That’s right, and all polls say we will get at least one seat, and possibly even two or three, of the 150 in the Dutch Parliament. .
The Dutch Dutch Animal Rights Party or Party for the Animals, is, as far as I know, the first of its kind in the world. It is made possible by the Dutch system of politics, which allows for many smaller political parties to exist and florish along side the established main political parties. Incidentally, that same Dutch multi-party system also allows for party-initiatives like the Dutch Paedophily Party but that party has failed to get enough support to even participate in the elections (failed totally and utterly, in fact )
When the Party for the Animals started out six years and two elections ago, they weren’t taken seriously. But steady campaigning over the last six years have gained the party increasing respect in the media and increasing political support. Quite a few Dutch celebrities and opinionleaders have publicly pledged support for the party.
Here’s wiki on the party:
Here’s a link to the official Party for the Animals’s site in English.
I’m coordinating the campaign for the party in my hometown Maastricht. And as thanks, I’ve just been invited to the official election-party in Amsterdam. While I think it would be a big historical moment to witness the first time an animal-rights movement gained political power, I think I’ll coordinate the electionparty in Maastricht instead…
Hey, how cool.
I have done the “kieswijzer” on the web (you get asked 30 question about where you stand on key issues) a few times and every time the “Partij voor de Dieren” comes out as the party that resembles my ideology the most.
So you have my vote at least.
It got third in mine, which is still pretty good out of 16 … I didn’t even answer yes on the question whether I wanted animal rights in the Constitution.
I think it’s a great example though of how our system can work really well. Usually, when people from a special interest party make it into the house, they generally get a decent opportunity to contribute something significant. And if a special interest party picks up enough votes, the coalition parties or other parties in the house tend to pick up on the problem and deal with it. It allows for very nuanced and effective voting and representation (U.S. and U.K. take note … Specifically in the U.K., you should all vote Lib Dems, as they promise to fix this at the first opportunity they get).
As for animal wellfare, I really think that people should aim for eating 150 grams of meat a week. This gives you plenty of all the specific nutrients that meat affords and are much harder to get in other ways, allows you to enjoy the great taste of meat more (quality over quantity), and allows your stomach to digest it properly too.
We are carnivores, and I have no problem with that. But we simply can’t afford eating 150 grams of meat or more per day - our bodies can’t handle the calories (we get fat), our environment can’t handle the strain (producing meat is incredibly inefficient, even with the torturous, anti-biotics crazed meat factories we currently employ) …
I wonder how many people ever considered how much energy we can save and pollution we could prevent just by eating less meat. I think back when we started realising this, people overshot by becoming fanatically against eating any meat whatsoever, which really isn’t necessary. If we eat meat once a week instead of every day, we reduce the problem by about 83% already. And our parents managed it fine when they were young, so why not we?
)
Specifically in the U.K., you should all vote Lib Dems, as they promise to fix this at the first opportunity they get).