Social Liberal Party (Entropan)
Social Liberal Party Partio de Socia Liberalisma | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader of the Social Liberal Party | Angerlannquaq Leite |
| Deputy Leader of the Social Liberal Party | Margrethe Nielsen |
| General Chair of the Social Liberal Party | Ahkejuoksa Dávgon |
| Leader of the Uryha Social Liberals | Dávvet Bilzi |
| Leader of the Rockr Social Liberals | Tulugaq Belsen |
| Founded | 17 February 1854 |
| Preceded by | Liberal Party (Parliamentary Republic of Entropan) Liberal Party (Republic of Entropan) |
| Headquarters | Central Square, Maledonia |
| Youth wing | Young Liberals |
| LGBT wing | LGBT Liberals |
| Membership (2023) |  618,191 |
| Ideology | Social liberalism Internationalism Welfare statism |
| Political position | Centre to centre-left |
| Colours | Orange |
| Slogan | "Building up, building outwards" (2022) |
| Governing | Democratic Assembly of the Social Liberal Party |
| Devolved or semi-autonomous branches |
|
| National Council group | Party of the Conciliar Liberals (PCL) |
| National Council | 24 / 175
|
| Uryho Regional Council | 10 / 92
|
| Leinta Regional Council | 45 / 156
|
| Rockrsea Regional Council | 23 / 144
|
| Provincial Councils | 1,038 / 3,180
|
| City/Federate rural Councils | 10,361 / 94,713
|
| Police and Crime Commissioners | 6 / 39
|
| Website | |
| socialibero.en | |
The Social Liberal Party (Esperanto: Partio de Socia Liberalisma) is a political party in Entropan. The party is philosophically founded on classical liberalism, and generally advocates for interventionist and mildly social democratic policies, including emphasising the importance of protecting civil rights, expanding government programs, and ensuring consumer and worker protections in economic interactions.
They are one of the two foundational political parties of Entropan, alongside the Conservative Party, as they were founded in the immediate aftermath of the Collapse of Entropan, and the establishment of the new Second Republic of Entropan, their membership was an alliance of the free-market Doves and the more interventionist Radicals. They managed steadily against the Conservative Party in the 50 years following the Collapse, passing significant policies towards Reconstruction, including, most notably, the establishment of an early welfare state.
At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of trade unionists and disaffected Radicals from the Social Liberal Party formed a splinter group, the Social Democratic Party, a socialist party that, in the aftermath of the 1907 general strike, the Charterist movement, and various other socialistic surges across Entropan, managed to relegate the Social Liberal Party to becoming the 3rd largest party. Over the next century, the Social Liberals continually managed to be part of the minority government, in 1984 dropping to 4th against the Progressive Socialist Party, until 1988, where Social Democratic Prime Minister Aqquala Holsen managed to make a deal with the Social Liberal Party, allowing them into Government, as part of a historic three-party coalition between the Social Liberals, the Social Democratic Party, and the newly-popularised Progressive Socialist Party. After the establishment of a clear Social Democratic majority in the 1992 elections, the coalition fell apart.
The Social Liberal Party did not become part of the Government until 2012, when the Left coalition was formed between the Progressive Socialist Party, the Social Democratic Party, the Green party, and the Social Liberal Party, which they remained in until the 2020 Progressive Socialist majority, returning to coalition in 2022. As of late, the Social Liberal Party is surging in popularity nationwide, with it being the party with the 2nd most seats in the national legislature, behind the Progressive Socialist Party, for the first time since 1912.
A centrist to centre-left political party, the Social Liberal Party ideologically draws upon laissez-faire liberalism and social democracy. The party has faced several ideological shifts, with dfferent factions dominating it at different times, each with their own ideological bent, some leaning towards or being firmly centre-left, and others the centre. Emphasising stronger protections for civil liberties, the party promotes social-liberal approaches to issues like LGBT rights, drug liberalisation, education policy and criminal justice. It favours a market-based economy supplemented with social welfare spending. The party has recently leaned towards co-operatism, with the left-leaning current leadership fostering a clear alliance with the ruling Progressive Socialists.
Contents
History
Origins (1630-1856)
The Social Liberal Party has existed in different forms since the early 17th century. At the beginning of the First Republic of Entropan, in the early 17th century, it took form as the Liberal Party, a broad coalition of liberals, serving as one of the two dominant political parties, their main rivals being the Conservative Party. After the rise of radical groups such as the Common Association and the Heavenly League, however, the Liberal Party faded from dominance, as the country plunged into civil war.
During the ensuing Collapse of Entropan, the Liberal Party dissolved, and was formed again in the Parliamentary Republic of Entropan, as one of the two dominant parties of the Parliamentary Republic. Once the Collapse was over and the Second Republic of Entropan was proclaimed, the Liberal Party dissolved again, and formed the Social Liberal Party, to reflect acceptance of the new Radicals faction of the party. This new Social Liberal Party quickly became dominated by their Radical faction, with issues such as universal enfranchisement and welfare state establishment becoming mainstream Social Liberal policy. The 1856 general election, the first general election of the Second Republic of Entropan, resulted in a hung Parliament, divided between the Conservative Party and the Social Liberals, with Independents in the middle.
Early Dominance (1856-1872)
The hung Parliament established by the 1856 general election resulted in the Social Liberals looking towards the Independent MPs that were elected to form a slight majority government. This need resulted in the Qeqertarsuatsiaat Coalition Talks, where several high-ranking Social Liberals, including then-party leader Astrid Berntsen, met at Berntsen's home in Qeqertarsuatsiaat to discuss the details of a coalition between the Social Liberals and some liberal-leaning MPs. After the first talk, one Independent defected to the Social Liberal Party, but the remaining 9 that would be necessary in order to form a majority government demanded certain concessions from the Social Liberals in order for their support. Among these concessions included ambitious infrastructural plans for development post-Collapse, and certain concessions from the Social Liberals regarding tariffs.
Having secured a majority government, the Social Liberal Party managed to pass major legislation aimed at reconstructing Entropan's institutions, infrastructure, and international standing. Among these legislative accomplishments included the Social Welfare Act, an act which established an embryonic welfare state in the form of the Impoverishment Credits system, and the Infrastructure Act, which saw unprecedented governmental investment into infrastructure damaged by the Second Civil War and the Collapse. Attempts to pass the Representation of the People Bill, a monumental piece of legislation expanding the franchise to women and all classes of people, however, were shot down by a revolt of Doves in the party.
In the 1860 general election, the Conservative Party managed to hold a stable majority of seats in Parliament, causing the Social Liberal Party to spend their first time in Opposition. During this era, a new partisanship emerged in Parliament, as the Conservatives passed significant legislation furthering restrictions on international trade and continually cutting the baseline regulations set by the Social Liberals in the last government, and the traditionally nonpartisan and loose affiliations represented by the House of Representatives began to tighten. In 1863, the Social Liberal leader Astrid Berntsen appointed the MP for Rockr-Wollen, Peter Aukrust, as the first Whip for the Social Liberal caucus, which is seen by most scholars as the beginning of modern political partisanship in Entropan.
The 1864 general election resulted in a reduced Conservative majority, leading the Social Liberal Party to stay for another 4 years in opposition. During this time, the Conservatives implemented the highly controversial Grain Laws, which increased import tariffs on all cereal grains, which both allowed the Social Liberals a way to pertinently attack the Conservatives. The Haugers, a dissident faction in the Conservative Party named after the prominent Conservative Olav Hauge, aligned with the Social Liberals on the issue of free trade, leading to some members switching over to the Social Liberals.
The ensuing 1868 general election delivered a decisive majority for the Social Liberals, alongside the Haugers who had crossed over to the Social Liberal benches. This Government, led by Kuupik Berthelsen, the Social Liberal leader. While in Government, the Social Liberals passed significant legislation, including, notably, more infrastructural bills, and the repeal of the Grain Laws in a decisive move sparking Entropanian governance to move away from protectionism in favour of free trade and reduced tariffs. Also, this Government led to the passage of the Representation of the People Act, extending the franchise to women and all classes of people, in what is usually defined as the definitive moment for this era of politics.
Social Liberal Golden Age (1872-1900)
The effects of the Representation of the People Act were made apparent in the 1872 general election, which resulted in a landslide victory for the Social Liberal Party, the Conservatives being reduced to only 51 seats, against the large majority of the Social Liberals. The results of the general election put into effect a realignment in the Conservative Party, with the Lunder faction, a more moderate faction of the Conservative Party, becoming more prominent at this time. While in government, the Social Liberal Party passed more legislation regarding the reduction of tariffs, as well as reinstating some of the baseline regulations repealed by the Conservative Party in their 1864 Government.
From 1872 through to 1900, the Social Liberal Party became dominated by the charismatic leader Kuupik Berthelsen. He continuously served as Prime Minister throughout all three decades of Social Liberal dominance, and became synonymous with the social liberalism represented by the party. His financial policies, based on notions of balaned budgets, low taxes, and laissez-faire regulations, were suited to a developing capitalist society, but could not respond adequately or effectively to changes in economic and social conditions, or brief economic crisis. Berthelsen was always a dynamic popular orator who appealed strongly to the working class and to the lower-middle class. Berthelsen was a deeply religious Creeperian Catholic, and brought a new moral tone to politics, with evangelical sensibility and opposition to the traditional aristocracy that the Social Liberal Party reprsented.
