Venstre figurehead believes Troels Lund should 'tighten the ropes'

Politics ( https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/politik )

Claus Hjort believes that Troels Lund Poulsen has been too kind to the members of parliament who voted against the party line. He says this ahead of an extraordinary main board meeting in the party.

Troels Lund Poulsen needs to get the troops in order, believes former minister and long-time member of Venstre's parliamentary group. (Photo: © Søren Bidstrup, Berlingske/Ritzau Scanpix) 45 minutes ago.

Internal discipline in Venstre must be tightened. This is the view of former long-time member of parliament and minister Claus Hjort Pedersen after several months of unrest in the party. The statement comes ahead of the extraordinary main board meeting that Venstre is holding on Sunday.

- I think Troels Lund Poulsen should use his meeting to gain support for Venstre now tightening the reins in this party, he says.

Claus Hjort is actually satisfied with Troels Lund Poulsen (V) as chairman, but believes that he has given too long a leash to the five members who voted against the party line on the controversial fertilizer law. He believes that the main board must discuss the seriousness of the situation.

> A line has to be drawn in the sand. Now this has to stop.

- Yes, well, I think Troels Lund is a good chairman for Venstre, but he has been too patient in these matters. A line has to be drawn in the sand. Now this has to stop, says Claus Hjort to DR.

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There must be a limit

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It is only about a week ago that Søren Gade left the Folketing. It happened as a reaction to several months of internal unrest and the disagreements about the fertilizer law, which is to regulate agriculture's nitrogen emissions.

Søren Gade voted against the party line when the law was to be passed, and wrote himself on Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=s%C3%B8ren%20gade ) that the internal divisions were the main reason for his exit.

- I have tried to find my place on that journey, but must also acknowledge that I can no longer stand behind the direction. And I don't know the destination either, he wrote.

Read also: Søren Gade stops in the Folketing ( https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/politik/soeren-gade-stopper-i-folketinget )

Claus Hjort criticizes Søren Gade's 'solo run' for damaging the party.

- It means that a very flickering image of what Venstre stands for has spread, and not least the solo run that Søren Gade has performed in the last while has given a very unfortunate impression of Venstre.

Claus Hjort concludes that the five members have excluded themselves by having voted against the party line.

But in the constitution it says that every member of parliament has the right to vote according to their own conviction, and thus is not bound by a party's political line. However, according to Claus Hjort, there must be a limit.

- There one must comply with the rules that exist. I do not dispute that one can vote as one wishes, but the consequence is not that one then has a right to be a member of Venstre's parliamentary group.

If one is a member and has a different conviction than the main board, can one then not vote according to one's own conviction?

- Yes, one can certainly do that, but there must be a certain discipline among the members of parliament. It is usually the case that one takes the discussions internally in the party and finds a common line, says Claus Hjort.

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