The Local’s party guide: Liberal Alliance
Keep confusing the Danish political parties with their Borgen equivalents? The Local's political party guide separates fact from fiction. This segment: Liberal Alliance.
Leader: Anders Samuelsen
Synopsis
Liberal Alliance (LA) is by far the most pro-business party in Denmark and an outspoken critic of the nation's relatively large public sector.
Founded in 2007 by a former Social Liberal, the party has often been accused of being a marionette for its financial backers in the banking world. LA is critical of what it regards as the state’s overbearing presence in the public and private sectors, and argues that Denmark’s private sector is severely constrained by too much regulation.
See also: Liberal Alliance: Legalize all drug possession
LA is an enthusiastic proponent of the free market and more liberalization - as the name would imply - but within the overarching framework of the Nordic welfare state model, rather than dismantling it entirely.
Despite being the second-youngest party in Danish politics, Liberal Alliance did very well in the 2011 election and is set to fare even better in this one. They have openly announced their desire to join a Venstre government, unlike many other parties which have left their post-election intentions deliberately vague.
See also: Ten exciting plots in the Danish election
Core campaign issues
Liberal Alliance has argued that Denmark’s competitiveness needs to be improved by rolling back hundreds of regulations on businesses. The public sector, they say, has become far too bureaucratic, with enormous amounts of resources wasted on red tape and excessive performance monitoring.
The party believes that lower taxes are necessary to encourage growth in the private sector. LA proposes that residents’ first 7,000 kroner earned each month should be tax-free and says that its tax reforms would result in the average working-class family taking home an additional 40,000 kroner each year.
Like the Social Liberals, LA wants to raise the retirement age to 68 and wants to give Danes the option to chose between public and private options when it comes to healthcare and other services.
Current representation in parliament: 9 mandates (5 percent of the vote)
Expected after this election (as per a June 11 Epinion survey): 14 mandates (8 percent of the vote)
Comments
See Also
Leader: Anders Samuelsen
Synopsis
Liberal Alliance (LA) is by far the most pro-business party in Denmark and an outspoken critic of the nation's relatively large public sector.
Founded in 2007 by a former Social Liberal, the party has often been accused of being a marionette for its financial backers in the banking world. LA is critical of what it regards as the state’s overbearing presence in the public and private sectors, and argues that Denmark’s private sector is severely constrained by too much regulation.
See also: Liberal Alliance: Legalize all drug possession
LA is an enthusiastic proponent of the free market and more liberalization - as the name would imply - but within the overarching framework of the Nordic welfare state model, rather than dismantling it entirely.
Despite being the second-youngest party in Danish politics, Liberal Alliance did very well in the 2011 election and is set to fare even better in this one. They have openly announced their desire to join a Venstre government, unlike many other parties which have left their post-election intentions deliberately vague.
See also: Ten exciting plots in the Danish election
Core campaign issues
Liberal Alliance has argued that Denmark’s competitiveness needs to be improved by rolling back hundreds of regulations on businesses. The public sector, they say, has become far too bureaucratic, with enormous amounts of resources wasted on red tape and excessive performance monitoring.
The party believes that lower taxes are necessary to encourage growth in the private sector. LA proposes that residents’ first 7,000 kroner earned each month should be tax-free and says that its tax reforms would result in the average working-class family taking home an additional 40,000 kroner each year.
Expected after this election (as per a June 11 Epinion survey): 14 mandates (8 percent of the vote)
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