ELDR Focus Year

Some populist and extreme right parties are claiming the concept of Liberty, a tendency that occurs in all parts of Europe. One can see for example how in Belgium the extreme right party, Vlaams Belang, is claiming the concept as freedom. The same is happening in the
Netherlands with Geert Wilders’ Party of the Freedom, in Ireland with Libertas or in Italy with Berlusconi’s party of the People of Freedom. Liberty is however a concept historically developed by liberals, as for instance by J. S. Mill in "On Liberty", a book in which he defended the idea of freedom of speech, or earlier writings from J. Locke and A. Smith about economic freedom.

Dries Holvoet, bureau member of LYMEC: 'The concept of positive and negative liberty of Isaiah Berlin can be a guideline: negative freedom can be seen as the freedom not to be forced to something (freedom of speech/movement), whereas positive freedom is the freedom to bind yourself, to connect yourself to something or somewhat. Berlin rightfully mistrusts this kind of freedom: one can have the idea that his opinion is the right one and force others to believe that idea. If you adapt this principle to the practices of populist and extreme rights parties one can see that these groups claim to own the truth. However, liberty is an all-in concept where one cannot pick and choose the part he or she likes. It is a way of thinking andcannot be fragmented (as they do).'


Aloys Rigaut, President of LYMEC added: 'Populists and extremists have hijacked the typical liberal vocabulary. Concepts like liberty and freedom of speech are given a whole other content than what they originally meant. Many dictators used the word freedom as well but only to give it a meaning they liked, one that fitted their views. It is however not the word itself that counts but the meaning that people give to it. Therefore, it is our duty as liberals to reclaimthe concepts that were founded and shaped by us. It is our duty togive these liberal concepts their original meaning back. We must explain to the people what they really mean and why only liberals can and will protect liberty for all individuals regardless who they are or where they come from.'