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Dutch politics for outsiders (5)
Mar. 17th, 2005 09:32 pmDutch politics for outsiders (5)
The new star, at least if he is the judge himself, in Dutch politics, is called Geert Wilders. (his website) He used to be a member of parliament for the right wing conservative party VVD, yet last year he made himself persona non grata in that party. His ideas were a bit too extreme, even for the most conservative ones among them. Since then he is on his own.
Soon after he left the VVD, his star rose in the polls. A lot of people said they would vote for him. He felt perfectly well that a lot of anti-Islamic sentiments could be channelled towards his new party. Almost legendary is the parody in a famous Dutch satirical TV-show. "I am not against the Islam, I am against excesses of the Islam", he keeps claiming.
A few months onwards he still didn’t have any other point, but to shout at Muslims. His potential twenty something seats in the next elections shrivelled back to a meagre 5. When a couple of months ago filmmaker Theo van Gogh was murdered (link to abc news) he was one of the politicians who received death threats. He left publicity, didn’t get to work anymore and had to spent time on the run. Jokingly they said he could use his body guards to fill the seats he would win in parliament, as he still didn’t have a programme, nor other politicians in his ‘Group Wilders’.
The weird thing is, everything that happened to him, was fairly predictable. Nearly a year ago I wrote a piece about him in my Dutch language LJ (Dutch obviously) the second episode in a series I stopped. I was trying to be sarcastic and abolish certain politicians. Both of my choices have since risen to media stars, but both extremely controversial.
Last week Wilders finally presented his ideas for the next years. Immediately the similarity with populist Pim Fortuyn (Fortuyn explained by me) was striking. Perhaps because Fortuyn never had the chance to act upon his ideas, Wilders took the opportunity to use his ideas to regain ground, after his lost popularity. Yet closing the borders completely, abolishing aid for third world countries, cutting taxes in half, leaving the EU should Turkey enter, three strikes out like some US states and five prisoners to one cell, it all seems extremely populist, though not realistic. I’m afraid it will work with some though; he might become a political force the next election.
On the other hand, if he keeps hitting at the weak like he does, his popularity probably will be only temporary. Yet I hope he will not be the next victim of another Muslim extremist. Apart from the fact that I do not believe in violence, it would make him an icon that he does not deserve to be. Let him talk and most people with common sense will eventually turn their back on him. Just acknowledging that he has a point is easy, a good solution for several of the problems he rightly stresses, is yet to be found.
The new star, at least if he is the judge himself, in Dutch politics, is called Geert Wilders. (his website) He used to be a member of parliament for the right wing conservative party VVD, yet last year he made himself persona non grata in that party. His ideas were a bit too extreme, even for the most conservative ones among them. Since then he is on his own.
Soon after he left the VVD, his star rose in the polls. A lot of people said they would vote for him. He felt perfectly well that a lot of anti-Islamic sentiments could be channelled towards his new party. Almost legendary is the parody in a famous Dutch satirical TV-show. "I am not against the Islam, I am against excesses of the Islam", he keeps claiming.
A few months onwards he still didn’t have any other point, but to shout at Muslims. His potential twenty something seats in the next elections shrivelled back to a meagre 5. When a couple of months ago filmmaker Theo van Gogh was murdered (link to abc news) he was one of the politicians who received death threats. He left publicity, didn’t get to work anymore and had to spent time on the run. Jokingly they said he could use his body guards to fill the seats he would win in parliament, as he still didn’t have a programme, nor other politicians in his ‘Group Wilders’.
The weird thing is, everything that happened to him, was fairly predictable. Nearly a year ago I wrote a piece about him in my Dutch language LJ (Dutch obviously) the second episode in a series I stopped. I was trying to be sarcastic and abolish certain politicians. Both of my choices have since risen to media stars, but both extremely controversial.
Last week Wilders finally presented his ideas for the next years. Immediately the similarity with populist Pim Fortuyn (Fortuyn explained by me) was striking. Perhaps because Fortuyn never had the chance to act upon his ideas, Wilders took the opportunity to use his ideas to regain ground, after his lost popularity. Yet closing the borders completely, abolishing aid for third world countries, cutting taxes in half, leaving the EU should Turkey enter, three strikes out like some US states and five prisoners to one cell, it all seems extremely populist, though not realistic. I’m afraid it will work with some though; he might become a political force the next election.
On the other hand, if he keeps hitting at the weak like he does, his popularity probably will be only temporary. Yet I hope he will not be the next victim of another Muslim extremist. Apart from the fact that I do not believe in violence, it would make him an icon that he does not deserve to be. Let him talk and most people with common sense will eventually turn their back on him. Just acknowledging that he has a point is easy, a good solution for several of the problems he rightly stresses, is yet to be found.
