Basic Political Principles

Freedom is the clarion call of liberalism. The right to freedom of thought, belief and speech. But also the freedom of the individuals to choose their own way of life. To own their own home or property. To join an organization. For Venstre, individual choice is crucial. Ranging from freedom of expression to the personal choice of being able to choose between several brands of toothpaste.

But freedom does not mean licence. Freedom implies responsibility. Freedom and responsibility cannot be separated. Personal responsibility for the consequences of one's own choice. Joint responsibility for society and each other. This responsibility means that the broadest shoulders bear the heaviest burden.

It is through the free and frank exchange of views that we feel that we live in a free society. Tolerance is not only the passive acceptance of every conceivable view but an expression of the ability to test one's views in open debate. Always with full respect for the right of others to take a different view.

The Constitution shall safeguard the rights of freedom valid for everybody, irrespective of political, ethnic or sexual background. The respect of the integrity of each individual person is essential to Venstre. Therefore, the rights of the individual citizen in relation to the state and the legislative power should be strengthened.

The hallmark of a free society is free competition. Without it, development and innovation come to a standstill. Free competition is the only effective means of creating an open and transparent market, where supply and demand play a part in determining prices, where every individual person and company is free to enter into commitments on their own responsibility. This makes for the greatest possible efficiency and the fewest possible mistakes.

Venstre believes that decisions are best taken by those they concern: as little as possible should be decided centrally and as much as possible locally. Not only to protect local government and its scope for taking as many decisions as possible itself, but also to ensure that decisions are taken at grass-roots level by the people affected.