An Altogether different Life
Social Justice
A developed welfare society offers basic social services for free. Let's abolish fees in our educational system – from playschools to colleges, and abandon charges in our healthcare system. An integrated healthcare and education system along with a comprehensive and universal social insurance create the basis of equality and social justice in a true welfare state. A fair and efficient taxation system will form a reliable foundation and a stronghold underlying public consumption, as well as a tool of income equalization and reducing uneven distribution of wealth and benefits. Let's secure the rights of senior and disabled citizens and build a society in which everybody can live with dignity all his or her life.
Green Future
The concept of sustainable development should underpin all decision-making and policy formulations, especially in so far as employment issues are concerned. Let's spare nature and have environmental protection as a priority! We propose to put an end to plans for more heavy industry in Iceland, giving economy and the job market enough room to recover after the strain of past years! We support a more versatile approach to economic development, which should be in harmony with the environment and nature, and place much stronger emphasis on National Parks and protected territories, culture and looking after relics of our past! Let's shoulder responsibility for air pollution issues, drastically cutting the emission of greenhouse gases! We seek to increase the attention to environmental and nature-protection in our government structure by boosting the capacities of the Ministry for Environment.
Women's Liberation
Gender equality is a prerequisite to a successful society. It is our priority to do away with gender-based wage discrimination and improve the standing of low-pay income groups dominated by women. We support the work of the Icelandic Centre for Gender Equality and reward companies which have achieved results in equality issues. Let's destroy the system of gender discrimination and put an end to gender inequity. We seek to pass legislation guaranteeing sufficient attention to women's liberation issues and making sure that those who buy sexual services are brought to answer and those who resort to domestic violence have to leave their homes instead of their victims. We actively engage males in fighting for women's freedom, since women's liberation is a joint responsibility of both genders.
Education for Everybody
Equal access to education is one of the most powerful mechanisms for ensuring equal opportunity and fighting discrimination and social divide. We emphasize that individuals' initiative should blossom in our schools across the nation and that diversity and equality are two pillars on which an efficient official school system is built. We will lower the cost of educational materials for college students at once and conduct a campaign for improving assistance to students with special needs and their access to all stages of education. We shall also abolish the standard state tests in their present form and boost diversity in school education.
Thriving Rural Communities
Flourishing towns and villages make an important contribution to our nation's prosperity. Individual initiative and communities' creative powers need to be utilized. We will create economically favorable conditions for small- and middle-sized companies. We will boost hi-tech and knowledge-based branches by financially supporting research and universality studies across the country, and strengthen the competition fund. We will support municipalities by helping them to generate new revenues from new projects. We will improve transportation, launch marine shipping around the cost of Iceland and ensure state-of-the-art communications for our distant localities. This will lay the foundation of a new page in our nation's economic and rural development.
Economic Stability
We seek to re-introduce responsible economic management and bring the Icelandic economy into a state of balance. We will low the stress on overheated economy by putting a stop to any further heavy industrial development and amassing foreign debt, reduce trade deficit, lower interest rates, cut inflation and balance oscillating exchange rates of our currency. Our goal is to improve the conditions for an average member of the community and fashion new economic prerequisites for innovation and development in our economy. Increased earnings of rural and urban municipalities and continuously strong position of the State Treasury will be used to strengthen social infrastructure and improve conditions for human development, economy and inhabited areas around the country. Democracy, participation and culture!
Democracy, Participation and Culture
In order to create a society governed by the principles of democracy it is necessary to ensure that everyone has access to community. Accessibility is a prerequisite to participation, while participation ensures democracy. We seek to increase the opportunities of children, women, men, immigrants, senior citizens and disabled individuals for making an impact and asserting themselves We are looking to empower every member of community to influence environmental decisions. We will guard the nation's mighty cultural institutions and stimulate their interaction with the community. We will return the State TV Channel back to the nation and foster fertile and colorful cultural life.
New Foreign Policy
It is necessary to chart a new foreign policy built on independent judgment, knowledge and understanding of international situation, democratic approach, peaceful international cooperation and social internationalism. We reject the continuing servitude to militarism, such as the ruling parties' support for the war in Iraq. We set ourselves the goal of departing from unsustainable and polluting methods of production and fighting for the lot of the poorest on the planet. We shall seek to legislate international rules on corporations' social responsibility, which will further social progress and secure the rights of working people.
