Venstres Ungdom
Encyclopedia
Venstres Ungdom is the youth wing of the Danish
Liberal
Party Venstre
. The ideology of Venstre
is centre-right. Venstres Ungdom is, in some matters, on the left, supporting such concepts as free migration
and a completely secular state (the Evangelical-Lutheran Church
is an integrated part of the Danish state), however also following a classical liberal line of concepts such as small government, low taxes, and personal freedom
in 1908, and the nation-wide organization was established in 1912. This makes the youth wing older than the mother party, Venstre
, which was established in its current form in 1910.
When Venstres Ungdom was founded, Denmark had a bicameral parliament
, and suffrage to one of the houses (Landstinget
) was reserved for men no younger than 35. Consequently, Venstres Ungdom was intended as an organization for Liberals younger than 35. When turning 35, a member became entitled to transfer his membership to the "real" political party Venstre
. When Landstinget was abolished in 1953 this distinction became irrelevant, and members are now free to choose if they wish to belong to Venstres Ungdom, Venstre
or both organizations. Most members transfer their membership from Venstres Ungdom to Venstre when they approach the age of 30.
The Chairman and Deputy Chairman are elected by the annual National Congress (Landsstævnet) along with seven other members to the National Committee. The Treasurer is appointed by the National Committee.
The combination of these characteristics makes Venstres Ungdom unique among the Danish political youth organizations.
The organization of the more recent Youth of the Socialist Peoples Party and Socialist Youth Front
shows some similarities to the VU organization.
, along with the more serious elections of two auditors and a (first) deputy auditor. Unlike the first three mentioned, the second deputy auditor is a purely honorary title
.
This tradition
dates from the founding of the first VU branch in Kolding
in 1908, when the newly elected second deputy auditor was informed by his high school principal that if he did not relinquish this new office immediately, he would be expelled from his school since it would be futile to attempt combining academic pursuits with a political career. Since the student's office carried virtually no obligations, VU history records this as the first clear case of harassment against the organization. Since then the unfortunate student's title has been used for honorary purposes.
campaign.
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...
Liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
Party 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 ideology 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...
is centre-right. Venstres Ungdom is, in some matters, on the left, supporting such concepts as free migration
Free migration
Free migration or open immigration is the position that people should be able to migrate to whatever country they choose, free of substantial barriers...
and a completely secular state (the Evangelical-Lutheran Church
Church of Denmark
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark, Church of Denmark or Danish National Church, is the state church and largest denomination in Denmark and Greenland...
is an integrated part of the Danish state), however also following a classical liberal line of concepts such as small government, low taxes, and personal freedom
History
The first branch of Venstres Ungdom was founded in KoldingKolding
Kolding is a Danish seaport located at the head of Kolding Fjord in Region of Southern Denmark . It is the site of the council Kolding Municipality. It is a transportation, commercial, and manufacturing centre, and has numerous industrial companies, principally geared towards shipbuilding...
in 1908, and the nation-wide organization was established in 1912. This makes the youth wing older than the mother party, 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...
, which was established in its current form in 1910.
When Venstres Ungdom was founded, Denmark had a bicameral parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
, and suffrage to one of the houses (Landstinget
Landsting (Denmark)
The Landsting was a house of the Rigsdag in Denmark from 1849 until 1953, when the bicameral system was abolished. The house had powers equal to the Folketing, which made the two houses of parliament hard to distinguish....
) was reserved for men no younger than 35. Consequently, Venstres Ungdom was intended as an organization for Liberals younger than 35. When turning 35, a member became entitled to transfer his membership to the "real" political party 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...
. When Landstinget was abolished in 1953 this distinction became irrelevant, and members are now free to choose if they wish to belong to Venstres Ungdom, 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...
or both organizations. Most members transfer their membership from Venstres Ungdom to Venstre when they approach the age of 30.
Venstres Ungdom today
Venstres Ungdom is one of the largest political youth organization in Denmark. As of 31 December 2009, it had 1,730 members. Members play a major role in the election campaigns of Venstre. Other activities include organizing seminars and debates. The nation-wide organization has a committee corresponding to each cabinet department headed by a Venstre politician. These committees hold regular meetings with the relevant cabinet ministers. A VU spokesman is elected to represent the organization for each major area. As of January 2006, the number of spokesmen is fourteen.Current leaders of Venstres Ungdom
- Chairman: Morten Dahlin
- Deputy Chairman: Jens Husted
The Chairman and Deputy Chairman are elected by the annual National Congress (Landsstævnet) along with seven other members to the National Committee. The Treasurer is appointed by the National Committee.
Leaders
- 1912-1915 Niels Elgaard
- 1915-1917 A. L. H. Elmquist
- 1917-1918 J. Chr. Jensen-Broby
- 1918-1919 H. Tranberg-Jensen
- 1919-1920 Jens Rahbek
- 1920-1922 H. C. Koefoed
- 1922-1923 Søren Peter Larsen
- 1923-1923 Chr. Christensen
- 1923-1927 Henry Gideon
- 1927-1929 Edv. Sørensen
- 1929-1930 P.C. Jacobsen
- 1930-1932 Erik EriksenErik EriksenErik Eriksen is a former Prime Minister of Denmark. Eriksen was leader of the Danish Liberal party Venstre from 1950 to 1965. He served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 30 October 1950 to 30 September 1953 as leader of the Cabinet of Erik Eriksen forming a minority government of Venstre and the...
- 1932-1935 M. Elmertoft
- 1935–1937 ?
- 1937-1939 P. Thisted Knudsen
- 1939-1941 J. Chr. Christensen
- 1941-1943 Alfred LarsenAlfred LarsenAlfred Waldemar Garmann Larsen was a Norwegian sailor who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics.He was a crew member of the Norwegian boat Magda IX, which won the gold medal in the 12 metre class....
- 1943-1946 Søren AndersenSøren AndersenSøren Andersen is a Danish former professional footballer. He played as a striker, and most prominently represented English club Bristol City, Spanish club Rayo Vallecano, as well as several Danish clubs. He won the 1992 Danish Cup with AGF Aarhus...
- 1946-1948 Jens P. Petersen
- 1948-1951 Henry Christensen
- 1951-1953 P. Givskov Christensen
- 1953-1955 Søren JensenSøren JensenSøren Tougaard Jensen is a Danish professional football defender, who currently plays for the Danish Superliga side AC Horsens.-External links: at Danmarks Radio...
- 1955-1957 Niels Westerby
- 1957-1959 Niels Anker Kofoed
- 1959-1962 Knud Enggaard
- 1962-1964 Knud Erik Særkjær
- 1964-1966 Peter Holst
- 1966-1968 Jørgen Brøndlund Nielsen
- 1968-1970 Erik Fabrin
- 1970-1972 Bertil Toft Hansen
- 1972-1974 Knud AndersenKnud AndersenKnud Elon Viggo Andersen was a Danish football player, who played for B 1903. He was the top goalscorer of the 1938 Danish football championship, and played two games for the Denmark national football team....
- 1974-1976 Anders Fogh RasmussenAnders Fogh RasmussenAnders 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....
- 1976-1978 Niels Jørgen Hansen
- 1978-1980 Troels Brøndsted
- 1980-1983 Flemming Oppfeldt
- 1983-1985 Jens Skipper Rasmussen
- 1985-1986 Lars Møller Sørensen
- 1986-1989 Lars Løkke RasmussenLars Løkke RasmussenLars 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....
- 1989-1990 Jesper Ib
- 1990-1991 Lars Bech Pedersen
- 1991-1993 Hans Kargaard Thomsen
- 1993-1995 Carl HolstCarl HolstCarl Holst is a Danish politician, representing the Liberalist party Venstre. He is the first Region Mayor of Region of Southern Denmark, an office he assumed on January 1, 2007. He served as County Mayor of South Jutland County from July 1, 2000, following the unexpected resignation of the...
- 1995-1997 Kristian JensenKristian JensenKristian Jensen is a Danish politician, a spokesperson for the Liberal Party Venstre. He was the Minister for Taxation from 2004 to 2010 and has been a member of parliament since March 11, 1998...
- 1997-1999 Troels Lund PoulsenTroels Lund PoulsenTroels Lund Poulsen is a Danish politician and has been Minister for Education of Denmark. Prior to that, he became Minister for the Environment following the 2007 Danish parliamentary election. He is member of the parliament for the party Venstre...
- 1999-2001 Peter ChristensenPeter ChristensenPeter Christensen is a Danish politician representing the Liberal Party Venstre. He is an electrician by profession and has been a Member of Parliament since November 20, 2001...
- 2001-2003 Torsten Schack PedersenTorsten Schack PedersenTorsten Schack Pedersen is a Danish politician representing the liberal party Venstre. Since his re-election in the 2007 parliamentary elections, he has served as Venstre's spokesman on issues relating taxation, telecommunications and foodstuffs...
- 2003-2005 Claus Horsted
- 2005-2007 Karsten Lauritzen
- 2007-2009 Thomas Banke
- 2009-2011 Jakob Engel-Schmidt
- 2011- Morten Dahlin
Organization
Important characteristics of Venstres Ungdom include- Decisions made by VenstreVenstre (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...
are not binding for Venstres Ungdom (and vice-versa). - Venstres Ungdom is, legally speaking, completely independent and not a mere branch of Venstre.
- The national organization has no control or ownership over its local branches. The most important part of the organization is the local branches. Each branch is represented by one representative in the National Committee (Landsstyrelsen). The remaining nine members, including both Chairman and Deputy Chairman, are elected by the annual National Congress. It is an important aspect of VU ideology, that the national organization is organized bottom-up. All offices are elected with a term of office of one year. http://www.vu.dk/type.php?type=20
The combination of these characteristics makes Venstres Ungdom unique among the Danish political youth organizations.
The organization of the more recent Youth of the Socialist Peoples Party and Socialist Youth Front
Socialist Youth Front
Socialistisk UngdomsFront is an ecological, revolutionary socialist youth organization in Denmark, consisting of more than 1100 members and 35 local committees across Denmark....
shows some similarities to the VU organization.
Prominent (former) members of Venstres Ungdom
- Lars Løkke RasmussenLars Løkke RasmussenLars 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....
(Chairman 1986-1988). Interior Minister and Health Minister from 2001 to 2007. Minister of Finance from 2007 to 2009. Prime MinisterPrime Minister of DenmarkThe 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....
of DenmarkDenmarkDenmark 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...
since 2009 - Anders Fogh RasmussenAnders Fogh RasmussenAnders 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....
(Chairman 1974-1976). Prime MinisterPrime Minister of DenmarkThe 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....
of DenmarkDenmarkDenmark 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...
2001—2009. - Aage L.H. Elmquist (Chairman 1915-1917, VU's second Chairman and first Deputy Chairman). Justice MinisterJustice Minister of DenmarkThe 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...
from 1945 to 1947. - Kresten Philipsen (Deputy Chairman 1970). County Mayor of South Jutland CountySouth Jutland CountySouth Jutland County is a former county on the south-central portion of the Jutland Peninsula in southern Denmark....
from 1982 to 2000. - Carl HolstCarl HolstCarl Holst is a Danish politician, representing the Liberalist party Venstre. He is the first Region Mayor of Region of Southern Denmark, an office he assumed on January 1, 2007. He served as County Mayor of South Jutland County from July 1, 2000, following the unexpected resignation of the...
(Chairman 1993-1995). First Chairman of Region of Southern Denmark (2007-). He served as County Mayor of South Jutland CountySouth Jutland CountySouth Jutland County is a former county on the south-central portion of the Jutland Peninsula in southern Denmark....
2000-2006. - Kristian JensenKristian JensenKristian Jensen is a Danish politician, a spokesperson for the Liberal Party Venstre. He was the Minister for Taxation from 2004 to 2010 and has been a member of parliament since March 11, 1998...
(Chairman 1995-1997). Member of ParliamentFolketingThe Folketing , is the national parliament of Denmark. The name literally means "People's thing"—that is, the people's governing assembly. It is located in Christiansborg Palace, on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen....
since 2001. Tax MinisterTax Minister of DenmarkTax Minister of Denmark is the head of the Tax Ministry of Denmark, and a member of the Cabinet. As the head of the Tax Ministry, the Danish Tax Minister is responsible for areas concerning taxes and tariffs, as well as labour marked funds...
since 2004. - Troels Lund PoulsenTroels Lund PoulsenTroels Lund Poulsen is a Danish politician and has been Minister for Education of Denmark. Prior to that, he became Minister for the Environment following the 2007 Danish parliamentary election. He is member of the parliament for the party Venstre...
(Chairman 1997-1999). Member of Parliament since 2001. Spokesman on foreign policy 2001-2006. As of 2006, political affairs spokesman for VenstreVenstre (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...
. - Peter ChristensenPeter ChristensenPeter Christensen is a Danish politician representing the Liberal Party Venstre. He is an electrician by profession and has been a Member of Parliament since November 20, 2001...
(Chairman 1999-2001). Member of Parliament since 2001. Spokesman on finances for Venstre. - Torsten Schack PedersenTorsten Schack PedersenTorsten Schack Pedersen is a Danish politician representing the liberal party Venstre. Since his re-election in the 2007 parliamentary elections, he has served as Venstre's spokesman on issues relating taxation, telecommunications and foodstuffs...
(Chairman 2001-2003). Member of Parliament since 2005. Spokesman on science for Venstre. - Claus Horsted (Chairman 2003-2005).
- Karsten Lauritzen (Chairman 2005-2007). Currently standing for Parliament in HjørringHjørringHjørring Municipality is a municipality in North Denmark Region on the west coast of the island of Vendsyssel-Thy at the top of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 929,58 km², making it the largest in Vendsyssel, and it has a total population of 67,121...
constituency. - Ellen Trane Nørby (former member of the National Committee). Member of Parliament since 2005. Spokeswoman on culture for Venstre.
- Bo LibergrenBo LibergrenBo Libergren is a Danish politician, representing the Liberal party Venstre. He was elected to the county council of Funen County in 1994 and returned in 1998 and 2001. From 2001 to 2006 he served as chairman of the county's newly created committee of disease prevention...
(Treasurer 1990-1992 and 1993–1995). Member of the Region Council of Region of Southern Denmark (2007-). Chairman of the Prevention and Health Committee in Funen CountyFunen CountyFyns Amt is a former county in central Denmark, comprising the islands of Funen, Langeland, Tåsinge, Ærø, and approximately 90 other islands, of which only 25 are inhabited. The county was formed on 1 April 1970, comprising the former counties of Odense and Svendborg. The county was abolished...
(2002–2006). - Lars Christian LilleholtLars Christian LilleholtLars Christian Lilleholt is a Danish politician representing the liberal party Venstre. He served as temporary Member of Parliament 14 January – 31 January 1997 and 18 January – 10 February 2000. He was elected to Parliament on 20 November 2001 and returned in 2005.Lilleholt is...
(Deputy Chairman 1985-1987). Member of Parliament since 2001. Spokesman on energy and relations with GreenlandGreenlandGreenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
for Venstre.
Trivia
A traditional way of recognizing a resigning member's work for the organisation is by electing the person in question to the office of second deputy auditor . This election takes place on all levels of the organization as part of the annual general meetingAnnual general meeting
An annual general meeting is a meeting that official bodies, and associations involving the public , are often required by law to hold...
, along with the more serious elections of two auditors and a (first) deputy auditor. Unlike the first three mentioned, the second deputy auditor is a purely honorary title
Title of honor
An honorary title or title of honor is a title bestowed upon individuals or organizations as an award in recognition of their merits.Sometimes the title bears the same or nearly the same name as a title of authority, but the person bestowed does not have to carry any duties, possibly except for...
.
This tradition
Tradition
A tradition is a ritual, belief or object passed down within a society, still maintained in the present, with origins in the past. Common examples include holidays or impractical but socially meaningful clothes , but the idea has also been applied to social norms such as greetings...
dates from the founding of the first VU branch in Kolding
Kolding
Kolding is a Danish seaport located at the head of Kolding Fjord in Region of Southern Denmark . It is the site of the council Kolding Municipality. It is a transportation, commercial, and manufacturing centre, and has numerous industrial companies, principally geared towards shipbuilding...
in 1908, when the newly elected second deputy auditor was informed by his high school principal that if he did not relinquish this new office immediately, he would be expelled from his school since it would be futile to attempt combining academic pursuits with a political career. Since the student's office carried virtually no obligations, VU history records this as the first clear case of harassment against the organization. Since then the unfortunate student's title has been used for honorary purposes.
Literature
- Holst, CarlCarl HolstCarl Holst is a Danish politician, representing the Liberalist party Venstre. He is the first Region Mayor of Region of Southern Denmark, an office he assumed on January 1, 2007. He served as County Mayor of South Jutland County from July 1, 2000, following the unexpected resignation of the...
(1996), Drevet af ideen - historier om Venstres Ungdom. Copenhagen : Breidablik. - Madsen, Jens Løgstrup (1983), Den moderne liberalisme - rødder og perspektiver. Copenhagen : Breidablik.
External links
VU website No to More Surveillance. A joint Venstres Ungdom / Radikal UngdomRadikal Ungdom
Radikal Ungdom af 1994 , is the official youth organization of the Danish political party Det Radikale Venstre. The organization was founded on 30 April 1994 after the former youth organization Radikal Ungdom was dissolved because of a case of fraud with funding from the Danish Youth Council...
campaign.