Socialists set the course with random selection

Random selection will be used in shaping the policy of the Socialist Party of Iceland. The party's interim board has outlined the arrangement for the first four policy groups. They will address healthcare issues, housing issues, issues of community funds, and the democratization of society. These issues reflect the short and concise policy that was the foundation for the establishment of the Socialist Party.

Thirty randomly selected members in each group will be tasked with shaping the party's policy on these issues and submitting their proposals to the Socialist Congress (Sósíalistaþing) in the autumn. This arrangement is chosen in the belief that if a group of people that reflects the general public has access to the best information, it will reach a sensible and good conclusion through democratic dialogue.

Random selection ensures that representatives are truly a cross-section of the society from which they come and that as many viewpoints as possible are expressed among them. At the same time, it is the best defense against clique formation, class division, and special interest lobbying in policymaking. The policy groups will call upon people who have knowledge or experience of the relevant issues and listen to their arguments. All party members and other interested people can request to be heard by the groups to present their experience, knowledge, or opinion. The discussion will take place under the direction of professional meeting facilitators who will ensure that everyone's viewpoints are heard in the discussion.

The Socialist Congress in the autumn will process the groups' conclusions and decide on the continuation, whether policy in other policy groups will be developed in the same way, and whether the experience from this work serves as a model for policymaking and decision-making in society at large.

Although policymaking leading up to the Socialist Congress in the autumn is limited to these four issues, the Socialist Party will initiate discussions on many more topics both in the run-up to and following the Congress.