According to exit polls, far-right populist Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party (PVV) is set to win the most seats in the Dutch parliamentary election. PVV is projected to win 35 out of 150 seats, 10 seats ahead of the next largest party. PVV ran on an anti-EU, anti-immigration platform, and Wilders himself is outspoken about his anti-Islamic views. He’s advocated ceasing miliary assistance to Ukraine and is an admirer of rightwing Hungarian PM Victor Orban.
Obviously 35 out of 150 is well short of a parliamentary majority, and he’d need to form a coalition with parties that don’t share all of his views. But this outcome and Javier Milei’s election in Argentina show that right-wing populism is still going strong.
It’s a lot more than polls predicted. My one silver lining is that apparently people are still ashamed to admit to what they plan on doing in the privacy of the voting booth. On some level, they realise it’s distasteful.
I hope that Omtzigt and Yesilgoz keep their word and refuse to join a coalition with the PVV. Omtzigt strikes me as decent, at least, not someone to go back on his word (when he actually takes a position, which he somehow avoided while campaigning, of all things).
Then the largest party would be excluded from the coalition and we’d head in the direction of a coalition with Green-Labour with VVD and NSC, D66 acting as the glue. At least they won’t be forced to campaign on immigration anymore, they’ll be able to talk about what they actually care about when forming the coalition.
The excluded PVV can go back to being appropriately distasteful. Then maybe the shame will cure people of their populist lunacy. I heard on a podcast recently that shame is a pretty good motivator for behavioural change. So maybe? (At least let me believe this a little longer?)
It’s so sad to see right-wing lunatic populism become mainstream. I lived in Brazil under Lula and seeing Bolsonaro’s handiwork was surreal. I’m half English - Brexit pretty much tore me apart, followed by whatever-the-hell-it-is that the Tories have been doing since then. And those are just “my” countries. What a shitshow. I’m sorry, everyone, we seem to have messed up somewhere along the way and now nobody can remember where we left our sanity.
But – tonight’s reporting, on Wilders exceeding his pre-election polling, is based on exit polls. On its face, people would have similar shame in answering an exit poll as they would with a pre-election poll.
Do you know of any explanation for this that still allows for the silver lining?
Maybe the exit poll results were, right from the start, adjusted by a small portion of actual results, for example. Or maybe they were done with an anonymous process similar to actual voting. Just a guess – do we know?
I think it’s done anonymously, in a way similar to normal polls, though I don’t know. I’ve never been exit-polled - annoying, since I seem to have voted an excessive amount of times.
I did just find out that the first exit polls were Dutch. Fun fact.
There usually is also some shame at play in the exit polls and Wilders may do even better in the final results. Og have mercy.
Or maybe there is no shame at all but shush, let me have this. Just a little longer? Please?
Roughly 2.3 million people (out of ~11million voters) think “less Moroccans” is the solution to their woes.
Fucking xenophobic idiots.
We are rapidly getting too old to work. Voting for an anti immigration platform is voting for not getting a clean diaper. Even if you are only motivated by self interest this shit makes no sense whatsoever.
I once heard that what is wrong with us is that (in the west anyway) generationally we’re losing the directness of our connection to WW II and that at some point we will, as a result, “burn our hands on the stove element of stupidity”.
I’m a tail-end boomer (64 yrs old) and my dad was in WW II. I think that anyone younger, and thus running the place, has one or two more degrees of separation from the west’s (I’ll omit the Pacific theatre for purposes of this) catastrophe and can no longer picture just how awful we can really be.
Taking into consideration these trends, and including the awful consequences of another possible Trump presidency, I think we are in for some really bad shit.
As a Dutch woman, I am appalled by my fellow country people. On the other hand, this is apparently a worldwide phenomenon, and we had a far right surge before (Pim Fortuyn, who was assassinated just before the elections in 2002). This sentiment has been lurking beneath the surface for a very long time.
Dutch still need to learn they’re no better than the rest of the world, of which this is a prime example. I’m worried, especially for my immigrant and refugee friends and colleagues. Currently I’m basically still in shock and mourning.
On a current event show I heard a reference to how (this was a few years ago regarding something similar and equally bad) this stuff was negatively impacting “the human project” or, as you say “As a species”. It was the same show where I heard the “stovetop of stupidity”. I believe that civilization is divided between those who don’t care about civilization and only care about their own little restricted community; and those who care about the human project. And unfortunately I think that the xenophobes are winning right now.
At the same time it’s always been there. From disgruntled NSB’ers to the NVU and LPF.
With Bolkestein, xenophobia started becoming less fringe. Then we had Fortuyn, and Wilders has been going for 25 years already.
I agree with your observations on the human project. I don’t know where this will lead, we tend to stumble on that.
In any case, sterkte .
That certainly is no small feat. Next up is Scheveningen .
Thank you. That has me in tears. Looks like we’re in the same boat after all. Not yet, I mean our problems are not with gun violence right now. But this doesn’t feel good. Luckily I live in a very left leaning city, but I’m afraid we’re going to have more outspoken territories, like with you guys. I’d hate that. And I know a LOT of muslims and refugees. They’re feeling this. They know. Those who lived it sense it more acutely. And they’re currently not at ease.
Right Wing Populism is, well popular. It appeals to the masses, and makes blames on others (bigotry), and makes wonderful promises.
But those promises are lies. Brexit, bring back the factory jobs in the rust belt, etc etc. So, the electorate threw out trump, and Boris had to resign. So, there’s a good chance this fascist wannabe will get booted next election. Or, maybe Netherland will be able to form a coalition to keep them out of control.
Thus, other than Israel (what the FUCK is wrong with you guys?) Generally RWP don’t get re-elected. Now, in some cases, they dont bother with real elections (see Putin), but I dont think that will happen anytime soon in the West.