Co-determination
Statement of Principles and Action
Programme
The Norwegian Labour party
Social Democracy's Method of Working
| The basic values should
inspire people to improve and develop the society.
Challenges that put these values to the test will always
arise. Therefore, our method of working is through
reforms. This entails that we take advantage of the
opportunities afforded by the development and that we are
able to constructively criticise the changing society,
whether we are the democratic opposition or the party in
power. Social democracy should analyse the society to find out what conditions are obstructing human equality, freedom and solidarity at any given time. We want to regularly define new goals and find policy instruments with which to realise our values. This method of working presumes that everyone will get an opportunity to contribute his or her experiences, viewpoints and proposals. Social democracy should be open and searching. Only in this way is it possible to find new solutions and gain enough popular support to be able to steer the society in the right direction. Social conditions are constantly changing, and it is not possible to completely foresee how decisions and resolutions will work in the future. Thus, reforms that have been implemented must also be re-evaluated to see whether they have achieved their original goals. Norwegian social democracy wants to promote democratic government and social security by means of a strong public sector and welfare state and by building up a clear base of support among public organisations that encourage participation, belonging, responsibility and commitment. The labour movement itself is a broad, public movement with the will to govern politically. We want to preserve social democracy as a powerful political reform movement. In order to do so, we must maintain both our will to govern politically and our broad base of support among the people In order to maintain the ability to govern in a more complicated and complex world, where changes are constantly occurring more rapidly, we must think in the long run and act in advance. It is a difficult task to create insight into and understanding of decisions, which may be unpopular in the short run, but which are necessary if we are going to live up to our values in the long run. In order to change we must be willing to choose priorities. Without responsible management of our economic resources, established welfare arrangements and the possibility of making room for new welfare programmes will be threatened. It is necessary to choose priorities both times of expansion and contraction. In periods of expansion it is necessary to act responsibly in order to prevent the economic recovery from undermining itself. We must utilise increases in national wealth for the good of the whole society and not waste them on irresponsible private and public consumption. There is no society without conflicts, nor would this be desirable, for the dynamics inherent in conflicts is the main driving force behind social development. Hence, social democracy wishes neither to do away with conflicts nor to promote them. The trick instead is to discover the opportunities that conflicts afford for finding new solutions. This is true of the conflicts between labour and capital, between the market and planned economies and between the public and private sectors. At the same time, on the basis of our basic values, social democracy wants to take an active stand on the conflicts in our society. Social democracy has always warned against presenting socialism as a system that has answers to all problems and that promotes expectations of a conflict-free ideal state. A number of regimes that have called themselves socialistic, have in practice stood for dictatorship and repression. The ends have justified the means. Freedom and alternative ideas were repressed with censorship and violence. The results were human suffering, social disruption, environmental disasters and economic and technological stagnation. Socialism cannot be created once and for all; it is a continual process. Socialism without democracy is a self-contradiction. Thus, the concept of socialism can only be defined as social democracy. Just as social democracy opposes the communist dictators, we also oppose market liberalism. Social democracy believes in democratic government with a strong public sector and a carefully considered use and control of the market. In this way we can take advantage of the market's ability to generate increased wealth and protect the rights of the individual, while ensuring a just distribution of resources and protecting the natural environment. In a complex society, government and business, various groups and professions, voluntary organisations and the public sector, plus employers and owners of capital must all work together. Every single person, all groups and nations will achieve more if we are willing to supplement the right to self-determination by co-determination on matters where it is not possible to find solutions alone. By co-determination and by consistently insisting on responsible, far-sighted reforms when important decisions are to be made, people can help create their own history - even in what is being called the age of uncertainty and enormous changes. The labour movement has always been based on care for and solidarity with each other, but also on taking responsibility. We must all take responsibility for ourselves and our actions to the greatest extent possible. We want to combat racism, indifference, discrimination and self-righteousness. We must care about and make demands on each other when it comes to showing respect, tolerance, humanity and a willingness to do one's best. The family is of fundamental importance in creating a sense of belonging, security and mutual personal responsibility. Welfare reforms must be devised in such a way that they help promote the family's role in modern society. We want to give priority to a resource consumption in the society, which helps take care of both nature and the necessary conditions for life - and which simultaneously promote human development, participation and a vital fellowship. We want to promote quality in human existence and continue to work for a pattern of consumption and production that take's real human needs into consideration, rather than merely satisfying the demands of the richest among us. An increased quality of life means greater opportunities to realise oneself, enjoy the society's cultural benefits and take active part in one's local community and in the organisational and cultural life of the society. The belief in people's ability and willingness to take responsibility makes social democracy a future-oriented political movement. We must be able to foresee the dangers in time, but the most important thing is to take advantage of the opportunities created by the current development. If we do so, we maintain the ability to steer the development. |
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