In Europe, Liberals Always Dine With Conservatives
In Europe, Liberals Always Dine With Conservatives
As the Liberal Democrats debate the political position of their party and the future of the coalition, a look at other EU nations shows a notable tendency for liberal parties to ally with conservatives.
In France, the Radical Party has a long-standing electoral alliance with the centre-right and even sits within the European People’s Party in the EU Parliament. In addition, many of the Lib Dems’ colleagues in the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) group are distinctly pro-conservative.
Most outspoken is German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, who resigned as leader of the liberal Free Democrats in 2011. Ahead of the 2009 German federal election, he told Der Spiegel that a coalition with the SPD or the Greens was “out of the question”. He went on to argue that the left-wing parties promoted “ever greater burdens on citizens”.
In Sweden, the Social Democrats are kept out of power by a right-wing electoral pact, The Alliance, which includes two ALDE affiliates, the Liberal People’s Party and the Moderates.