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what they regard as the overextension of state control and the resultant stifling of individual initiative, is the best regulator of the economy.
The dedication of the Moderate Liberals to these principles does not deter them from acceding to a certain amount of state guidance in the economic sector. This includes the prohibition of monopolies and other practices that restrict opportunities for either the businessman or worker and the arrangement of government financial policy so as to level out economic fluctuations and avoid economic crises and unemployment. The intervention of the government is judged a necessity in time of depression or war. The party also advocates state support of the economy in the form of aid to technical research, cultivation of new markets, vocational training, and loans to small business.
The Moderate Liberal Party is committed to internationalism, both politically and economically. With strong support from sales-minded farmers, it was the most vigorous advocate of Danish membership in the EC. Traditionally opposed to the Danish policy of neutrality prior to World War II, the Moderate Liberals have continued in the postwar era to call for strong national defense, and have supported membership in NATO and the United Nations and participation in international programs for peace.
The Moderate Liberals are a truly national party, with about 1,600 local party organizations. Party discipline is considerably less strict than in Social Democratic ranks, and the party hierarchy is much more loosely organized.
In keeping with its emphasis on self-reliance, the MLP has been historically based on strong local units. The national organization was not even established until 1929, and in 1973 it remained relatively the weakest among the significant parties vis-a-vis the local organizations.
All the local party organizations within an electoral district are gathered into a constituency organization. Next comes the provincial organization, and then the regional organization, of which there are three. On the national level the annual congress is theoretically the highest authority and decides all questions concerning the MLP program. It elects the chairman and vice chairman, as well as three members of the national committee. Debates are free and lively, and local influence is clearly felt. The congress is composed of delegates from the constituency organizations, all members of the national committee, all MLP representatives in the Folketing as well as parliamentary candidates, delegates from the leading party newspapers, and delegates from the MLP youth and women's organizations.
The national committee has as its principal function the running of party affairs between congresses. It is composed of 50 to 60 members, including the party chairman and vice chairman, the chairmen of the regional and provincial organizations, the three members elected by the congress, and representatives of the MLP parliamentary group, its press and its youth and women's organizations. Unlike the Social Democratic Party, the MLP does not have an executive committee, its functions being largely performed by a secretariat elected from the national committee.
The MLP youth organization, Liberal Youth (VU) is Denmark's largest politically oriented youth group, numbering in 1970 some 50,000 in 130 local units. Since its popularity and strength have derived from its agrarian character - in rural areas VU dances and other entertainments were the principal source of recreation for the young, its continued preeminence may not be assured. The VU and the women's organization, Venstres Kvinder, are represented at every level of the party structure, and they actively advance their views. The MLP sponsors the Liberal Educational Association, offering evening and vacation courses on political, practical, and academic subjects to party members.
Although the MLP is supported by only 16% of the voters, as deduced from the 1971 election results and subsequent public opinion surveys, newspapers controlled or influenced by the party account for about 22% of total newspaper circulation. A significant proportion of this readership is in the old rural party strongholds. The party's two leading press affiliates, Vestkysten (West Coast) and Fyns Tidende (Fyns News), of Esbjerg and Odense, respectively, have politicians on their boards of directors, as do other party papers, and make wide use of commentaries syndicated by the Liberal Press Service.
c. Radical Liberal Party
The Radical Liberal Party (RLP) has gained spectacularly in electoral strength during the last decade, its share in the vote increasing from slightly over 5% in the election of 1964 to over 14% in the election of 1971, to an estimated 17% voter support in early 1973, according to public opinion surveys. In overall influence it seemed rivaled that year only by the Social Democrats. Doctrinally the RLP is closest to the MLP. Espousing many similar views, it has in recent years been more activist because of the quality of its leadership. Its chairman, Hilmar Baumsgaard, probably the most able leader in contemporary Danish politics, led the RLP, MLP, Conservative coalition as
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