Social Liberals (Austria)
Encyclopedia
The Social Liberals is a minor social liberal political party
in Austria
. It has never won a seat in a federal election
.
, as required by Austrian law, on March 11, 2002. It has not yet contested any Austrian federal election.
government. The SoL regards itself as a left liberal or libertarian left party with social democratic leftist leanings. The party has contacts with the Italian Radicals
, the Belgian Vivant
party http://www.vivant.be, as well as the German party Liberale Demokraten – Die Sozialliberalen http://www.liberale-demokraten.de.
The Social Liberals see an affinity with the Danish
Det Radikale Venstre
and the Dutch Democrats 66
("D66"). The SoL has stated its interest in an alliance with other leftist parties, within Austria and abroad. http://www.sozialliberale.net/momentum/mom.2-rechtspersoenlichkeit.html.
Edith Gagern, Brigitte Mahel and Stephan Neuhäuser.
The Social Liberals have various aims: they see themselves in the tradition of humanism
, promoting a life free of ideology
or doctrine
. They want
The Social Liberals also want to see the voting system changed from the current party-list proportional representation
to proportional representation
, in order to give smaller parties a chance http://www.sozialliberale.net/index1.html.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. It has never won a seat in a federal election
Elections in Austria
This article provides information on elections and election results in Austria.On a federal level, there are two main elections: for head of state every six years, and for the...
.
Formation
The party was founded and its charter registered and deposited at the Federal Interior MinistryFederal Ministry for the Interior (Austria)
The Federal Ministry for the Interior is a ministry of the Austrian federal government.It has offices in the Palais Modena. The current head of the ministry is minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner....
, as required by Austrian law, on March 11, 2002. It has not yet contested any Austrian federal election.
Alliances
The debate about the party-programme began in earnest after the controversial 2002 parliamentary elections, which brought to power a centre-rightCentre-right
The centre-right or center-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals, political parties, or organizations whose views stretch from the centre to the right on the left-right spectrum, excluding far right stances. Centre-right can also describe a coalition of centrist...
government. The SoL regards itself as a left liberal or libertarian left party with social democratic leftist leanings. The party has contacts with the Italian Radicals
Italian Radicals
Italian Radicals is an Italian political party which describes itself as a liberale, liberista e libertario political movement .It was...
, the Belgian Vivant
Vivant
Vivant is a small Belgian social liberal party founded by millionaire Roland Duchâtelet. In the regional elections in June 2004, the party formed a strategic alliance with the Flemish Liberals and Democrats . Both parties are founded on the principle of individualism and can be called liberal...
party http://www.vivant.be, as well as the German party Liberale Demokraten – Die Sozialliberalen http://www.liberale-demokraten.de.
The Social Liberals see an affinity with the Danish
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...
Det Radikale Venstre
Det Radikale Venstre
The Danish Social Liberal Party is a social liberal political party in Denmark. The party is a member of Liberal International and the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party.-Origin:...
and the Dutch Democrats 66
Democrats 66
Democrats 66 is a progressive and social-liberal political party in the Netherlands. D66 was formed in 1966 by a group of politically unaligned, young intellectuals, led by journalist Hans van Mierlo. The party's main objective was to democratise the political system; it proposed to create an...
("D66"). The SoL has stated its interest in an alliance with other leftist parties, within Austria and abroad. http://www.sozialliberale.net/momentum/mom.2-rechtspersoenlichkeit.html.
Aims
In 2004, the party was led by the lawyerLawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
Edith Gagern, Brigitte Mahel and Stephan Neuhäuser.
The Social Liberals have various aims: they see themselves in the tradition of humanism
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
, promoting a life free of ideology
Ideology
An ideology is a set of ideas that constitutes one's goals, expectations, and actions. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things , as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies , or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to...
or doctrine
Doctrine
Doctrine is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the body of teachings in a branch of knowledge or belief system...
. They want
- sustainable developmentSustainable developmentSustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
and environmental protectionEnvironmental protectionEnvironmental protection is a practice of protecting the environment, on individual, organizational or governmental level, for the benefit of the natural environment and humans. Due to the pressures of population and our technology the biophysical environment is being degraded, sometimes permanently... - transparencyTransparency (humanities)Transparency, as used in science, engineering, business, the humanities and in a social context more generally, implies openness, communication, and accountability. Transparency is operating in such a way that it is easy for others to see what actions are performed...
and more streamlining in the political decision-making process, both domestically and in the European UnionEuropean UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958... - the introduction of a nation-wide basic incomeBasic incomeA basic income guarantee is a proposed system of social security, that regularly provides each citizen with a sum of money. In contrast to income redistribution between nations themselves, the phrase basic income defines payments to individuals rather than households, groups, or nations, in order...
- a social and just market economyMarket economyA market economy is an economy in which the prices of goods and services are determined in a free price system. This is often contrasted with a state-directed or planned economy. Market economies can range from hypothetically pure laissez-faire variants to an assortment of real-world mixed...
- the keeping of Austria's neutralityNeutral countryA neutral power in a particular war is a sovereign state which declares itself to be neutral towards the belligerents. A non-belligerent state does not need to be neutral. The rights and duties of a neutral power are defined in Sections 5 and 13 of the Hague Convention of 1907...
and a - strong engagement for peace-initiatives, human rights, and solidarity with the destitute, refugees, and asylum-seekers.
The Social Liberals also want to see the voting system changed from the current party-list proportional representation
Party-list proportional representation
Party-list proportional representation systems are a family of voting systems emphasizing proportional representation in elections in which multiple candidates are elected...
to proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
, in order to give smaller parties a chance http://www.sozialliberale.net/index1.html.
See also
- Contributions to liberal theoryContributions to liberal theoryIndividual contributors to classical liberalism and political liberalism are associated with philosophers of the Enlightenment. Liberalism as a specifically named ideology begins in the late 18th century as a movement towards self-government and away from aristocracy...
- LiberalismLiberalismLiberalism 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,...
- Liberal democracyLiberal democracyLiberal democracy, also known as constitutional democracy, is a common form of representative democracy. According to the principles of liberal democracy, elections should be free and fair, and the political process should be competitive...
- Liberalism in AustriaLiberalism in AustriaThis article gives an overview of liberalism in Austria. It is limited to liberal parties with substantial support, mainly proved by having had a representation in parliament. The sign ⇒ denotes another party in that scheme...
- Liberalism worldwideLiberalism worldwideThis article gives information on liberalism in diverse countries around the world. It is an overview of parties that adhere more or less to the ideas of political liberalism and is therefore a list of liberal parties around the world....
- List of liberal parties
- Social liberalismSocial liberalismSocial 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...