But the PVV only stood in two areas; they came first and second in those. They’ll be fielding far more candidates in the general election.

“But the PVV only stood in two areas; they came first and second in those. They’ll be fielding far more candidates in the general election.”

Sure, but there is a choice about how to report that. Why is this a great success for the PVV, rather than a sign that they are so weak that they only have the organisation to stand in two towns?

And why is them getting 1% of the vote a bigger story than independents getting 28% or greens and liberals making major gains in support and picking up far more reps?

Whether you like it or not, a party that has only existed a couple of years is predicted to be the largest, or second largest in the Dutch parliament; I think it’s fair to call this newsworthy.

But the real results are much more interesting, as Radio Netherlands reports.

I’m afraid this isn’t true though is it? Lets face it, the last time Dutch politics was even mentioned in the UK was when Pim Fortuyn was shot. Regrettable perhaps, but inevitable.

‘Independents, liberals and greens do well in municipal Dutch elections!’

It’s just not a very interesting story is it? Perhaps a three paragraph story in the economist? But I doubt even that.

‘Far-right party sweeps Dutch cities!’

That’s better, we’ve got a bit of a story there. Something that just might get readers past the fact that we’re discussing local government in the Netherlands.

The rise of the far right in countries with liberal governments and high levels of immigration is inevitable.

In most small sleepy Swedish towns the locals have formed ad hoc vigilante groups that cruise the streets at night in an effort to dissuade Morrocan drug dealers.

No comment on whether the threat they perceive is real or imagined.

Just saying.

“The rise of the far right in countries with liberal governments and high levels of immigration is inevitable.”

But pagar, that’s not actually supported by the evidence.

Free-market liberal parties are doing better and growing faster in many parts of Europe than far-right racist parties. Something for you to be cheerful about

Calling D66 “free-market liberals” is misleading in this context. They are similar to Liberal Democrats in their policies, except that they actually support a less proportional election system for the Netherlands. I would back D66 even though I would consider myself a free-market liberal. The VVD, though indeed “conservative”, are actually closer to being free-market liberals than D66, though VVD have basically sold out their liberal credentials by acting as the breeding-ground for the anti-Muslim political movements.

And yes, the point of this story, buried in most coverage, is how poorly-organised the PVV is. This is probably related to its top-down leadership and its membership being closed to the general public. It is incredibly personalist, If Geert Wilders were to vanish, so would PVV.

‘Pagar’ is right, regardless of whether he believes it is right or not – there is a perception that immigration is out of control and that it is having a harmful effect on our culture. The longer that the mainstream parties do nothing about it, the more room there is for the likes of Wilders, BNP etc.

Thanks, Edward – good to hear from someone who knows more about Dutch politics that I do!

No problem Don – we met D66 here in Ireland during the Lisbon referendum campaign, so that’s how I learned this stuff. Interesting bunch of people.

Agreed with Don.
The far-right gets disproportionate coverage in this country.

@ pagar

Links? Not that I don’t trust you but Swedish vigilantes sound interesting and I’d like to read on it.

If I google “Swedish vigilantes” I’m likely to merely find pornography and I’m at work.

It should be remembered in all of this that the Netherlands is not really a directly comporable country to the United Kingdom. The Netherlands are much more conservative (religiously and socially – which does not preclude being liberal in some interesting ways) in the main (apparently Amsterdam is another world to most of the Netherlands, and considering they all speak English I do wonder whether it got detached from the east coast of England and floated off). So the largest story here is probably the success of a liberal party in this landscape – perhaps representing a cultural shift, which would explain the growing support for the far right as much as immigration, even if that is blamed.

“If I google “Swedish vigilantes” I’m likely to merely find pornography and I’m at work.”

Thanks. Now I’m trying to work out what sort of fetish that is…

@ Don

Free-market liberal parties are doing better and growing faster in many parts of Europe than far-right racist parties. Something for you to be cheerful about.

If that’s true, I am cheerful and would be grateful for the link.

I think the point I was trying to make above is that the racist backlash in open liberal countries who are hospitable to foreigners is likely to be the most extreme. Because of the climate, Sweden and Finland have no great experience or history of immigration. The population are decent and cultured people and have accepted immigrants with extreme hospitality. If the feeling gains currency that their hospitality has been abused, that could change very quickly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweden_Democrats

@11

http://www.prweb.com/releases/BBC/EU-elections/prweb3629664.htm

Watchman is right.
I lived in Leiden for a couple of years. I found the Dutch a very socially conservative, in a moral not political sense, and pragmatic race, hence liberalisation of drugs and prostitution in certain areas.
Also the wounds from the war are not far from the surface.
Also they are good company and are probably the most pro UK of all the Euro nations

Gert Wilders was on Newsnight tonight – anyone see it?

The editing of his interview struck me as strange – it sounded like many of his answers were chopped off in mid-sentence.

He did say very clearly that that Muslims in Holland today were welcome, and have unquestionably the same rights as all other citizens – but that he would stop any more Muslim immigration.

And ban the Quran – because of it’s use as incitement to violence.

‘Tolerance towards the tolerant but intolernce towards the intolerant’ was his line.

I was disappointed by the interview, when he was asked whether Judeo-christianity and islamic are not equally violent; based on quoting one verse from the old testament. Doh.

As Gert said before the chop edit, the New Testament effectively replaces the old – whereas there is no ‘new quran’.

Given he said he wanted to ban a book, he explained a little bit how that apparent contradictiuon fits with his overall free speech views – but they didn’t leave enough of his answer in, so not sure I was left feeling comfortable about the ban.

Ah, found his speech in the Lords in full now: whacky angle on Winston Churchill!

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2010/03/wilders-at-house-of-lords-march-5-freedom-must-prevail-and-freedom-will-prevail.html

Gert, eh intimate are you boyo
Wilders has actually promised to “get rid” of Muslim immigrants from his country. Amazing how he is now the hero of right wingers economic neoliberals and neoconservatives such as just visiting.
Now that makes me queasy.
Also all political speeches are edited by news outlets. Listening to any politician for longer than 5 minutes would bore the pants off the public

Wilders looks like he boils then polishes himself. Does he use varnish too? Very weird.

Funnily enough he’s not got many friends among the eurofascists because he supports Israel. He is obsessive about Islam and the threat he sees to Dutch culture from it. He is very much a party of one.

pagar: “The rise of the far right in countries with liberal governments and high levels of immigration is inevitable.”

Possibly. But it’s worth pointing out that the press typically deliberately portrays immigration in terrifying apocalyptic terms as the number one threat to their readers’ comfortable lives (perhaps inevitably, since it seems to sell papers, it’s legal, they are corporations, they must maximise profits etc etc).

Right now, the typical Daily Mail/Express reader (assuming they buy it because they like it) probably believes whites are within a decade of being numerically outnumbered by immigrants in the UK (nearly all Muslims), that there are “no go areas” for whites enforced by Islamic vigilantes, that most Muslims secretly support terrorism, that most Muslims want to enforce Sharia law on white people, and that the government conspired to cause this in order to import Muslim votes – oh yes, and gives these nefarious people all extra special benefits. Including cars. If believing that won’t make you into a violent far right supporter, nothing will.

In other words, I’m prepared to believe that if we actually did have the level of immigration that the Daily Mail implies, of the sort of people they suggest all immigrants are, then the rise of the far right would be inevitable. But we don’t. The rise of the far right is not in response to the reality of immigration, but in response to the vision of immigration projected by the commercial press.

I have no doubt sections of the Dutch press have a similar business model.

Golden Gordon

> Wilders has actually promised to “get rid” of Muslim immigrants from his country.

Maybe you didn’t read what he actually said…
Coz you appear to be wrong.

His House of Lords speech and the Newsnight interview I saw he expressly said that all existing Muslims in Holland can stay and continue to have the full rights as any other citizen.

(He did say that he would stop all future Islamic immigration).