Snorre Valen


Snorre Serigstad Valen is a Norwegian musician and politician. He was elected to the Stortinget from Sør-Trøndelag in 2009, and has been deputy head of the party since November 2015. Valen previously worked as a communications assistant at NTNU Social Research.

Career

From 2007–2008 Valen was the head of the short-lived newspaper Arbeideravisa in Trondheim.
Valen sat in the Sør-Trøndelag County Council and in Trondheim City Council from 2003 to 2007, and during this period, led the foreign affairs and welfare committees in the county council.
After being elected to the Norwegian parliament in 2009, he served as member of the Standing Committee on Energy and the Environment from 2009 to March 2012. He has been the second deputy chair of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence since April 2013.
In February 2011 Valen nominated the website WikiLeaks for the Nobel Peace Prize In 2013, he nominated Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden for the 2014 Nobel peace prize, stating that Manning's leaks helped end the Iraq War while Snowden has exposed how the war on terror has led to mass surveillance of ordinary people.
As an anti-monarchist, Valen has consequently refused to attend the yearly royal dinners for parliamentarians.

Music

Valen is a pianist and singer, and has a background in Nidarosdomens Guttekor and has studied music at Trondheim katedralskole. From 2004-2008 he played in the band Gallery, and released one record with the group. He now plays in the electronica group Amish 82 and the blues band Peevish Penfriend.