progress Party
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...
until being suspended and left the party in 2001. He has since 2002 been leader of the Democrats, and since 2003
Norwegian local elections, 2003
Country-wide local elections for seats in municipality and county councils were held throughout Norway on September 15, 2003. For most places this meant that two elections, the municipal elections and the county elections ran concurrently. In addition, several municipalities held direct mayoral...
held office as a member of the Vest-Agder
Vest-Agder
In the 16th century, Dutch merchant vessels began to visit ports in southern Norway to purchase salmon and other goods. Soon thereafter the export of timber began, as oak from southern Norway was exceptionally well suited for shipbuilding...
county council
County council (Norway)
A County Council is the highest governing body of the county municipalities in Norway. The county council sets the scope of the county municipal activity. The council is led by a chairman or county mayor...
and Kristiansand
Kristiansand
-History:As indicated by archeological findings in the city, the Kristiansand area has been settled at least since 400 AD. A royal farm is known to have been situated on Oddernes as early as 800, and the first church was built around 1040...
municipal council.
Early and personal life
Kleppe was born in Bergen, NorwayNorway
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...
to CEO Erling Kleppe (1941–1989) and his wife Harriet Uthaug (born 1944), and was raised in Fedje
Fedje
Fedje is an island municipality in the county of Hordaland, Norway. Fedje was separated from Austrheim on 1 January 1947.The main island of Fedje is surrounded by about 125 smaller islands and rocks mostly north of the main island, and the name Fedje applies both to the main island, and to all the...
. He received education at a mechanical school from 1980 to 1981, and after this went to sea for a year. When he came back he worked as an industrial labour
Industrial labour
Industrial labor is labor in industry, mostly understood as manufacturing, but can include related service workers, such as cleaners and cooks.Industrial labor usually requires skills in crafts or engineering.-Industrial labor movement:...
er in Kristiansand
Kristiansand
-History:As indicated by archeological findings in the city, the Kristiansand area has been settled at least since 400 AD. A royal farm is known to have been situated on Oddernes as early as 800, and the first church was built around 1040...
for four years, until 1987 when he was a businessman for two years. As of July 2007 he is married and have three children, and is occupied as a seller. For his wedding, Jan Simonsen
Jan Simonsen
Jan Simonsen is a Norwegian writer, freelance journalist and politician. He was a Member of Parliament from 1989 until 2005. He was elected with the Progress Party, until being excluded in 2001. From 2003 to 2004 he was vice chairman of the newly founded Democrats.Since then he has largely...
was his best man.
Progress Party, 1980s–2001
Kleppe was a prominent politician for the Progress Party during the 1990s, and was a member of their national board from 1989 to 1999. He was a MP for two periods, from 1989 to 1993 and from 1997 to 2001. From 1995 to 1999 he was also the second vice chairman of the party. From 1987 to 1999 he also held the office as a member of the Kristiansand municipal council. During electoral campaigns in 1999, Kleppe, together with his close party colleague Øystein HedstrømØystein Hedstrøm
Øystein Hedstrøm is a Norwegian politician. He was a Member of Parliament from Østfold for the Progress Party from 1989 to 2005, after which he declined renomination.-Early and personal life:...
, notably ran numerous campaigns together, popularly known as the "Hedstrøm & Kleppe Show", where they discussed issues regarding immigration and integration.
In early 2001 turmoil however erupted within the Progress Party, and Kleppe was suspended and soon left the party, in spite of strong opposition to the suspension in many local chapters of the party. Kleppe was seen by party chairman Carl I. Hagen
Carl I. Hagen
Carl Ivar Hagen is a Norwegian politician and former Vice President of the Norwegian Parliament. He was the chairman of the Progress Party from 1978 until 2006, when Siv Jensen replaced him as chairman of the party...
as a "leader" of a rebellious faction of the party, as well as being controversial, mostly because of his tougher positions against immigration, in addition to other issues were he contradicted the official party policy. He was also accused of not being a "constructive team player", and of "not playing for the team of the Progress Party, but for the team of Vidar Kleppe". It was also claims of him being a conspirator
Conspiracy (political)
In a political sense, conspiracy refers to a group of persons united in the goal of usurping or overthrowing an established political power. Typically, the final goal is to gain power through a revolutionary coup d'état or through assassination....
and "spider", and Kleppe himself eventually became noted with the saying "I am no spider, I am a teamplayer". His earlier history was toppled when Kleppe went out against then vice chairman Terje Søviknes
Terje Søviknes
Terje Søviknes is a Norwegian politician, and the first politician of the Progress Party to become mayor of a Norwegian municipality, namely Os, Hordaland...
in the turmoil around the sex scandal he was involved with at the time, insinuating him of fooling around with young girls
Pedophilia
As a medical diagnosis, pedophilia is defined as a psychiatric disorder in adults or late adolescents typically characterized by a primary or exclusive sexual interest in prepubescent children...
and possible sexual assault
Sexual assault
Sexual assault is an assault of a sexual nature on another person, or any sexual act committed without consent. Although sexual assaults most frequently are by a man on a woman, it may involve any combination of two or more men, women and children....
s.
2001 election
The suspension was restricted to a year only, but Kleppe chose to leave the party and ran for the 2001 parliamentary electionNorwegian 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...
as a candidate for the Southern Norway List
County lists for the Norwegian parliamentary election, 2001
The county lists for the Norwegian parliamentary election, 2001 was a group of nine political lists, or parties, which under different names ran for the 2001 parliamentary election in Norway...
(Sørlandslista). However, he was unsuccessful and received only 2.8% of the vote in Vest-Agder, a largely disappointing result as he was regarded as having a strong support there, with a poll in March where 17.5% said they would vote for him.
In early 2001 he had also apparently been nominated as the top candidate for the Liberal People's Party
Liberal People's Party (Norway)
The Liberal People's Party was a political party in Norway, established because of a split in the Liberal Party over the issue of Norway's accession to the European Economic Community in 1972...
in two counties, but this was soon revealed to be nothing more than a PR
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
-stunt by the Liberal People's Party. Later though, he and other Progress Party breakaways came in a dispute with the sleeping party as they sought to take it over. As these had appeared to take over the originally social liberal Liberal People's Party, this received remarks by the public by its political contradiction. The dispute was resolved in June when they announced that they had launched the "Freedom Party" (Frihetspartiet), which at least by the media and mainstream politicians was connected to Jörg Haider
Jörg Haider
Jörg Haider was an Austrian politician. He was Governor of Carinthia on two occasions, the long-time leader of the Austrian Freedom Party and later Chairman of the Alliance for the Future of Austria , a breakaway party from the FPÖ.Haider was controversial within Austria and abroad for comments...
and his Freedom Party of Austria
Freedom Party of Austria
The Freedom Party of Austria is a political party in Austria. Ideologically, the party is a direct descendant of the German national liberal camp, which dates back to the 1848 revolutions. The FPÖ itself was founded in 1956 as the successor to the short-lived Federation of Independents , which had...
, but this party was however never realised. Since this failed, they instead had to go by their "Plan B", and run by several newly created independent county lists
County lists for the Norwegian parliamentary election, 2001
The county lists for the Norwegian parliamentary election, 2001 was a group of nine political lists, or parties, which under different names ran for the 2001 parliamentary election in Norway...
.
Democrats, 2002–present
He went on to found the Democrats in 2002 and became the leader for the party. He was elected as member of the Vest-AgderVest-Agder
In the 16th century, Dutch merchant vessels began to visit ports in southern Norway to purchase salmon and other goods. Soon thereafter the export of timber began, as oak from southern Norway was exceptionally well suited for shipbuilding...
county council
County council (Norway)
A County Council is the highest governing body of the county municipalities in Norway. The county council sets the scope of the county municipal activity. The council is led by a chairman or county mayor...
and Kristiansand
Kristiansand
-History:As indicated by archeological findings in the city, the Kristiansand area has been settled at least since 400 AD. A royal farm is known to have been situated on Oddernes as early as 800, and the first church was built around 1040...
municipal council in the 2003 local elections
Norwegian local elections, 2003
Country-wide local elections for seats in municipality and county councils were held throughout Norway on September 15, 2003. For most places this meant that two elections, the municipal elections and the county elections ran concurrently. In addition, several municipalities held direct mayoral...
, and was re-elected again in 2007
Norwegian local elections, 2007
Country-wide local elections for seats in municipality and county councils were held throughout Norway on September 10, 2007, with some areas polling on September 9 as well. For most places this meant that two elections, the municipal elections and the county elections ran concurrently...
. Before the 2005 parliamentary 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....
a poll showed that close to 10% of those voting for the Progress Party in Hordaland
Hordaland
is a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark and Rogaland. Hordaland is the third largest county after Akershus and Oslo by population. The county administration is located in Bergen...
in 2003 would consider voting for Kleppe, but the final outcome became significantly lower.
Political views
In 2005, the Christian conservativeChristian right
Christian right is a term used predominantly in the United States to describe "right-wing" Christian political groups that are characterized by their strong support of socially conservative policies...
weekly newspaper Norge IDAG described him as a "Christian libertarian". When running for the 2007 local elections
Norwegian local elections, 2007
Country-wide local elections for seats in municipality and county councils were held throughout Norway on September 10, 2007, with some areas polling on September 9 as well. For most places this meant that two elections, the municipal elections and the county elections ran concurrently...
, Kleppe cited as his most important issues to fight for the weak in society and against poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
, as well as to stop the Islamisation and dechristianisation of Norway. To accomplish the latter, he sought to, among other things, remove all public economical support for Muslim religious societies. During the 1990s, he at various times suggested George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
, the Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
and Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
for the Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
. He has publicly endorsed the controversial short film Fitna
Fitna (film)
Fitna is a 2008 short political, propaganda film by Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders with his view on the religion of the Islam. Approximately 17 minutes in length, the movie shows selected excerpts from Suras of the Qur'an, interspersed with media clips and newspaper cuttings showing or...
, made by Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
politician Geert Wilders
Geert Wilders
Geert Wilders is a Dutch right-wing politician and leader of the Party for Freedom , the third-largest political party in the Netherlands. He is the Parliamentary group leader of his party in the Dutch House of Representatives...
, and recommends everyone to see it.
In January 2009, Kleppe was denied membership of the eurosceptic
EuroSceptic
EuroSceptic is the second album of British singer Jack Lucien. It was released in October 2009.Due to being an album influenced by Europop, it features songs with parts in different languages...
organisation Nei til EU
Nei til EU
Nei til EU is the main Norwegian interest group opposing a future Norwegian accession to the European Union . It began informally in 1988 and became a full organization in 1990.-Criticism:...
as he, according to its leader Heming Olaussen
Heming Olaussen
Henning Olaussen is the current leader of Nei til EU.He took over the leadership from longtime leader Sigbjørn Gjelsvik at the 2004 congress. He is a former member of the Socialist Left Party....
(a former member of 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...
), stood for "racist attitudes". This action led to the resignations of a large number of members, including one county secretary citing it to be totally unintelligible to deny Kleppe membership, as he was "one of the greatest supporters of Nei til EU during the last EU-referendum". Kleppe, regarding this event, even received support from one of his strongest political rivals, Harald Sødal, a former Christian Democratic deputy mayor of Kristiansand.
After his suspension from the Progress Party in 2001, it has been noted that many of the proposals raised by Kleppe earlier, then being very controversial even within the Progress Party, has since been "copied" by the party. This include a proposal of limiting kontantstøtte (social security
Social security
Social security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Social security may refer to:...
for children chosing not to go to kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
) to only Norwegian citizens in 1998, which was later raised by Per Sandberg
Per Sandberg
Per Sandberg is a Norwegian politician, currently Member of Parliament and deputy leader for the Progress Party.-Early and personal life:...
in 2004. With his tough line against Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, he later also welcomed controversial episodes of criticism of Islam by Carl I. Hagen
Carl I. Hagen
Carl Ivar Hagen is a Norwegian politician and former Vice President of the Norwegian Parliament. He was the chairman of the Progress Party from 1978 until 2006, when Siv Jensen replaced him as chairman of the party...
in 2004 and Siv Jensen
Siv Jensen
Siv Jensen is a Norwegian conservative-liberal politician, and the current leader of the Progress Party. She was the Progress Party's candidate for Prime Minister in the 2009 parliamentary election.-Early and personal life:...
in 2009.
Assaults by political opponents
In 1999 Kleppe was twice assaulted, both times by the pouring of beerBeer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
over his head. First by Jan Otto Hauge, then editor of Journalisten, and secondly by singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Lillebjørn Nilsen
Lillebjørn Nilsen
Bjørn "Lillebjørn" Falk Nilsen is a prominent Norwegian singer-songwriter and folk musician. He is also considered somewhat the leading "voice of Oslo" thanks to numerous classic songs about the city from the 1970s and up....
, with the latter getting a 100.000 NOK fine, as well as losing a culture award he had been awarded by the municipality of Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
.
In August 2005 Kleppe was physically assaulted by a former Workers' Communist Party
Workers' Communist Party (Norway)
The Workers' Communist Party was a Norwegian communist party . AKP was a maoist party and one of two communist parties in Norway; the other was the older Communist Party of Norway which has remained pro-Soviet. The relationship between the two parties was characterized by strong hostility.AKP was...
deputy leader, and was thrown eggs at, physically assaulted, and had equipment for a public speech sabotaged by members of a demonstration by left-wing organisations SOS Racism
SOS Rasisme
SOS Rasisme is a Norwegian activist organisation, whose stated goal is to reduce racism in society. It was founded in 1985, inspired by the French SOS Racisme...
, Blitz-movement
Blitz (movement)
Blitz is an anarchist, communist and socialist youth community in Oslo, Norway, founded in 1982. The group has often been criticized for their use of violent methods of political protest.- The house :...
and Socialist Youth
Socialist Youth (Norway)
Socialist Youth is the youth league of the Socialist Left Party of Norway.The current head of the organisation is Olav Magnus Linge. SU considers itself a revolutionary party and wants to gain popular support for socialism in Norway. In this respect it differs from SV, the mother party.SU...
. In 2003 he also received numerous death threats.