Liberalisterne
Encyclopedia
Liberalisterne – Frihed og Velstand (The Liberalists – Freedom and Prosperity) was a Danish
political party
based on classic liberalist
ideology. Among its main goals were the introduction of a flat tax
, opposition to recent anti-terror laws, and a general cut in public spending. The party was founded in 2005, and Torben Mark Pedersen served as party chairman. Its youth wing was named Liberalisternes Ungdom (Youth of the Liberalists).
The Liberalists sought to attract right-wing voters discontent with the policies of the current centre-right Venstre
/Conservative
coalition. The Liberalists claimed that the current cabinet
had essentially carried on the policies of its Social Democratic
predecessor, the cabinet
of Poul Nyrup Rasmussen
.
In August 2008 the party dissolved itself and all the members of the board joined the newly renamed Liberal Alliance.
, asking for official registration as a political party. This application was ultimately rejected with the argument that the party name was too similar to Venstre's formal name: Venstre, Liberal Party of Denmark. This rejection led to accusations that the Minister of the Interior at the time, Lars Løkke Rasmussen
(the present Prime Minister
), had a conflict of interest
in the matter since Rasmussen himself was the deputy chairman of Venstre
. The Liberalists subsequently filed a complaint to the Danish ombudsman
, and in March 2006, Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen
transferred the case to Justice Minister
Lene Espersen
(Conservative
). In September 2006, she too rejected the original application citing the same argument as the Ministry of the Interior. In January 2007, the party received official registration from the Ministry of Justice after the party accepted adding "Freedom and Prosperity" to the party name to make the distinction from Venstre more obvious. The party stated that it would continue to use the shorter name and only apply the longer version in official contexts, e.g. on the ballot paper. Several opposition parties suggested that a multi-party commission be set up to decide future party name registrations and Lars Løkke Rasmussen agreed to this proposal, although Rasmussen suggested that this responsibility be transferred to an already existing parliamentary committee.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
political party
Politics of Denmark
The Politics of Denmark takes place in a framework of a parliamentary, representative democratic, constitutional monarchy, in which the Prime Minister is the head of government, and of a multi-party system...
based on classic liberalist
Classical liberalism
Classical liberalism is the philosophy committed to the ideal of limited government, constitutionalism, rule of law, due process, and liberty of individuals including freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and free markets....
ideology. Among its main goals were the introduction of a flat tax
Flat tax
A flat tax is a tax system with a constant marginal tax rate. Typically the term flat tax is applied in the context of an individual or corporate income that will be taxed at one marginal rate...
, opposition to recent anti-terror laws, and a general cut in public spending. The party was founded in 2005, and Torben Mark Pedersen served as party chairman. Its youth wing was named Liberalisternes Ungdom (Youth of the Liberalists).
The Liberalists sought to attract right-wing voters discontent with the policies of the current centre-right Venstre
Venstre (Denmark)
VenstreThe party name is officially not translated into any other language, but is in English often referred to as the Liberal Party. Similar rules apply for the name of the party's youth wing Venstres Ungdom. , full name Venstre, Danmarks Liberale Parti , is the largest political party in Denmark...
/Conservative
Conservative People's Party (Denmark)
The Conservative People's Party , also known as Conservatives is a Danish political party.-History:The party was founded 1915 based mostly on its predecessor, Højre , but also on the Free Conservatives and a moderate faction of Venstre , the liberals.The party has participated in several coalition...
coalition. The Liberalists claimed that the current cabinet
Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen II
Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen retained his parliamentary support in the 2005 Danish parliamentary election, and was able to continue as head of his government. On 18 February 2005, he presented his updated cabinet, the Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen II...
had essentially carried on the policies of its Social Democratic
Social Democrats (Denmark)
The Social Democrats , is a Danish political party committed to the political ideology of social democracy. It is the major coalition partner in Denmark's government since the 2011 parliamentary election, and party leader Helle Thorning-Schmidt is the current Prime Minister of Denmark...
predecessor, the cabinet
Cabinet of Poul Nyrup Rasmussen IV
After the 1998 Danish parliamentary election, the sitting Danish Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen was able to reform the government coalition of his own Social Democrats and the Danish Social Liberal Party...
of Poul Nyrup Rasmussen
Poul Nyrup Rasmussen
Poul Nyrup Rasmussen , informally Poul Nyrup, born 15 June 1943), was Prime Minister of Denmark from 25 January 1993 to 27 November 2001 and is currently President of the Party of European Socialists . He was the leader of the governing Social Democrats from 1992 to 2002...
.
In August 2008 the party dissolved itself and all the members of the board joined the newly renamed Liberal Alliance.
Naming dispute
In August 2005, the newly-formed party approached the Danish Ministry of the InteriorMinistry of the Interior and Health (Denmark)
The Ministry of the Interior and Health is a Danish ministry created on 24 November 1848, after Denmark became a constitutional monarchy. For most of its existence it was known as the Ministry of the Interior...
, asking for official registration as a political party. This application was ultimately rejected with the argument that the party name was too similar to Venstre's formal name: Venstre, Liberal Party of Denmark. This rejection led to accusations that the Minister of the Interior at the time, Lars Løkke Rasmussen
Lars Løkke Rasmussen
Lars Løkke Rasmussen is a Danish politician who served as Prime Minister of Denmark from April 2009 to October 2011. He is the leader of the centre-right liberal party, Venstre....
(the present Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Denmark
The Prime Minister of Denmark is the head of government in Danish politics. The Prime Minister is traditionally the leader of a political coalition in the Folketing and presides over the cabinet....
), had a conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
in the matter since Rasmussen himself was the deputy chairman of Venstre
Venstre (Denmark)
VenstreThe party name is officially not translated into any other language, but is in English often referred to as the Liberal Party. Similar rules apply for the name of the party's youth wing Venstres Ungdom. , full name Venstre, Danmarks Liberale Parti , is the largest political party in Denmark...
. The Liberalists subsequently filed a complaint to the Danish ombudsman
Ombudsman
An ombudsman is a person who acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and some internal or external constituency while representing not only but mostly the broad scope of constituent interests...
, and in March 2006, Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Anders Fogh Rasmussen is a Danish politician, and the 12th and current Secretary General of NATO. Rasmussen served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 27 November 2001 to 5 April 2009....
transferred the case to Justice Minister
Justice Minister of Denmark
The Danish Minister for Justice is the head of the Ministry of Justice and a cabinet member.Under the current government, the post is held by Morten Bødskov.As the head of the department, the minister is responsible for:* The General judicial system including...
Lene Espersen
Lene Espersen
Lene Espersen is a Danish politician and member of parliament who has been Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs since 23 February 2010 and was leader of the Conservative People's Party and Deputy Prime Minister from 9 September 2008 to 13 January 2011...
(Conservative
Conservative People's Party (Denmark)
The Conservative People's Party , also known as Conservatives is a Danish political party.-History:The party was founded 1915 based mostly on its predecessor, Højre , but also on the Free Conservatives and a moderate faction of Venstre , the liberals.The party has participated in several coalition...
). In September 2006, she too rejected the original application citing the same argument as the Ministry of the Interior. In January 2007, the party received official registration from the Ministry of Justice after the party accepted adding "Freedom and Prosperity" to the party name to make the distinction from Venstre more obvious. The party stated that it would continue to use the shorter name and only apply the longer version in official contexts, e.g. on the ballot paper. Several opposition parties suggested that a multi-party commission be set up to decide future party name registrations and Lars Løkke Rasmussen agreed to this proposal, although Rasmussen suggested that this responsibility be transferred to an already existing parliamentary committee.