Liberal Alliance (Denmark)
Liberal Alliance | |
|---|---|
| Leader | Naser Khader |
| Founded | 7 May 2007 |
| Headquarters | Nybrogade 10, 3.sal DK-1203 København K |
| Ideology | Social liberalism, compassionate conservatism |
| Colors | Blue |
| Website | |
| http://www.nyalliance.dk/ | |
New Alliance (Template:Lang-da) is a Danish political party, founded on 7 May 2007. Its founding members are Naser Khader (MP), Anders Samuelsen (MEP) — both former members of the Danish Social Liberal Party — and Gitte Seeberg (MEP), a former member of the Conservative People's Party. It is the country's first new major party in the past decade.[1] In the 2007 elections, the party got 5 out of 179 seats in parliament, a major stepdown from earlier opinion polls.
Politics
New Alliance opposes the influence of the right-wing Danish People's Party on the Government, as well as the alleged left-leaning opposition strategy of the Social Liberal Party.
The party has proposed a tax reform reducing income tax to a fixed rate of 40%, a "realistic immigration policy and humane refugee policy with an emphasis on democratic integration", a pro-European Union policy while strengthening Denmark's position, an increase in foreign aid to 1% of GDP, and reforms of state schools and the national health service. It supports green energy.[2][1]
On 30 August, 2007, the party presented a more detailed programme of their political standpoints[3]. Some of the points in this programme include:[4] Longer mandatory school-attendance, with free food and homework-aid; European Marshall Plan to the Middle East; increasing foreign aid to 1% of GDP; increased focus on prevention in public health, with lower prices on healthy foods; and an exhaustive reform related to immigration and asylum politics. The full party program is available on the party's website.
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Ideology
New Alliance considers itself a centre party, "taking the best values of social liberalism and social conservatism".[5] The meaning of the latter is the same as compassionate conservatism in English-speaking countries (not to be mistaken with the morally right-wing social conservatism of US politics).
By using these two terms, New Alliance has positioned itself mid-way between the former parties of the three founding members. Social liberalism is, of course, the official ideology of the Social Liberal Party, whereas "social conservatism" is a term sometimes invoked by members of of the Conservative Party who stress the support of welfare society, such as New Alliance co-founder Gitte Seeberg.
Criticism
The party has been accused of populism or personalism, still lacking stances on many topics and based on the huge popularity of Naser Khader.[6] Critics have also pointed to the fact that all major parties in Denmark advocate social liberal policies, at least economically.
A poll conducted by independent analysts for the journal A4 Weekly, issued by the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions, concluded that "opinions of the New Alliance's voters bristle in all directions" and that party supporters' attitudes were "very close to the Danish average voter on a great number of issues". Political commentator Henrik Qvortrup, former spin doctor of Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, claimed: "These are really Mr and Mrs Denmark's points of views". Another analyst, Henrik Dahl, expected the New Alliance will encounter problems when trying to formulate a detailed party programme, inevitably being unable to render all supporters satisfied.[7]
European Parliament
With the defection of MEPs Gitte Seeberg and Anders Samuelsen, the Conservatives and Det Radikale Venstre are effectively left without representatives in the European Parliament. The two MEPs will, however, stay in their fractions (the Conservative EPP-ED and the Liberal ALDE respectively). The New Alliance has announced it would join the ALDE group after future EU elections.[8]
Organisation
Technically, the New Alliance is not yet a valid association nor a juristic person since a founding general meeting has not taken place and no by-law exists yet. Time and date for a possible first convention have yet to be announced.
Members
Immediately after its creation, New Alliance had a surge of members. 24 hours after the announcement of the party, more than 12,000 had registered on the party website. Three days later 16,000 had registered and 8,000 of these had paid the membership fee.[9] For comparison the parent party Det Radikale Venstre had an estimated 9,500 paying members as of 2006.
Economy
The party received notable sums from the investment bank Saxo Bank (500,000 Danish kroner) and the businessman Lars Kolind (100,000 kroner). As of 22 May, the party has seven paid employees and a number of volunteers. The party has announced it will not hire additional employees until it has more funds.[10]
Electoral nomination
To comply with Danish election law, and to be able to stand for elections the New Alliance had to gather 19,185 signatures of supporters on special forms, the number being equivalent to one parliamentary seat in the Folketing. Each completed form had to be certified with the civil registry offices of municipalities before being collectively handed in to the Ministry of the Interior.
In the event of an election being called before the New Alliance had finished its nomination process, the minor party Centre Democrats offered to let the New Alliance put forward candidates on their lists.[11] The New Alliance did not take any stand on this offer, however.
On one occasion, on 12 May in Horsens, the three leading figures of the party managed to collect over 2,000 signatures in one day.[12] On 21 May the party reported they were half-way, having gathered in 10,000 signatures.[13]
The party finally completed its nomination process on 29 June by being accepted on the Ministry of the Interior's list of parties able to stand for elections to the Folketing after handing in the 21,516 required signatures.[14]
Recent development
Leif Mikkelsen became the party's second MP switching from Venstre on 10 May 2007. Among his reasons, he mentioned his former party's reluctance to discuss tax cuts.[15]
On 29 May the newspaper Politiken reported that Venstre MP Eyvind Vesselbo and a third, unnamed Venstre MP had decided to switch to the New Alliance as well.[16] The story quickly turned out to be untrue. Whereas Vesselbo denied he had ever considered it, New Alliance leader Naser Khader insisted he had a clear understanding from confidential talks with Vesselbo that he intended the party switch.[17] According to political expert and professor Jørgen Elklit, Khader's lack of discretion in the matter could endanger his future credibility.[18]
Venstre MP Inge-Lene Ebdrup joined the New Alliance on 11 August 2007.
References
- ^ a b "New Alliance could crack government". The Copenhagen Post. 2007-08-05. Retrieved 2007-05-13.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Ny Alliance" (in Danish). Ny Alliance. Retrieved 2007-05-13.
- ^ "Ekspert: Khader var overbevisende" (in Danish). TV2. 2007-08-30. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Det støtter Ny Alliance" (in Danish). TV2. 2007-08-30. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Worm, Nikolaj (2007-05-07). "Ny Alliance drager på landsturné" (in Danish). Jyllands-Posten. Retrieved 2007-05-13.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Økonom: Populistisk skatteforslag fra Ny Alliance" (in Danish). Fyens Stiftstidende. 2007-05-09. Retrieved 2007-05-13.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Khaders vælgere vil i alle retninger" (in Danish). Ugebrevet A4. 2007-05-29. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Lund, Kenneth (2007-05-07). "Ny Alliance udraderer R og K i EU-parlamentet" (in Danish). Politiken. Retrieved 2007-05-13.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Wind-Friis, Lea (2007-05-10). "Medlemmer gider godt betale til Ny Alliance" (in Danish). Politiken. Retrieved 2007-05-13.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Mortensen, Hanne Gaard (2007-05-22). "Ny Alliance i ansættelsesstop" (in Danish). dk-arbejdsmarked.dk. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "CD tilbyder at hjælpe Ny Alliance med underskrifter" (in Danish). Danmarks Radio. 2007-05-11. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Ny Alliance samlede 2.000 underskrifter" (in Danish). Danmarks Radio. 2007-05-12. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Gottlieb, Mikkel (2007-05-21). "Ny Alliance halvvejs i mål" (in Danish). Berlingske Tidende. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Ny Alliance godkendt og vælger bogstav Y" (in Danish). B.T. 2007-06-21. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Boddum, Dorthe Ipsen (2007-05-10). "Leif Mikkelsen forlader Venstre" (in Danish). Jyllands-Posten. Retrieved 2007-05-13.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Eyvind Vesselbo går til Ny Alliance" (in Danish). Politiken. 2007-05-28. Retrieved 2007-05-29.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Khader bekræfter dialog med Vesselbo om partiskifte" (in Danish). Politiken. 2007-05-29. Retrieved 2007-05-29.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Ekspert: Khader kan få problemer med troværdigheden" (in Danish). Politiken. 2007-05-29. Retrieved 2007-05-29.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help)
External links
- Official website Template:Da icon
- Popular MP to create own party, Copenhagen Post 7 May 2007.
- PM's majority down to two seats, Copenhagen Post 11 May 2007.
