Rob Bertholee, published on www.thealphengroup.com, 8 December 2023
After the polling stations closed their doors in the evening of November 22, it took no more than half an hour to show that the extreme right party PVV, led by Geert Wilders, had doubled in size and had become the leading political party in parliament. With that, Mr.Wilders might be our next Prime Minister. Suddenly, the Netherlands is about to join the countries it has criticised more than once: Poland, Hungary, Italy, Finland. Bad news, very bad news even, I’m afraid.
A few highlights from the 2023 campaign program, just to give you a flavour. Influx of migrants has to come to a full stop; the Netherlands will withdraw from the UN Convention reading to the Status of Refugees; Islamic schools, Korans and mosques will not be allowed any longer; the need for a permit to work in the Netherlands will introduced for EU citizens; there will be no more support for Ukraine; there will be no more carbon dioxide reduction; the Netherlands will withdraw from the Paris agreement; Türkiye to leave NATO; and there will be no more money for Official Development Assistance. Oh, and a referendum should be hold on leaving the European Union. It is ‘The Netherlands First ’ all over.
Although realisation of many of these ideas would be unconstitutional, against EU treaties or against International Laws, it did not prevent the people voting for the PVV.
And yes, in his victory speech, after the elections, Mr. Wilders explicitly said that he would not act against the Netherlands’ Constitution, that he wants to be the Prime Minister of all and that he will cooperate with the other political parties.
Still, I am worried about the fact that some 2,5 million voters apparently did not really care about the Constitution or about the international treaties that we have signed and ratified. Was it the undeniable rhetorical qualities of Mr Wilders? Was it indeed all about migration issues? Were the voters blinded by perceived relative deprivation? Was it the aftermath of COVID-19? Was it just the growing dissatisfaction with old politics?
It was most probably a little bit of all of the above, and it was definitely about ‘me’, not about ‘we’ or’ us’.
Which brings me to what worries me most. In campaigning, none of the political parties paid much attention to developments on the international stage. To be honest, geopolitical awareness was never a strong point in my country throughout the years. Call me naive, but with the war in Ukraine, the fighting in Israel, the still growing assertiveness of China and a possible return of Mr Trump, I would have hoped for a more mature approach. Instead, I find myself visualising our new government telling the European Union to bugger off and the Ukrainians to figure it out by themselves.
Today more than ever, stable countries with a strong economy have to take responsibility. To limit conflict in our volatile world, to hold dictators at bay or to try and solve climate challenges. Of course, I realise the limited power of the Netherlands, but I do think, and many with me, that we cannot forgo our obligations
Today more than ever, we need a strong Europe. To survive if and when the United States’ support that we have enjoyed and relied on for so long, falls away. What will happen when Donald Trump becomes president again, is to be seen of course. But I am afraid that it will not be to the advantage of the Alliance. I am also afraid that we are already far behind schedule in building that strong Europe. And one of the founding fathers of the EU threatening to step out, will certainly not be helpful.
Two weeks later, we are in the process of forming a new government, which is never easy in our multi-multi-party system. Political analysts say that the people have spoken, and that we have to follow their choice. They seem to forget that about three quarters of the people have not voted for the PVV. Mr. Wilders has publicly stated that he is prepared to ‘freeze’ some of his more controversial points in his program, in order to form a government under his lead. I am not sure how much we should rely on such a statement. There is one thing I am sure of though: the importance is not that Wilders and his PVV have won the elections; the importance is that my country has lost them.