From The Iconoclast, some very good news indeed:
The polls in The Netherlands have closed. The election appears too close to call. A final result may not be announced until 12:30 AM Amsterdam time.Go to the link to see what the state radio has to say about our favorite “far-right populist”. Hmmm…is that an improvement over “extreme right-wing populist”? If so, he’s doing better than Sarah Palin.
The conservative Dutch Liberal Party (VVD) led by Mark Rutte, and the Labor party led by former Amsterdam Mayor, Job Cohen, are tied with 31 seats each. The Freedom Party (PVV) of Geert Wilders was the real surprise capturing 22 seats in the general election. This could position Wilders to be partner in whatever ruling coalition emerges.
Note this comment from Radio Nederland…
Meanwhile, here’s my favorite quote from the material the Iconoclast gathered. It’s taken from an interview Mr. Wilders gave to The Jerusalem Post. He says precisely what I have believed for many years:
- - - - - - - - -
“If Israel gave, say, the West Bank to the Palestinians, this would not bring peace,” Wilders said. “The next step would be for the Palestinians to claim that Ashkelon, Ashdod, Haifa and Jerusalem are the next ‘settlements’ to be conquered.”
He added: “I always say that parents everywhere in the West sleep well at night because parents in Israel lie awake at night - because their children are fighting the jihad.”
To Israeli parents, G-d be with you.
13 comments:
Hallelujah! Maybe, just maybe, the tide is turning in Europe.
Congratulations Geert & PVV!
It may be even better. I just checked the stats and it now says twenty four seats.
I guess unlike the British the Dutch are willing to make a change.
Dear Dymfna !
Chear UP !
In Israel a few million peoble manage quite well while sorounded by hundreds of milions of barbarians..
Just imagine the potential of the whole westwern world , 130 timmes bigger , facing Islaam in the same frame-of-mind...
It has been quiet interesting here in Holland. The PVV have got 24 seats which makes it the third largest party in Holland. This is an increase of 15 seats from 9 in the present parliament. Maurice de Hond who does all the Gallup polls for the Radio said that they would get only 18 seats maximum 19, how he could have got it so wrong means only two things he was manipulating the results or as Wilders says it is the curtain effect. That is because the party has been so demonised that people do not tell the polls what they truly feel and will vote but do it only behind the curtain of the polling booth. The election has gone very smoothly and they has been none of the accusations of voting fraud as there was in the E.U. elections and local elections earlier. Here in Limburg the province where Geert comes from has the victory from the PVV been almost total, only in a couple of voting areas were they second Margratten was the only one I can remember. If this had continued the PVV would have been the largest party. I am certain they are well pleased with the result. The interesting thing is that the Parties that have lost the most have been the CDA (Conservative) from Balkenende and the PS ( Socialist Party) which is too the left of the PvdA ( Social Democrats). To pick up votes from the left and the right show how fluid Dutch Politics is at the moment.
It is possible to form a Coalition of of three main parties but they are so far out of sync with each other in there demands that it looks likely that we will end up with a much broader coalition with the PVV in opposition. It is going to be interesting watching the political form of musical chairs over the next few weeks.
It is also going to be interesting to see how Geert handles the party up till now it has been basically a one man band, with 24 seats he is going to have to democratize it and give the members more say.
The result means that the party is now politically acceptable as was shown in the way he was treated by the interviewers during the evening.
I had long suspected that Limburg would vote massively PVV, contrary to the political pundits, from my conversations with my neighbors. My Father-in-Law, who is a retired Dairy farmer, had a grin from ear to ear while talking to me this morning about the elections, and was well pleased with himself. I suspect that he voted for Geert. This is a man who is a church going catholic whose family have farmed the same ground for generations and voted CDA for all of his life.
The PVV have done well with the youth and have managed to get about 20% of the youth vote between 18-24. They have certainly got my sons vote who cast his vote for the first time yesterday. How do I know he told me he was going too weeks ago.
Thank you for that boots-on-the-ground analysis, Yorkshireminer.
Yorkshireminer
Consider Zentsters thanks seconded!
Great news obviously, and great poromise for the future.
Do you think Geert could win overwhelmingly in 4 years time?
Dear Paul,
It is difficult to say Paul, if you mean could he be the next Prime Minister in 4 years than the answer is yes. Dutch Politics is coalition politics, it is virtually impossible to get a majority, you have to win 76 seats out of the 150 in the parliament. The leader of the largest party gets first shot at forming a government so if Geert is the leader of the largest party in 4 years time then there is a Good chance that he will be the Prime Minister. I expect that there will be several weeks of bargaining behind locked doors, and I don't see the PVV getting into the Government. This can go on for months.
Personality and the size of the party do play a role. The CDA under Lubbers in the late 80s and early 90s, was in a very strong position with I think 54 seats. Lubbers was able to push through his agenda without too many problems. When he left to go and work as commisioner for refugees for the United Nations he handed over the reigns to Elco Brinkman who while being a very able politician just didn't have the charisma and the CDA's vote crashed 54 seats too 34seats.
Balkenende for all his faults has blown new life into the party, over the last 8 years.
The same can be said for the SP ( socialist party ) which was more a one man party formed by a chap called Jan Marijnissen a welder from Oss a small town in Brabant, this party got 25 seats in the 2006 election. When he stepped down its following has fallen and they have been the main losers in this election after the CDA.
Personality does play a very large role in Dutch politics, and when that person leaves the political stage, things can change very quickly. When Pim fortuyn was killed his party destroyed itself in less than two years through the bickering of the minor prima donnas in the party. Pim was a man I am certain would have been Prime Minister if he had lived. He had an instinctive feel for what the Dutch were thinking and feeling and could say things which no other politician dare say. I can remember him being accused of being against Moroccans, to which he replied he certainly was not as he had shared his bed with many of them over the years. It would have been political death if it had been said by a British politician or by the majority of the politicians here in Holland.
Geert certainly has something of Pim in his makeup, certainly his honest. Whether he will be Prime Minister in 4 years time there are so many factors, in play, and as Harold Wilson pointed out a week is a long time in Politics. I hope that that has helped in answering your question.
Deep Regards
Yorkshire Miner
@ her--
That's a great image to reflect this victory! Thanks.
Yorkshire Miner--
if you don't mind, I'm going to edit your two comments, making them into one post and put that at the top, bumping all of this in celebration.
Many thanks from all of us for the analysis. I think that "curtain effect" is true in lots of places. People resent being asked for one thing; for another you can usually tell what the pollster thinks if it's an in-person inquiry.
On the one hand this will mean a new wave of virulent attacks on Wilders in the mainstream press, labeling hims a fascist and a racist. On the other hand this means that Wilders's thoughtful criticisms of Islam will reach more and more people. In the end both of these are positive, because people have to learn to distrust what they hear and read, and to learn to think for ourselves and to sift information critically.
I certainly don't mind Dymphna
Wilders is the anti-kill-your-own culture-ist.
More power to sanity and survival!
And against Intolerant Islamic Imperialism.
Go Geert!
GO NEDERLANDS!
Sterkte, hoor!
(Strength, all!)
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