Wilders big winner of Dutch EU elections

[Loki77]

http://www.nrc.nl/international/article2261576.ece/Wilders_big_winner_of_Dutch_EU_elections
Wilders big winner of Dutch EU elections
The Party for Freedom of the populist politician Geert Wilders becomes the second biggest party representing in the Netherlands in Europe.



Geert Wilders and his populist Party for Freedom (PVV) appeared to be the big winners of Thursday's elections for European parliament in the Netherlands. Exit polls released soon after the Dutch voting stations closed at 9 p.m. on Thursday evening predicted he would get four of the 25 Dutch seats in the European parliament, making the PVV the second largest of all Dutch parties in Brussels.
Wilders, who has become popular in the Netherlands running on an anti-Islam and anti-political establishment platform, promised voters he would be tough on immigration and criticised Turkey's bid to join the EU. "Should Turkey as an Islamic country be able to join the European Union? We are the only party in Holland that says, it is an Islamic country, so no, not in 10 years, not in a million years," Wilders said.


The other party in the Netherlands to be strengthened by these elections is the left-wing liberal - and most outspoken pro-European party in the Netherlands - D66. It grew from one to three seats in the European parliament. The boost for these two parties showed that Dutch voters are moving to the fringes of the political spectrum.


Labour, one of the three parties who make-up the ruling coalition government in the Netherlands, suffered a blow and lost four of its seven seats. The Christian democrats, prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende's party, looked set to retain five of their current seven seats.


Voter turnout was at 40 percent, a fraction higher than in 2004, the last time Europe-wide elections were held.


Only the Dutch and the British voted for the EU parliament on Friday. The other 25 EU member states will go to the polls over the weekend.


European rules say countries are not allowed to release the results of the elections until all polling stations across the bloc close on Sunday evening, because results from other nations could influence those who have yet to vote.



However, the Netherlands stress the importance of transparency and the fact that today's results from the municipalities are provisional. The official result from the Netherlands will only be announced on Sunday evening.

[gustav]

An Islam bashing populist xenophobe..Great victory for democracy indeed.

[spider1]

He is going to be the prime minister of netherlands in the next comming years no? I read before some time that he is leading the polls. Its nice that they also have right wing politicans and not only left wing that control most of the EU countries.

[oldsoak]

Perhaps it might be a good thing to find out why "An Islam bashing populist xenophobe" got the vote. Could it be that a lot of Dutchmen feel he has a point ? And perhaps the liberal left might considering getting down from its ivory tower and finding out ?

[kosse]

Same will happen in other countries of Europe as well sooner or later. Too bad none of the mainstream parties offer possibilities for people critical of multiculturalism and mass immigration to get their voice heard. As a consequence, they have to resort to parties like BNP and Party for Freedom because there just aren't any moderate alternatives.

[gustav]

Perhaps it might be a good thing to find out why "An Islam bashing populist xenophobe" got the vote. Could it be that a lot of Dutchmen feel he has a point ? And perhaps the liberal left might considering getting down from its ivory tower and finding out ?

Because, as usual, moderates don't stand up and let the extremist loudmouths run the show. Thats why.

As slightly off topic I'm always amazed to see complete atheists like Wilders defend "Our Judeo Christian civilisation" against Islam, just like a bad reenactment of struggles that happened centuries ago.

[spider1]

Well, he understands the radical islam and and if he gets stronger probably there is a reason for it.

[hsh2]

And perhaps the liberal left might considering getting down from its ivory tower and finding out ?

They won't. They are morally superior and special.:lol:


Same will happen in other countries of Europe as well sooner or later. Too bad none of the mainstream parties offer possibilities for people critical of multiculturalism and mass immigration to get their voice heard. As a consequence, they have to resort to parties like BNP and Party for Freedom because there just aren't any moderate alternatives.

In Switzerland the largest political party SVP is also the most right wing when comparing mainstream parties and the 5th most right wing when minor parties are taken into account (Swiss Democrats, Confederatic Democratic Union (Christian fundamentalists), Freedom Party (ex Car drivers party) and Party of Nationally Oriented Swiss are further to the right).

Good thing is the SVP had a moderate wing in the cantons of Bern and Grisons,they seceded and formed their own party called BDP. The SVP lost a few guys but now only the hardliners are left.

[JJHH]

Congratulations liberalist!

[sp2c]

They won't. They are morally superior and special.:lol:



good thing they're not in charge then huh?

[Noons86]

I don't quite understand how someone known for wanting to ban a book can become a champion of free speech.:roll:

[muck]

I'm happy about the results. The Dutch have recognized the signs of the times ahead.

[RSone]

Perhaps it might be a good thing to find out why "An Islam bashing populist xenophobe" got the vote. Could it be that a lot of Dutchmen feel he has a point ? And perhaps the liberal left might considering getting down from its ivory tower and finding out ?

Dissatisfaction with Europe, and the current Pro-Brussels government is the main cause for Wilders' massive gain, IMHO. The Dutch population is very euro-skeptical(government always makes sure we're the best behaved boy in the classroom, and yet we get screwed by the EU) and very Turkey-skeptical. We already have little influence in the Union, which could reduce even further if another large country joins.

Wilders doesn't have a incredibly detailed 'anti-EU, More NL' plan. It's just that he's the most rabiate anti-eu. People voted for the PVV to give Balkie and the EU the finger. It may very possibly not reflect what will happen in the next national, provincial or municipal elections. the PVV could for example get big on the national stage, but if they don't have enough people to participate on the lower levels, or don't win in those, the PVV will be limited in power.

Add to that the fact that Dutch governments are always coalitions, and that the other big parties have already shown they are very hesitant to be in any ruling coalition that also contains the PVV, and there ya go.
Wilders' rise is just a indication of the growing dissatisfaction of the ethnic Dutch/non-muslim part of the population with the last few administrations. It was the same with Fortuyn, and guess what happened with the LPF? It tanked, due to infighting......

[Stryker]

It was the same with Fortuyn, and guess what happened with the LPF?

Yeah, a left-wing extremist shot him! Great understanding of democracy and freedom...

[DS73]

Because, as usual, moderates don't stand up and let the extremist loudmouths run the show. Thats why.
Ha-ha,ha. You don't watch tv.


As slightly off topic I'm always amazed to see complete atheists like Wilders defend "Our Judeo Christian civilisation" against Islam, just like a bad reenactment of struggles that happened centuries ago.
Did you ever bother to read his interviews or what he is writing?
Do you actually know what country you live in, how did you get the law system, values set etc? Where from?

He can be a jerk as much as he is, but he has good advisers and does have pretty strong political point. Especially strong since nobody else bothers much with intercultural problems in the Nl.

[RSone]

Yeah, a left-wing extremist shot him! Great understanding of democracy and freedom...

Perhaps the syntax of that sentence eluded you. I asked the rhetorical question 'guess what happened to the LPF/', not 'what happened to Pim Fortuyn?' By the way, guess what happened to Volkert van der G?, He got arrested and was convicted by a free and democratic society, that's what happened.

[Weasel]

I'm happy about the results. The Dutch have recognized the signs of the times ahead.

I´m sure you are. :)

[marktigger]

I do wonder if elections of the likes of Wilders and possible Nick Griffen on the BNP amd the more Nationalistic parties are a shot across the EU establishments bows by ordinary citizens saying enough is enough we don't share your vision of a united Europe and we want to move away from this idea of a United States of Europe back to a Trade area.

[Empulse]

Ha-ha,ha. You don't watch tv.

Did you ever bother to read his interviews or what he is writing?
Do you actually know what country you live in, how did you get the law system, values set etc? Where from?

No, he is French and he has copied (I mean read) Le Figaro.

[joka]

(government always makes sure we're the best behaved boy in the classroom, and yet we get screwed by the EU)

What's funny is how this is portrayed as a bad thing. Countries that actually followed the Lisbon Strategy and the deficit rules went in to this recession with much stronger public finances and the propensity to recover quicker.

PS. I'm pretty sure the best behaved boy isn't The Netherlands. Would be interesting to see some official numbers since this claim seems to be made by a lot of countries.

[Empulse]

Who wants to be part of an ignorant gang of spineless idiots who move every month to Strassbourg because these idiotic Frenchies want it. Anyone with a little bit of intelligence could imagine that the average Joe doesn't feel his tax money is being spend on such utter foolishness.

[dava]

Dissatisfaction with Europe, and the current Pro-Brussels government is the main cause for Wilders' massive gain, IMHO. The Dutch population is very euro-skeptical(government always makes sure we're the best behaved boy in the classroom, and yet we get screwed by the EU) and very Turkey-skeptical. We already have little influence in the Union, which could reduce even further if another large country joins.

So how do you explain that the other big winner over the elections is the D66? A party which is very pro-europe. PVV won in Rotterdam but D66 won big time in Amsterdam.

For those guys complaining that the EU is draining too much money, consider this. The european budget is approx 1% of EU27 GDP. While at the same time most national governments have a budget of 40% of the nation's GDP.
The EU is more powerful and effective in a lot of fields than national governments (especially economic one's like consumer protection and the breaking up of monopolies) and thus we are quite getting a lot of bang for our bucks.

[Moledet]

Good, maybe we'll stop calling you Eurowussies and start calling the Americans this way. ;)

[sp2c]

why would you call Americans Eurowussies??

that makes about as much sense as the phrase itself

[G-AWZT]

Perhaps it might be a good thing to find out why "An Islam bashing populist xenophobe" got the vote. Could it be that a lot of Dutchmen feel he has a point ? And perhaps the liberal left might considering getting down from its ivory tower and finding out ?



Exactly. Finally doing something to combat left wing idiocy.

[Fat Lazy American]

Good, maybe we'll stop calling you Eurowussies and start calling the Americans this way. ;)

Most European countries consistently vote 10-30 percent for genuinely xenophobic political parties, and many of these parties are in government.

But when a nationalist Israeli politician whose "most offensive" demand is that Israeli citizens be loyal to their country and not exempt from the draft wins 12 percent of the vote, the Europeans point their finger at Israelis and call them racist.

And yes, I am well to the left of Lieberman in many ways and vote for Democrats here in the U.S. But the European double standard is appalling. But not surprising, of course. It's the land where secularist Marxists are best buddies with radical Islamists and have the gall to insult Americans for going to church.

I speak not, of course, of most of the fine European men and women who post on this forum.

[Blue_0]

As slightly off topic I'm always amazed to see complete atheists like Wilders defend "Our Judeo Christian civilisation" against Islam, just like a bad reenactment of struggles that happened centuries ago.


As an Atheist I rather like our Judeo Christian civilization.
It is for example, much preferable to Islamic civilization
Of course, if you prefer Islamic civilization your more then welcome to move to Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran, Syria, Sudan, …

[Excalibur]

big victory indeed.
i'm not surprised to see that dutch people are first to recognize the danger of islamic fascism in europe.

[Empulse]

For those guys complaining that the EU is draining too much money, consider this. The european budget is approx 1% of EU27 GDP. While at the same time most national governments have a budget of 40% of the nation's GDP.

What you fail to mention is that the budget is not equally paid for. The Netherlands and Germany are net paying a much more than France, for instance, while countries such as Romania are net receivers and contribute 0 to the budget. If France needs the EU to be moved every month so badly to Strasbourg, then I suggest that their contribution to the EU will be increased significantly. Why would I want my country to pay 4,4 billion EUR with a population of 16,5 million while France with a population of 65 million is paying less?

[Parisien]

If France needs the EU to be moved every month so badly to Strasbourg, then I suggest that their contribution to the EU will be increased significantly. Why would I want my country to pay 4,4 billion EUR with a population of 16,5 million while France with a population of 65 million is paying less?

What is your source for that?

[Parisien]

Most European countries consistently vote 10-30 percent for genuinely xenophobic political parties, and many of these parties are in government.

But when a nationalist Israeli politician whose "most offensive" demand is that Israeli citizens be loyal to their country and not exempt from the draft wins 12 percent of the vote, the Europeans point their finger at Israelis and call them racist.

.

Any party opposed to muslim immigration is considred xenophobic in Europe. So by this standard i guess that the party you are referring to is also xenophobic and many others as well.

[Fat Lazy American]

Any party opposed to muslim immigration is considred xenophobic in Europe. So by this standard i guess that the party you are referring to is also xenophobic and many others as well.

This isn't simply about the degree to which European countries want to "control immigration". There are plenty of political parties in Europe that want stricter controls on immigration that aren't xenophobic.

Geert Wilders, though, is anti-Islam. He's a bigot. He doesn't just want to slow down immigration to the Netherlands. He doesn't just oppose radical Islamism as a political ideology. He has genuine hatred towards Muslims. The only European value calling for a ban on the Quran appeals to is hatred.

And yes, I realize that Wilders and his Party for Freedom have a lot of good policies and a lot of worthwhile things to say.

But the man makes Avigdor Lieberman look like a bastion of tolerance.

[Player]

Geert Wilders, though, is anti-Islam. He's a bigot. He doesn't just want to slow down immigration to the Netherlands. He doesn't just oppose radical Islamism as a political ideology. He has genuine hatred towards Muslims. The only European value calling for a ban on the Quran appeals to is hatred.

Totally agreed, I should as well add that Geert Wilders reminds me of Hitler a lot, such people shouldn't be allowed to be in charge of such a peaceful, democratic and multicultural country like The Netherlands.
I really hope he gets banned before it's too late.

[Hollereer]

What is your source for that?

Maybe the numbers he gave aren't right, but it's true that the germans, dutch and flemish pay the most, and get the least.
Why would we want to pay for a new road in Spain or something like that.

I'm really dissapointed that Geert Wilders gets so popular, with his fvcking bleached hair, i really hope he won't become our MP in 2 years. He's just a populistic clown with no depth, kinda like Berlusconi.

[sp2c]

he's not like Hitler, give it a rest

[muck]

he's just a populistic clown with no depth, kinda like hitler.Yeah obviously...:roll:

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[Hollereer]

Sorry, i've corrected my mistake.

[Mr Gently Benevolent]

Totally agreed, I should as well add that Geert Wilders reminds me of Hitler a lot, such people shouldn't be allowed to be in charge of such a peaceful, democratic and multicultural country like The Netherlands.
I really hope he gets banned before it's too late.I have heard that he is very positive about Israel and thats fairly unusual in the European far right.

[sp2c]

support for Israel is not that unusual in the Netherlands actually, usually just the (far) left that has a problem with it

not that Israel has anything to do with Dutch politics but whatever

[Niels]

Geert Wilders, though, is anti-Islam. He's a bigot. He doesn't just want to slow down immigration to the Netherlands. He doesn't just oppose radical Islamism as a political ideology. He has genuine hatred towards Muslims. The only European value calling for a ban on the Quran appeals to is hatred.
Wilders is not on a crusade against muslims. It's the islam with its 15th century ideologies he, and evidently a lot of Dutchmen, have a problem with. The Quran plays a big part in teaching these values. It's our country, we make the rules.

I'm really dissapointed that Geert Wilders gets so popular, with his fvcking bleached hair, i really hope he won't become our MP in 2 years. He's just a populistic clown with no depth, kinda like Berlusconi.
His bleached hair, wow, that is indeed a good argument, man. He's not like Berlusconi because Geert is getting into power democratically.

Totally agreed, I should as well add that Geert Wilders reminds me of Hitler a lot, such people shouldn't be allowed to be in charge of such a peaceful, democratic and multicultural country like The Netherlands.

I really hope he gets banned before it's too late.
Do I spot a contradiction? You want freedom and democracy, but the politician who is getting into power because he speaks for a big part of the population should be banned. Right.

Fortuyn also got compared to Hitler by leftist propagandists before he got shot by one. Hooray democracy.

[Player]

Do I spot a contradiction? You want freedom and democracy, but the politician who is getting into power because he speaks for a big part of the population should be banned. Right.

Maybe this politician speaks for a big part of the population, but what he speaks about isn't exactly democratic and tolerant, is it?

[sp2c]

the way he says it is usually a bit foolish but there isn't anything undemocratic about it
hell he does make a good point every once in a while, too bad it gets snowed under by Wilders speak

the PVV is a right wing version of the Socialist Party, and it was long overdue
but neither should ever be in the government

[Nansouty]

If France needs the EU to be moved every month so badly to Strasbourg, then I suggest that their contribution to the EU will be increased significantly.

Why should France give up Strasburg for free? These are the treaties which your country has signed too. My take is that even though it's kind of nonsensical to shift seats every other month, France must extract some extra political leverage to allow it to go. Nothing comes free...

[MkH]

Good for Netherlands, good for Europe.