Numor How make you hit the population far? Judging by the happy reaction to the victory of the D66 in the last Dutch election last week, the progressive-liberal Party – and very contagious young leader, targeted the young leader, failed the young leader, failed the secret.
Although the official results are not due until Friday, which will be observed on Tuesday, a “Scout” position will be assigned to the Geerts Movement.
Both parties have 26 seats in the new Dutch Parliament: an impressive achievement for the D66, with nine of the latter, whose embarrassing party 37 in the previous 2023 elections.
If everything goes according to plan, the ettim will be – after the month or six that it usually takes to form a government in the Netherlands – the beloved Prime Minister – the beloved Prime Minister, the beloved Prime Minister, the beloved Prime Minister, the beloved Prime Minister, the beloved Prime Minister, the Pro-EU Government than the previous one.
But while there are real lessons for liberals to learn from the D66 and Jetten’s amazing performance, they are far from universally applicable. And it is bad to think that the Dutch Farch Farto has lost.
It’s a big tent
Let’s look at the glass as half full, though, and start working. Jettim is the “anti-wilder”, Léonie de Jonane, a remote expert at the University of Tübingen, told me that there is “positive, calm”.
Sarah De Lange of the University of Leiden agrees. D66 is inspired by a “hopeful, confident, optimistic, can follow campaign” whose slogan Het Kan Wél – essentially a Dutch version of Barack Obama’s “Yes, we can” celebration.
In contrast to the negative overwhelming majority of the ballot, that really appeals. Simon Van Teutem said that the blocked sales work but also “progressive patriotism”, and “not afraid to take off the gloves” to face the distance directly.
Van Teutem also highlighted a point made by several commentators: rather than attacking fellow moderates on the relatively few policies on which they really differ, Jetten pitched a big tent in which voters from both left and right felt comfortable.
Progressives are seriously evil
So far, so good. You are a progressive party facing far-right populists? Find yourself a suitable, young leader with a big smile that smiles optimistically and can be spirited, instead of differences, to potential allies.
Is that enough? Unfortunately, probably not. Many specific details helped propel his upset victory. First, Dutch voters were emerging from almost a year of coalition talks, swiftly followed by another of near-total governmental dysfunction.
The fourth party, Taytong, led by the PVV led by the 2023 landslide of the wild “did nothing before he prompted the denial of immigration plans.
Many voters did not, for no reason: All four parties of the outgoing coalition were punished: It is quite established that the good management of Social in ITRA – HAPPENED IN PROUNTIKOT (NSC) – NOCTICAL ITRACT (NSC) – NEGSCAL SOUNCAL SOUNTICE (NSC) – NOCTYCH ARONTED IN GOOD STUDY – BELIEVED IN THE HEART OF THE LIFE OF IT
Second, the Netherlands’ proportional election system, where 0.67% of the vote equals one MP, encourages a high level of order – and fragmentation. Fifteen parties made up this Parliament, and D66 won almost 17% of the vote.
Third, some progressives have poisoned evil. The Alliance of Greenleft / Glene (Gl / Pvda) led by the former commissioner of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, five of the 25 seats that got the fourth hour to finish the fourth hour to go to D66.
Fourth, D66 doesn’t play the progressive card as scientists Stijn Van Kesesel and Andrej Zaslove say. The Party prioritizes a strong stance on migration on issues such as the climate crisis, LGBTQ+ rights and EU integration.
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And finally, that bit about watching bad parties? Well, it is also affected by fragmentation. The lost votes of the PVV mainly went to the Conspiratorial forum for democracy (FVD, which went from three seats to seven), and marginally Ja21 (one MPER to nine).
So overall, the far right is pretty good. “This is definitely not peak populism,” Jobe told me. “As a bloc, the far right got a seat. Even the wilders didn’t blow: PVV’s score was the second highest.”
The Challenge of the Coalition of the Coalition
So where does this all leave answering? To secure a majority in the 150-member parliament, he needs a coalition that gathers 76 seats. The most likely is a four-way “Grand” alliance covering the political spectrum – but difficult to negotiate.
Together, D66, the Liberal-Conservative VVD, Gl / Pvda and Center-right CDA (which, underlining the failure of the government of 18 in the promise of a “decent” and “responsible” politics) have 86 mps.
Unfortunately, the VVD – which under its previous leader, former Prime Minister Marcos Rutte, was always governed with a more progressive party – said it would not go to the Center-left Center.
The only realistic option for that would be ja21 – whose ideology is the opposite of D66 on issues such as minority rights and climate change. In addition, a four-party formation with JA21 would fall short of the majority in parliament.
Long, difficult coalition talks await (in 2021-22, they took 299 days). Meanwhile, the wildres of Geert Will return to the opposition, where, without consent required, he is more comfortable, to continue to dominate the Dutch debate – and drag to the right.
So, lessons for liberals elsewhere? Rejoice, heal and be open to challenging coalitions, sure. But it helps when your political system has changed, voters are volatile, the last government was a basket case, and everyone on your left is doing badly.
And yet, you don’t in fact struck far right.
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