Liberal People's Party (Scovern)

Liberal People's Party Liberale Folkspartiet Liberale Folkeparti Frjálslyndi Alþýðuflokkurinn
Abbreviation	LFP, LFp, FA
Leader	Ine-Linda Nesby
Founded	June 11, 1868 (1868-06-11)
Headquarters	Tranebærgade 17, Rimso, Mesconia
Newspaper	Nye liberale
Student wing	Liberale studerende
Women's wing	Liberale kvinder
LGBT+ wing	LGBT+ Liberale
Membership (2020)	234,000
Ideology	Liberal conservatism Liberalism Pro-Eucleanism
Political position	Centre-right
Continental affiliation	Alliance of Conservatives and Democrats for Euclea
Colours	Blue
Rigsdagen	111 / 318
Forsamling (Mesconia)	77 / 157
Folkshus (Vestelia)	53 / 146
Samkoma (Frelland)	25 / 88
Website
lfp.sk
Political parties

The Liberal People's Party (Mescon: Liberale Folkspartiet, Vestelian: Liberale Folkeparti, Frellandic: Frjálslyndi Alþýðuflokkurinn), abbreviated LFP, LFp or FA is a centre-right political party in the Kingdom of Scovern. Historically an opposition party to the SAP, the LFP are currently the largest party in the Rigsdagen and the Forsamling, and produce the current premier Ine-Linda Nesby in a coalition government with the Radicals.

History

Origins at the People's Party (1868–1906)

The LFP has their origins in the People's Party (FP), founded in 1878 as an agrarian, liberal peasants' party who opposed the trend of aristocratic governments such as that of Hanssen-Andersen and the then-incumbent Borup-Borg, who had dominated since the introduction of parliamentarianism in 1840. Among other policies they supported a complete overall of the Scovernois tax system and later the introduction of agricultural subsidies for farmers in the wake of rapid industrialisation. Unlike most parties of the time, the People's Party were not led by a forefront, eccentric and recognisable personality (as had been the relatively successful governments of the Pileads and Liberals), instead being an alliance of various factions united by support for the liberation of the peasantry.

Valdemar Sloth, premier between 1901–15, was the first leader of the LFP.

Following Borup-Borg's resignation due to ill health in 1880, the People's Party rose to becoming the third-largest party in the Rigsdagen, spurred on in general by a particularly politically-organised peasantry and a growth of liberalism across Scovern and Euclea at large. Despite this, they were unable to secure government, waning in light of Edvard-Ulrik Henning's Catholic National Party (KNP). In the 1880s the primary political debate in Scovern was the expansion of suffrage (opposed by the KNP, supported by the FP) and the creation of an upper house to alleviate the growing size of the Rigsdagen, which had over 300 representatives by this time and was one of the largest legislatures in Euclea. Ultimately the Rigsdagen remained unicameral and suffrage was expanded when the FP won a majority in 1887.

Early 20th century and rise of socialism (1906–1934)

As the Liberals continued to decline, Valdemar Sloth led a successful merger between the FP and Liberals, creating the modern Liberal People's Party in 1906. Sloth also led a reformation of the general income tax (which was introduced in 1890) and introduced a wealth tax in 1909. His government also introduced universal suffrage in 1911, and by now the LFP had moved to the centre-right of the political spectrum, in opposition to the growing Scovernois Section of the Workers' International (SSAI), which was founded in 1908.

Sloth and the LFP, having inherited the beginning of the Great Collapse, lost the 1915 election considerably, and entered opposition to the SSAI. In 1921, following the nearby Valduvian Revolution, the SAP split from the SSAI (the latter of which supported the revolution), crippling the government and resulting in a snap election being called the same year, which the LFP narrowly won, entering a coalition with the Catholic Union which had descended from the KNP. Asmus-Steen Lauritzsen became premier in the same political vein as his predecessor Sloth, emphasising responsible administration as a Sotirian democrat. The LFP also began to adopt a more anti-socialist rhetoric, wary of events in Valduvia as well as growing leftist unrest in Werania and domestically. Lauritzsen especially saw the LFP develop a reputation of being strong in the face of socialism, and their voterbase shifted considerably to the middle and upper classes. Though the Great Collapse had ended, Lauritzsen's tenure was characterised by unrest, riots and insurrections in support of socialism and councilism, in some places such as Sirnes-Tarberg paramilitaries were formed both promoting and opposing the imposition of socialism.

Rolf Gunnar Rasmussen led a series of sweeping economic reforms in the 1970s that elevated the LFP's popularity after long stints in opposition.

Unrest culminated in the 1924 Scovernois general strike, which turned violent with the involvement of paramilitaries and completely alienated the socialist movement and resulted in a major cordon sanitaire on the SSAI, who subsequently began purging its anti-revolutionary elements. Many liberal socialists defected to the SAP, which overtook the SSAI as the predominant left-wing party overnight. Lauritzsen resigned the same year, replaced by Tue Brink who led the LFP government into the Great War, later participating in the grand coalition of the LFP, SAP and Radical Liberals during the war under Harry Antonsen.

Post-war, Rasmussen–Rosenkvist and neoliberalism (1934–1989)

The LFP lost government in the 1934 election, remaining in opposition until 1947. A brief stint in government between 1947–51 saw the LFP endorse furthering Euclean integration and supporting a referendum on the issue. In the 1950s, growing urbanisation alienated the LFP's agrarian voterbase, who split and formed Agrarforbund in 1957. The LFP did not re-enter government until 1973, when Rolf Gunnar Rasmussen was elected. Rasmussen led brash economic reforms that sharply criticised the social democratic economic policies of the previous three decades. Rasmussen was rigourously pro-business, anti-regulations, and an advocate of neoliberalism. Rasmussen championed the deregulation of national media and loosened restrictions on trading and private healthcare. Though his policies were majorly disliked by the Scovernois left, they were successful in enhancing economic growth and the LFP won re-election in 1977 and again in 1981 under former economic minister Hans Rosenkvist. Under Rosenkvist neoliberal reforms were continued, liberalising restrictions of the exchange of real estate (as well as reducing the notoriously stringent planning laws) and reducing government involvement in banking and credit matters.

Modern history (1989–)

The LFP lost the 1989 federal election, due to the growing unpopularity of austere economic policy during the latter stages of Rosenkvist's premiership. They re-entered government with a majority in 1997 with Atles Aros as premier, who supported the expansion of the flexicurity welfare state system that had been implemented by the SAP between 1989–97, but the Millennium Bridge contracts scandal in 1998 led to Aros' resignation and a snap election, which the party soundly lost. Further scandals within the SAP led to the LFP briefly re-entering government after the 2000 federal election under Hallgrim Kittleson, but a generally uncharismatic government saw the LFP once again lose government in the scheduled 2001 federal election, which saw only 61% turnout.

Amidst a global recession, Lars Rogness led the LFP to re-election in 2005 with an absolute majority. The economic crisis hit Scovern badly with major economic downturn and the collapse of the country's largest private bank, Victoriasbank. The Scovernois government, with the national bank Skovernsk Nationalbank (SNB) stepping in to guarantee debts from Victoriasbank's collapse but running a major budget deficit. Scovern received significant financial aid from GIFA and the ECB that financed the deficit, and Rogness and the LFP were praised for the response to the recession, winning re-election in 2009 under Georg Torleif Årbakke but having to rely on the Radicals for support. Årbakke's premiership was characterised mainly by social liberalisation, including the legalisation of same-sex marriage in 2010 and a liberalisation of the country's drug policy. The LFP are currently in government since 2017 under the Lavender coalition of LFP-Rad, under the premiership of Ine-Linda Nesby.