Two heavy clouds of trouble have hung heavily over Venstre’s leader, Troels Lund Poulsen, in recent months.
One has been about internal infighting and tendencies toward dissolution.
The other has been a massive exodus of voters.
But one cloud lifted and disappeared from the sky for a while when Troels Lund Poulsen delivered his speech at Venstre’s national conference on Saturday.
Troels Lund Poulsen made it clear that with him as leader of Venstre, the party must build credibility in the green area.
– I am at the head of a Venstre that takes green responsibility, he said.
The vast majority of the 1,500 Venstre supporters in the hall responded with applause.
Admittedly, there were still pockets of criticism, but after weeks of doubt about whether Troels Lund Poulsen had his party behind him when he charted a sharper green course, there was no longer any doubt.
– I am delighted with the massive support for the speech I gave today, Troels Lund Poulsen said afterwards.
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Ellemann: Fall in line or leave
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Troels Lund Poulsen’s predecessor as leader, Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, had no doubt about how the reception of Troels Lund Poulsen’s speech should be understood.
– When we leave Herning, we have a direction, said Jakob Ellemann-Jensen.
The former leader therefore believes it is time to shut down the internal criticism or leave.
– Once the direction is set, you have to ask yourself which of three categories you are in. Do you want to lead – that is, challenge the leader. Do you want to follow the leader, or do you want to find somewhere else? Those are the three options.
– Insisting on discussing something that we as a party have decided on is not fruitful for Venstre. That is not what we need, says Jakob Ellemann-Jensen.
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Powerful voice from the grassroots wants a greener direction
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The internal strife exploded when Søren Gade declared in August that he would defy the party line and vote against a new law regulating agriculture’s nitrogen emissions.
It ended with Søren Gade leaving parliament because he was utterly opposed to the green line Troels Lund Poulsen had set in motion.
At Gade’s side stood Jens Nicolai Vejlgaard, chairman of Venstre in the Central Denmark Region, a member of the party’s powerful executive committee, and seen by many as one of the most influential voices in Venstre’s grassroots.
– Søren, you are my friend in the future too, and I support you in your decision, Jens Nicolai Vejlgaard wrote on Facebook, emphasizing that he understood Gade’s decision.
Later, Vejlgaard made himself unpopular in Venstre’s leadership when he said he did not know where the green journey being talked about was heading.
– Should we bring swimming trunks, or should we bring wool socks? he said jokingly.
But on Saturday, the Venstre man from Hvide Sande suddenly emerged as green. Symbolically, he had put on green socks, and the tone had changed.
– Of course we should go in a greener direction, I have never doubted that, but it must be with respect for the industry, said Jens Nicolai Vejlgaard, who had been very reassured by the leader’s speech.
– We got a good basis. The foundation has been laid for a good journey. We will base it on what we in West Jutland call good old-fashioned common sense. There will probably be some corrections along the way, but I am very hopeful, said Jens Nicolai Vejlgaard.
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Only one critic took the floor
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From his seat in the hall, Troels Lund Poulsen could also see a debate that, from the leadership’s perspective, could hardly have gone better.
Amanda Heitmann and Anni Mattheisen, two of the MPs who went against the party line and caused trouble, went to the podium without mentioning either nitrogen or the green journey.
The only criticism came from Hans Otto Sørensen, chairman of the voter association from Skærbæk. He had previously criticized the rules and regulations that have hit agriculture, so it was nothing that could surprise Venstre’s top brass.
– I do not agree with the line we are pursuing now, I do not agree that we should throw rural districts to the lions, says Hans Otto Sørensen.
Troels Lund Poulsen has said that he is the one leading this project. Do you hope that a different leader will come along?
– I could see that there were no other candidates today. I could have hoped for – in a real vote – that there were other candidates with a different approach who could have taken on this task, says Hans Otto Sørensen.
Despite the criticism from Skærbæk, Troels Lund Poulsen now has a more united party.
But that has only solved one problem.
Venstre’s next big and unresolved headache is now how to win back the voters.
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