Social democrats in Iceland - Samfylkingin

Samfylkingin, The Social Democratic Alliance, is the political party for social democrats in Iceland. The party is affiliated with Socialist International. Samfylkingin is a young party, founded in the year 2000, but stands on old ground and can trace its history back to the early days of the social democratic movement in Iceland at the beginning of the twentieth century. The Broad Left Alliance is a popular movement with almost 20,000 members in the country as a whole; has representatives in nearly all municipalities in Iceland; is the second-largest party in the Althingi; and became part of the ruling coalition for the first time in spring 2007.

Equality – liberty – fraternity

The fundamental values of a social democrat policy are equal rights, freedom and solidarity. We emphasis the freedom of each individual to do his/her own work and to express him/herself in a democratic society. We campaign for full employment for all, for comprehensive education and against poverty. We reject all discrimination, whether it is because of gender, origin, colour or other factors.

Welfare society

We want to follow the same path that the strong social democratic parties in Northern Europe, especially those in the Nordic countries, have formed along with the trade union movement. We want a powerful welfare service and social rights.  

The market – a servant, not the master

A market economy with healthy competition has proved successful in company management and trade in general. However, the market must be a servant, not a master. The authorities should ensure public facilities, create a healthy competitive environment for businesses and apply the power of the public authorities to bolster culture and education. Resources are best if under national ownership whereby the public can benefit from the yield with a utilisation fee.

Women’s rights – child-friendly society

Samfylkingin emphasises equal rights between men and women. The party considers it a priority issue that children and families with children should be treated as well as possible. We also want the elderly to receive decent life insurance and sufficient assistance to enjoy their last years and bestow their experience to society.  

In harmony with the environment

The awakening in environmental issues over the last decades coincides well with a social democratic policy. We want to protect the beautiful and unique Icelandic nature; all of Earth’s inhabitants must put themselves forward in the battle against climate change.

International relations – party to the European Union

Samfylkingin emphasises international cooperation in business, security issues, environmental issues, education, culture and the possibility for all nations to break out of the poverty cycle. Icelanders should operate an ambitious policy of cooperation in development issues, including the dissemination of valuable knowledge in the fields of fisheries and energy. We want Iceland to apply for membership of the European Union.  

Immigrants – active equals in a multicultural society in Iceland

• Samfylkingin wants a lively multicultural society that has no prejudices. Immigrants must have the opportunity of learning Icelandic and embrace the most important aspects of Icelandic society, but they should also preserve their own heritage and disseminate it to other residents in Iceland.
• We want to give a warm welcome to foreigners who come to live in Iceland and make it easy for them to become active participants in Icelandic society, cultivate their culture and disseminate it. 
• We want to ensure the teaching of Icelandic and Icelandic society for foreigners free of charge, both in special schools and at the workplace.
• We want the education and work experience of immigrants to be appraised in consultation with schools and industry. Courses should be developed that bridge the gap between education abroad and the needs of Icelandic industry. 
• We want to ensure the equal position of foreigners in the workplace and prevent social dumping such that all hiring of foreign workers is in concordance with existing wage agreements.
• We want foreigners with work permits to be able to work wherever they want and that the permit is not tied to the employer.

www.samfylking.is / samfylking@samfylking.is

• Samfylkingin branches are active all over Iceland. You can find out more about Samfylkingin, its branches and its policy from the website www.samfylking.is. It is also possible to become a member of Samfylkingin. The Party’s national office is at Hallveigarstgur 1, 101 Reykjavík, tel. 414 2200.
• A club for foreigners and others interested in multiculturalism, Landneminn (The Settler) operates in conjunction with the Party; at the office you can register as a member of the club or to receive mailings from it. 

The letter for Samfylkingin in the local government and Althingi elections is S.