- What is the Liberal Alliance?
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Liberal Alliance is a new political party in Greece. It was founded mainly by young people, who felt that none of the existing political parties could represent them. It is placed, ideologically, to the broad liberal spectrum of liberal ideas, ideas, which triumph today in Europe and the World. We are certain that the ideas and proposals of Liberalism, though slendered in Greece, can provide answers to the problems plaguing Greece and guarantee a better future for us all.
- Who participates at the Liberal Alliance. Are there any known politicians? And if yes what was their previous political presence?
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At present there are no professional politicians at the Liberal Alliance. On the contrary, young active citizens known in their immediate social and professional environment, have stepped forward with knowledge and willfulness to contribute to society.
Many of them have been active in politics, in areas other than liberalism.
We do not want another leader-oriented old type party. We aim to form a modern political organization whose members interact, co-decide and jointly define its proposals and priorities.
- How does the Liberal Alliance gets its funds?
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Liberal Alliance does not intent to rely to big and known contributors or main sources of fundraising. It will rely solely to the voluntary donations of members and friends. At the same time we take full advantage of new technologies, specially the Internet, which can reduce the operational costs.
- What is the difference between you and others that ask the citizen's vote?
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Liberal Alliance comes to cover a political vacuum and position itself not just between, but beyond the Conservative New Democracy and the social-democrat PASOK.
This is beyond the dated populism which has become more and more a refuge for PASOK and the 'centre-ground' of inaction and polling driven priorities of the New Democracy government. And above all Liberal Alliance stands against to the statism, populism, and nationalism that express in a provocative way, the Left and the Far right.
We aim to bring something truly new to the political scene. Direct speech, policy based on facts and rational thinking as opposed to the cliches, the fear of the political cost, personal attacks, fire-branding, and other ills that drive away the citizens from politics.
- What precisely are the ideological principles and the political platform of the Liberal Alliance?
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Liberal Alliance ideology stems from the 'primacy of the individual', individual rights, democratic freedom, recognition and protection of particularity and difference and equality of the citizens before the law, irrespective of national origin, religious belief, social cast. Liberal Alliance rejects nationalism based on race, social exclusion, bigotry, religious fanaticism, obscurantism, political irrationality, political and social violence.
Following the above mentioned principals, and having analyzed the problems and needs of Greek economy and society, Liberal Alliance suggests a series of specific detailed and radical political proposals.
We support the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary. For the economy we support the reduction of the size of the state sector, and its role at the distortion of the free market competition, withdraw of the state from every business activity, abolition of civil servant's tenure, the dropping of every restrictions to particular professions and trades, and strengthening of the healthy competition. We demand the independence from the state of the institutions of education, health and social insurance and the freedom for citizens to choose the institutions that they think are best for them.
We believe in a demilitarized foreign policy, reduction of expensive military spending, separation of Church and State, decriminalization of drugs, abolition of conscription, full recognition of rights of same sex couples.
- Are you neo-liberals?
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Yes in the sense that we are young ('neoi' in Greek) and liberals. The term 'neo-liberalism' does not exist in theory nor in action. It is a term coined by the opponents of open society and free economy to slander healthy competition and freedom of choice.
- So does liberalism hold the solution to the problems of Greek Society and Economy?
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Yes. Liberalism, is the only valid proposal in the Greek reality of state hegemony, of crony capitalism, of oligopoly structure of economy. Liberalism is the only solution to the to the current failed model created and supported by the entirety of the political establishment and the special interests. This 'model' of high and long term unemployment has 'awarded' in our country the highest position for inequality of the EU15 where the richest 10% is 7 times richer than the poorest 10%.
For Liberal Alliance a just society is one that grants the working citizens the fruits of their labor and releases their creativity, that does not marginalize large portions of the society, by including them in the institutions of society and economy, and which protects the ones in most need.
- But surely the luck of the state intervention will lead to a 'jungle'-society.
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'Jungle-Society' is where we live today. Laws applied arbitrarily when not ignored.
Our individual rights are violated. Businessmen in cosy relationship with the state officials and with the malign pressure groups that live like parasites inside the state, are enjoying privileges unreachable from the rest of the society.
Public Sector employees are now more than a million (over a workforce of 4 million). The lack of any kind of appraisal and the lack of meritocracy are the rule rather than the exception. Liberal proposals for society and economy, wherever applied, created wealth that in time benefited the whole of society, they established a just State, and instituted respect of individuality, protected the right of the minorities.
- 'We belong in the West'? (Kostas Karamanlis quotation 1975, about Greece's geopolitical position)
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Fortunately yes. And it would serve us well, if we protect this relationship and we try to benefit from it as much as we can. We are members to the most respected Alliances and
International Organization, which in many cases determine global developments (when all our neighbors envy our position.)
We believe that our basic interests lie in the empowerment and deepening of our relationship with the 'West'.
- What are your immediate practical aims?
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We are well aware of the objective difficulties that a new political organization has to face, particularly when we articulate a radical political word.
Participating to the elections and ultimately gaining a representation to the Greek Parliament, will allow us to influence the political developments.
Still although we ask the citizens of their vote, Liberal Alliance does not intend to succumb to the realities of the 'political cost'. We aim to become unpleasant to the ones who have an interest to the current status quo or to the regression, saying to the citizens facts that some do not want to make known. We aspire to become unpleasant for the multitude of the malign subversive groups, that loot the public money and leech the private wealth, and to the grey-red front of conservatism, of easy populism, formed by the far right and the far left.
- Why Liberal Alliance will be succesful where other political formations failed (eg Politiki Anoixi (Political Spring), the Liberal Bulls, KEP (Free citizens movement), headed by known politicians by PASOK or New Democracy?
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We consider that a distinct ideology and political viewpoint is a necessary prerequisite for political survival. This is something that the above mentioned parties were lucking in a certain amount. It also worth noting that these parties were parties centered around a leader or they were single issue or protest parties.
Liberal Alliance is clear about its Liberal ideology and has complete proposals for solving the problems accumulated by the failed policies of ND and PASOK, with a radical political program that aspires to express the liberal and reforming forces in Greek Political scene.
Recent polling from Alco confirms that 24% of the voters, accept the main proposals of Liberal Alliance.
In addition to the above, Liberal Alliance is a bottom-up organization, an innovative movement of citizens and not professional politicians which takes full advantage of the possibilities opened up by Internet. The combination of these factors has never occurred in any other new political party in the past, so we feel we can be optimistic that the turning of a new page in the political history of our country may be possible.
- Who is at your leadership?
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In our recent convention (April 2007) which took place in unique environment of participation and dialog, we elected 15 mainly young people, hard working from all the professional, and social paths of life. The president of Liberal Alliance is a 29 year old doctor, Fotis Perlikos, who has a rich participation and history to the development of liberalism in Greece.
- Is there anything else you can tell us? What are your expectations?
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We expect the citizen's support. In the elections from now on, they will have the opportunity to make a difference. We ask from our fellow citizens to consider Liberal Alliance their own political party to support it and to make it known.
