Socialist Regional Policy

The Socialist Party of Iceland's (Sósíalistaflokkur Íslands) message in the parliamentary elections on September 25, 2021: Eleventh offer to voters submitted on August 26:SOCIALIST REGIONAL POLICY

One of the main characteristics of the neoliberal years was a blind belief that increased efficiency and centralization would always lead to better utilization of funds and thus to the best outcome. This conviction collapsed in the 2008 financial crisis and was finally exposed in the COVID-19 pandemic. It became clear that industries, infrastructure, and basic systems that had been run according to these goals for decades were too weak to withstand shocks. These systems lacked flexibility, strength, and resilience.

This is pointed out here because the current situation of the countryside bears all the hallmarks of the government's overreliance on efficiency and centralization. Fisheries have been managed with the goal of increasing rationalization through economies of scale, with accompanying centralization and inevitable regional disruption; quotas are taken from one community to increase efficiency in the next. The administration and maintenance of basic systems, such as roads, energy, and telecommunications, were moved from a decentralized system to a centralized behemoth where decisions were made far from the residents. Demands for efficiency and centralization in the healthcare system led to the weakening of healthcare services in the regions to feed the growth of a centralized entity. Rural industries, which had been decentralized with many centers, increasingly took on the appearance of branches, transforming the communities into a kind of fishing outposts that created value that was disposed of elsewhere. The independence of the communities was broken down.

Thus, the regional policy of the Independence Party and the Progressive Party has affected the countryside; weakening communities, moving power and money away, and depriving residents of control over resources, the natural assets that are the prerequisite for settlement. These parties, which present themselves as guardians of the countryside, bear the greatest responsibility for the government's regional policy during the republican era and especially over the last thirty years. And the government's policy has been to weaken communities and strengthen the centralized power of the state and the largest companies, reduce competition and new business formation, transforming communities from independent entities into powerless fishing outposts or branches.

The Socialist Party of Iceland (Sósíalistaflokkur Íslands) rises up against this policy. Its goal is to dismantle neoliberalism and restore public power over communities. The Socialist Party wants to rebuild the cooperative movement and people's ability to create their own job opportunities, bring the quota home, transfer decisions on the development and shaping of community infrastructure and basic systems to the regions, and build security in housing, healthcare, and social systems.

It is the goal of the socialists to build a society that provides security and a guaranteed livelihood for all. Socialist regional policy implies that this applies to all parts of the country; that people have a right to all basic community services wherever they live.

What is socialist regional policy?

With a socialist regional policy, we can reverse decades of decline and begin vigorous development in the countryside. Begin the long-overdue development of the welfare system with social solutions. This development is based on people's needs, hopes, and expectations, and is on their terms. Socialist regional policy is about strengthening the political and economic power of the regions.

The fundamental policy of the Socialist Party is to bring power and services home to the regions. The Socialist Party is a rural party, and socialist regional policy is one of the party's key policy issues.

To achieve this goal, the Socialist Party emphasizes six tasks:I. Build a healthcare system for the entire country

We want to build a free and state-run healthcare system in the countryside and utilize technological advancements, among other things, to do so. With great ingenuity, the staff of Landspítalinn (the National University Hospital of Iceland) built an electronic system that made home isolation viable during the Covid-19 pandemic. This is one example of how ingenuity and technological advancements can assist traditional operations.

We need to recreate healthcare services in more dispersed communities, bring services to people with the best technology, and stop demanding that people move closer to centralized institutions to receive adequate healthcare services.

II. Bring the quota home!

Let's abolish the quota system and build a new and democratic system.

The quota system has drained power and authority from communities. It has taken wealth and power from the many and transferred it into the hands of a small wealthy class. This has caused deep-seated corruption and utterly corrupted the political class. We want to bring the quota home and abolish the current system, transferring control over marine resources to the communities, which will then seek different ways to best utilize the resource for the benefit of society. This will generate many times more funds for common coffers than the fishing fee does today.

III. Development of social housing throughout the country

We propose a real solution to the housing problem in an offer to voters to build 30,000 apartments in 10 years. Instead of the housing market being tailored to the needs of capitalists and developers, a major effort will be made to produce affordable and good residential housing under social management. To increase mobility between regions, it is essential that residents have access to affordable, social housing. The rental market needs to be de-commodified immediately, and people freed from the usurious rents of rental speculators.

IV. Socialist agricultural policy

Socialists have developed a detailed agricultural policy that emphasizes smaller and medium-sized farms and the development of family-run and cooperatively-run tourism. We want to provide discounts on electricity prices for greenhouse cultivation and impose residency requirements or other restrictions on land that is sold.

Socialist regional policy ensures food security in Iceland with stable and increased domestic food production and reasonable food prices. Socialists want to increase innovation in agriculture, especially when it comes to greenhouse cultivation and organic production, and provide farmers with favorable loans for this purpose. Emphasis will be placed on direct connections to farms and unnecessary intermediaries removed.

Tourism has become an integral part of modern agriculture, and it must be ensured that the country's natural gems are not overexploited.

V. Keep the road system free

The entire road system should be free of charge, funded by the state, and all citizens guaranteed free passage on it.

Our road system has been almost entirely a public good, but decisions are now pending from the current government regarding a radical systemic change in the spirit of neoliberalism, where all major projects can be expected to be privatized and road tolls imposed. We completely reject this approach and will fight against it with all our might.

VI. Rebuilding the cooperative movement

In 1882, farmers in Þingeyjarsýslur came together and founded a cooperative. This was the country's first cooperative society. Farmers discovered that cooperation in purchasing and sales was the right way to escape the overwhelming power of merchants. From this grew a powerful cooperative movement that the Progressive Party took control of. Suffice it to say that under the Progressive Party's watch, the cooperative movement was left in ruins after party members had stolen the best pieces from it. This happened after the party succumbed to the allure of neoliberalism.

The Socialist Party wants to rebuild the public's cooperative movement and keep the Progressive Party away from it. It is our belief that cooperation and mutual insurance for sea and country is one of the most powerful tools of the common people against the overwhelming power of capital.