Social Democratic Party of Wizlandia

Social Democratic Party
Abbreviation	SDP
Leader	Louise Bailey (Lieutenant Executive)
Deputy Leader	Stephen Douglas (SDP Senate Leader)
Founded	1931
Newspaper	The Progressive Tribune
Think tank	Centre for Progressive Policy
Youth wing	Young Democrats
Ideology	Majority  • Social Democracy  • Social Liberalism  • Cultural Progressivism Factions  • Third-Way  • Left-Wing Populism  • Blue Labourism
Political position	Centre-Left
European affiliation	Party of European Socialists (Observing Member)
International affiliation	Progressive Alliance Socialist International
Colors	Crimson
Slogan	"A fairer way forward."
House of Commons	193 / 800
Senate	33 / 120
State Legislatures	1,301 / 4,826
Political parties

The Social Democratic Party, abbreviated SDP and sometimes just referred to as The Democrats, is one of the three major contemporary political parties of Wizlandia, along with its main political rivals the Liberal Party and the National Party. It is currently in opposition to the Liberal-National government.

The Social Democratic Party's ideologies are Social Democracy, Social Liberalism, and Cultural Progressivism. The party is the major centre-left party of Wizlandia, with both the Liberal Party and the National Party on its right.

In the late 1950s and 1960s, the Social Democratic Party was the major force in Wizlandia that opposed the ratification of the Constitution and later supported rewriting a new Constitution that would eliminate the Senate, give additional budgetary and legislative powers to the federal government, remove the cap on federal revenue, and remove the 3/5ths tax-increase rule - which requires any tax increase be approved by 3/5ths of both Houses of Parliament. However, over the last thirty years the party has moderated from this position and now advocates only an amendment to eliminate the revenue cap and the 3/5ths tax-increase rule, though all such proposals have been a red line for both the Liberal and the National Party in coalition agreements.

Policy-wise, the Social Democrats support a transition to a social market economy funded by an increase in taxes on medium to high income earners, increase in capital gains taxation, the creation of a corporate tax and the creation of a federal minimum wage. The party wants to used the additional revenue to create a green energy federal jobs program, increase welfare spending, and expand public healthcare benefits, and some factions also support moving from the Universal Catastrophic Coverage system to a free at the point of use Single-Payer system. On sociocultural issues, the Social Democrats lean progressive, and advocate for a rehabilitation-oriented crime policy, expansion of LGBT rights including a federal nondiscrimination law, criminalisation of prostitution, and supports affirmative action and an active state social policy to achieve social justice.

The Social Democratic Party's foreign policy is very dovish, and the party insists that any foreign intervention must be done multilaterally via the Liberal Democratic Union. The party is supportive of Wizlandia's continued membership in the World Assembly, the Liberal Democratic Union, the South-Asian Union, the Trans-Asian Free Trade Agreement, and the International Defence League, and tends to lean pro-globalisation, although there is a substantial number of free-trade critics in the party. The Social Democrats desire to pass a resolution making General Assembly resolutions law in Wizlandia, and the party is supportive of nuclear disarmament, two positions that has drawn consternation amongst Liberal and National politicians.

Political Positions

Constitution

The Social Democratic Party opposed the passage of the Constitution of Wizlandia in 2013, citing various provisions as "anti-democratic" and attempting to institutionalise liberal policy. While the party initially called for the Constitution to be repealed in its entirety, the success of Wizlandia under the Constitution made this a losing position amongst voters, and they now adopt a reformist position. The party supports amendments that would decrease the three-fifths supermajority required to pass most bills to a simple majority, limit campaign spending, and eliminate all provisions restricting the size of the federal government and the taxes it can levy.

Economics

The Social Democratic Party support a heavily regulated mixed-economy, and favour fair trade, a medium to large welfare state, and increased spending on public healthcare, which would be funded by an increase in the income, capital gains and value-added taxes, in addition to creating a 30% corporate tax. Social Democrats support various market interventions in order to help the working class, which include establishing a W10 minimum wage, legalising the use of Union Security Agreements, and more stringent labour market regulations. Some more left-wing factions of the Social Democratic Party also support economic protectionism, a 2% wealth tax, 60% marginal income tax rate for multimillionaires, mandatory unionisation in large firms and a cap on CEO pay, although the larger and more liberal New Democrat faction oppose such policies.

Environment

The Social Democratic Party support the current Carbon Tax, but support further intervention in the form of federal green jobs program, which they argue would accelerate Wizlandia's transition to a green economy and decrease unemployment. Social Democrats support all forms of alternative energy, including nuclear power.

Healthcare

The Social Democratic Party support greater public healthcare spending, including decreasing the level of cost-sharing under the current catastrophic coverage system. Some more left-wing factions of the party also advocate passing the Single Payer Act, which would create a free at the point of use single-payer healthcare system.

Education

The Social Democratic Party oppose the current federal voucher system, which they argue takes funding away from the public school system, and support establishing a federal teacher's union and increasing the bargaining power of local teacher's unions in order to better advocate for teacher's benefits. Critics on the right charge the party with being beholden to local teacher's unions and prioritising the welfare of teachers over the education of students, though Social Democrats claim this is a false narrative and that more powerful teacher's unions would improve educational outcomes. Social Democrats support overturning the prohibition on affirmative action for public universities, but oppose racial quotas for university admissions.

Immigration

The Social Democratic Party are divided on the current open-borders policy, with the more liberal factions supporting the current policy, and the more conservative and moderate factions raising concern that immigrants depress the salary of low-skill workers, and advocate a quota of one million immigrants per year. Social Democrats oppose any limits on the number political refugees Wizlandia accepts, and oppose a points-based immigration system.

Social Positions

The Social Democrats are culturally progressive, and support maintaining the status quo of legal gay marriage, legal polygamy, and legal soft drugs such as marijuana, and not making hard drug use a criminal offence. However, Social Democrats oppose the legalisation of prostitution, citing concerns that legalising prostitution would allow the profit-motive to exploit women. Social Democrats oppose abortion restrictions at both the federal and state level, and support greater social spending on crime-heavy communities, a rehabilitation-oriented criminal policy, but also support harsher punishment for sexual crimes. The Social Democratic Party are divided on the issue of free speech and internet freedom, with the more liberal factions supporting the status quo, and the more left-wing factions desiring to criminalise hate speech and hold social media companies liable for such speech.

Foreign Policy

The Social Democratic Party are centrist on the dove-hawk spectrum. The party is supportive of NATO and of sanctions against foreign officials that engage in human-rights abuses, but they oppose unilateral military action, arguing that any intervention should be conducted with the support of a large number of allies. Social Democrats opposed the American intervention in Syria, and the party has refused to recognise either Juan Guaidó or Nicolás Maduro as the President of Venenzuela. Historically, the Social Democratic Party supported protectionist policies, although over time the party has accepted the economic consensus on free trade and have become more supportive of free trade agreements, though they insist that such agreements must include environmental and labour protections. The Social Democratic Party support unilateral nuclear disarmament, and have publicly declared that they would never press the nuclear button if in office. This position has led to heavy criticism by the Liberal Party, the National Party, and the Civic Alliance, who have described such statements as very irresponsible.

Factions

Third-Way Democrats

Third-Way Democrats are the third-way centrist faction of the Social Democratic Party. The faction is the largest in the Social Democratic Party, and was formed during the economic liberalisation of the 1970s and 1980s as a third-way between the hard economic-liberal stance of the Liberal Party and the widespread support for tripartism and collective bargaining amongst the Social Democratic establishment. Instead, the Third-Way Democrats advocate combining a relatively deregulated liberal-market economy with a medium welfare-state, moderately increasing spending on education, healthcare, and direct cash payments to low-income households. Further, the faction has made peace with the 1960 Constitution, arguing the the Social Democratic Party should work within the constitutional framework to promote its policies rather than amending or abolishing it. The factions is very culturally progressive, and has consistently supported the expansion of LGBT rights. Currently, it argues for the passage of a federal nondiscrimination law, in addition for creating affirmative action programs to help historically disadvantaged minorities.

Third-Way Democrats lean dovish on international intervention. The faction criticised the decision to unilaterally go to war with Thuoye in the 1970s, and argue that any military action must either be sanctioned by the international community. They support reducing Wizlandia's nuclear arsenal, with an end-goal of nuclear-disarmament, and support free trade, open immigration, closer integration with the Liberal Democratic Union, and desire to pass a resolution making General Assembly resolutions law in Wizlandia.