Farmers' League (Grundhavn)
Farmers' League Bondeforbundet | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | Bfb |
| Leader | Frederik Jørgensen |
| President | Keld Kruse |
| Deputy Leader | Carsten Carlsen |
| Founded | September 17, 1943 |
| Headquarters | 14 Røngade, Ringby, Grundhavn |
| Newspaper | Farmers' Weekly (Bondens Ugeavis) |
| Student wing | Bfb Students (Bfb Studerende) |
| Youth wing | Young Farmers' League (Unge Bondeforbundet) |
| Membership (2021) | 12,000 |
| Ideology | Agrarianism Protectionism Grundhavish nationalism |
| Political position | Centre to Centre-right |
| Colors | Green |
| Slogan | Land, Work, Family (Jord, Arbejde, Familie) |
| Anthem | "Sons of the soil" (Jordens sønner) |
| City Council | 4 / 56
|
| Quarter Councils (in government) | 0 / 8
|
| Quarter Council Seats | 0 / 78
|
The Farmers' League (Grundhavish: Bondeforbundet) is a Grundhavish centre-right political party in the Nordic agrarian tradition. Founded in 1943, the Bfb have never elected a Lord Mayor nor a Supreme Councillor, but have been key to any person wishing to occupy either of these positions and have been represented in City Council almost continually since their founding. Their current leader is Frederik Jørgensen, elected in 2016. They were formed when farmers from the growing area outside the city of Grundhavn felt they weren't being represented properly in the City Council.
The Bfb have as their first priority the welfare of farmers. In this, they differ somewhat from other Nordic agrarian parties, which have shifted to more of a general centrist position in recent years. Their priorities include protective tariffs and subsidies to promote Grundhavish agriculture, fewer regulations on pesticides and other agricultural practices, and agricultural education in schools. They also promote a guarded approach in foreign affairs, emphasizing the interests of Grundhavn above all else. They have a centrist approach to economics and tend to give their City Councillors a free hand on social and cultural issues. Although their support comes primarily from quarters outside the city, they can be a decent protest vote for those dissatisfied with the CLP.
History[edit | edit source]
Following the establishment of the Second Allied Provinces of Laeral, the Laeralian National Congress was the dominant political force on the right. A broad-tent party consisting of those opposed to the Rose Revolution and Gramontism, the Congress was hampered while in power by internal dissension, as evidenced by the infighting that led the moderate, incumbent Congress President Georges Auriol replaced as nominee by the more hardline Henri Laniel ahead of the 1968 presidential election. Under the presidency of Progressive Joseph Carlier, Congress split dramatically over the issue of whether to oppose the civil code reform being supported by Progressives, which included liberalization of divorce and abortion law. In addition to a similar intra-party debate over a proposal limiting pensions for former military and civil servants, this led influential Congress politicians such as former Prime Minister Paul Evrard to defect and form the Conservative Party.
The Conservatives initially became quite popular among rural Arrivée voters, particularly Catholics, who bore loyalties to Evrard from his tenure as Prime Minister and from whom the Conservatives sourced many of their members and leaders. As conservative voters began to drift from Congress to the Conservatives, the Conservative vote share increased rapidly, culminating in Paul Evrard's narrow victory in the 1980 presidential election. Successive Conservative governments during the 1980s focused on economic growth coupled with decentralization of public functions and desecularization efforts. The Conservatives were however marginalized on the right by the Laeralian People's Party, which arose in a backlash against the Meihua Movement. By the late 80s, the Conservatives had been forced into minority government status and eventual junior partnership in coalition governments with the People's Party.
The Conservative share of the vote held steady around 25% throughout the 1990s and 2000s, although the Conservatives continued to perform well in the General Assembly due to that body's inherent tilt towards rural provinces. The Conservatives, though rarely able to have a presidential candidate reaching the second round of the presidential election, nevertheless remained an integral part of various coalition governments, notably serving in coalition with the Progressives and Socialists from 2010 to 2018. In the 2018 election, the Conservative vote share reached historic lows, as the Conservatives were reduced to only 38 of 386 seats in the Assembly of Commons.