The Liberal Social Movement is a political organisation willing to become a liberal party in Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

.

The Liberal Social Movement (or MLS for short) was founded in 2005 and has as objective to promote social liberalism

Social liberalism

Social liberalism is the belief that liberalism should include social justice. It differs from classical liberalism in that it believes the legitimate role of the state includes addressing economic and social issues such as unemployment, health care, and education while simultaneously expanding...

 in Portugal. The movement is a platform of individuals who believe that the old left/right "dogma"

Left-Right politics

The left–right political spectrum is a common way of classifying political positions, political ideologies, or political parties along a one-dimensional political spectrum. The perspective of Left vs. Right is a binary interpretation of complex questions...

 makes little sense today. They support economic liberalism as well as individual rights and a liberal progressive stance on social issues.

MLS is ideologically close to the European Liberal Democrats

Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe

The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe is a transnational alliance between two European political parties: the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party and the European Democratic Party. It has political groups in the European Parliament, the EU Committee of the Regions, the...

 (the third biggest political force in the European Parliament

European Parliament

The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...

) who do not currently have a single representation in Portugal. The MLS aims to become a full-fledged political party in the near future and fill this gap in Portuguese politics.

Declaration of Principles

In brief, this is what MLS stands for:

• The sovereignty of the individual: the inalienable right to live one’s life and to seek happiness;
• A more just society, regulated by merit, where all can freely exercise their talents and develop their potential, free from any control or pressure in an environment of solidarity and respect between individuals;
• Equality in front of the law, always with respect for the right to differ;
• A state that is reduced to the essential minimum but that assures (in a sustainable way and following the subsidiarity principle) the defence of the individual and society, private property, Justice, the existence of basic health and social security services, high quality education and the protection of cultural and environmental heritage;
• Market economy, but always under state control, as corrective element of the inevitable disequilibria.

In terms of concrete policies MLS strives for:

• A deepening of the European Union, but with increased powers of the democratically elected bodies (e.g. European Parliament), under strict respect of the subsidiarity principles;
• A reduction of the tax burden, but with a strong hand against perpetrators;
• Policies that stimulate innovation and private initiative;
• Strong protection of the environment;
• A state that keeps its distance from private life, legalising soft drugs, abortion during the first weeks of pregnancy, gay marriage, euthanasia, prostitution between adults and many other areas where the state tries presently to interfere, but which should belong to the intimate decision of the individual;
• The use of military force only as a last resort, always using peaceful means till the last effort to resolve possible international conflicts;
• A strict separation between State and Church, as the only guarantee of a true freedom of religion;
• A high-quality education that everyone has access to;
• A social security system that protects the individual from the occasionally inevitable setbacks of life, but that would not be an incentive for non-productivity;
• An urgent improvement of the efficiency and effectiveness of Justice;
• The abolition of all discrimination based on race, skin colour, religion, political ideas, sexual orientation or gender.