After finishing school at Aabenraa Statsskole, Bonde studied political science at Aarhus University. He was politically active at a young age as member of the Radikale Venstre, a centrist party. From 1966, he was the party's Aarhus-candidate for Danish Parliament, but resigned his candidateship before the 1971 elections due to political disagreement about Denmark’s membership of the EC. In 1971-1972, he was chairman of the party's youth wing.
In connection with the Danish referendum on EC membership in 1972, he cofounded Folkebevægelsen mod EF (People's Movement Against the EC). Starting the same year, he worked as a journalist on the weekly/biweekly newspaper NOTAT, which began as part of the campaign surrounding the referendum and became one of the main organs for Danish EC-sceptics. The newspaper was reorganised as Det ny Notat in 1974, with Bonde as cofounder and editor until 1979.

For the first direct elections to the European Parliament in 1979, Bonde was elected, representing Folkebevægelsen mod EF. Serving on the budget committee, he made a name for himself pushing for transparency and greater parliamentary control in spending. He was part of a small coalition of independent parties called the Group for the Technical Coordination and the Defence of Independent Members and Groups of the EP.
After reelection in 1984, he helped organise the Rainbow Group, an alliance of small, independent green, leftist and regionalist parties in Parliament that did not belong to any of the larger coalitions. The Rainbow Group was active 1984-1989

In connection with the Danish referendum on the Maastricht Treaty in June 1992, Bonde cofounded Danmark 92, an organisation advocating a no to the treaty. After the referendum, in which accession to the treaty did not pass and therefore resulted in a wider political discussion on lack of democracy in the EC, Bonde cofounded Junibevægelsen (The June Movement, so named because the referendum took place in June), a Danish political organisation of EU sceptics. From 1993 he represented Junibevægelsen in parliament, rather than Folkebevægelsen mod EF, and continued to do so until his retirement. In parliament in the 1990’s, Bonde belonged to the group Europe of Nations, which he cofounded, later renamed Independents for a Europe of Nations.
In the 2000s, he participated in the groups Europe of Democracies and Diversities, and Independence/Democracy.

During his almost 30 years in Parliament, Bonde's political agenda sprang from Euroscepticism and focused politically on limiting the powers and extent of the EC/EU (which he believed should defer back to the European countries), while demanding transparency and accountability from the European officials and European administration.

He opposed attempts to formulate a European constitution, criticising what he saw as a development towards a "United States of Europe", and fought against any transfer of sovereignty or powers from the nation states to the EC/EU. He warned regions and smaller countries of being dominated by the larger countries and subjected to European laws, and continually exposed waste, fraud and excessive allowances in the European administration.
As a consistent Eurosceptic, he was particularly active in campaigning alongside political partners in countries where referendums on Europe took place, notably Scandinavia and Ireland.

Throughout the years, he was member of a wide selection of committees and groups, among others:
He was member of the Bureau of the Group for the Technical Coordination and Defense of Independent Groups and Members, member of the Rainbow Group, member of the Federation of the Green-Alternative European Links, member of the Agelev-Ecolo, member of the European Free Alliance in the European Parliament, Deputy-Chair of the Europe of Nations Group (Coordination Group), Deputy-Chair and Chair of the Group of Independents for a Europe of Nations, Co-Chair and Chair of the Group for a Europe of Democracies and Diversities, Co-Chair and Chair of the Independence/Democracy Group. As Chair of the various political groups throughout the years, he participated in the meetings of the Conference of Presidents.
He was Chair of the Delegation for relations with Iceland, Vice-Chair of the Delegation for relations with Norway, Vice-Chair of the Delegation for relations with Switzerland, Iceland and Norway and Vice-Chair of the Delegation for relations with Switzerland, Iceland and Norway and to the European Economic Area (EEA) Joint Parliamentary Committee. He also served as member of the European Convention.

He was also a member of the Committee on Budgets, member of the Committee on Transports and Tourism, member of the Committee on Energy, Research and Technology, member of the Delegation for relations with Iceland, member of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and Industrial Policy, member of the Delegation to the EC-European Economic Area Joint Parliamentary Committee, member of the Subcommittee on Human Rights, member of the Committee on Institutional Affairs, member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Security and Defence Policy, member of the Delegation to the EU-Malta Joint Parliamentary Committee, member of the Conference of Presidents, member of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, member of the Delegation for relations with Switzerland, Iceland and Norway, member of the Delegation for relations with Switzerland, Iceland and Norway and to the European Economic Area (EEA) Joint Parliamentary Committee.

Bonde resigned his seat in the European Parliament in May 2008.

Papers were deposited by Bonde's widow, Lisbeth Kirk, under the terms of a contract of deposit, signed 12 May 2023. The files were delivered to the Historical Archives in April 2024.

The materials from Bonde's period as MEP contain correspondence with other MEPs and of groups in parliament; international correspondence with political partners and Eurosceptics in other countries about political campaigns; interventions and speeches by Bonde; copies of documents from committees and meetings in which he played a part, as well as copies of materials concerning political subjects he took an interest in, such as allowances, whistleblowers and accountability in the EU.
Originally active as a journalist and editor, the materials also contain many draft and published articles, either written by Bonde or about him.

Files are arranged in series and subseries, according to their main content. Bonde's filing was somewhat haphazard, meaning that many folders contained materials on a variety of subjects, sometimes spanning many years. The arrangement of dossiers in series, as well as the titles and content descriptions of the dossiers, should therefore not be considered exhaustive, but as general guidelines on the main topics contained within.

Bonde was interested in political matters that were naturally interrelated, e.g. debate on budgetary control invariably involved questions of transparency and accountability. Each series therefore also contains materials that could be considered relevant to other series.

Textual

Danish Library and Archive of the Workers' Movement

Where mentioned, titles of Danish articles are given in English.

Bonde originally represented the Eurosceptic Folkebevægelsen mod EF, The People's Movement against the EC. Where mentioned in the fonds, it is given in English as the People's Movement.

Later, Bonde represented Junibevægelsen. Where mentioned in the fonds, it is given in English as the June Movement.