Posted on 06/10/2010 5:01:37 AM PDT by Eurotwit
Wilders will go down in history as a hero of the anti-Islam movement that was desperately needed.
I agree, their muslim population is too large to squeeze out. They are past the tipping point.
Well, it seems like Wilders’ party has moved to the right. Maybe they’ve been detecting where their support comes from.
FWIW, I agree with your assessment of the CDA, but I note that they formed governments with Labor as an alternative to standing back and watching Labor form governments with the Socialist and Green parties. I was sorta hoping that by calling for the CDA to “wake up,” some people might just get that comparing them to “Republicans” wasn’t exactly exalting them.
missing a “K”? ;^)
It’s working!
Great news.
GREAT!
I was just double-checking my facts. Pim Fortuyn, the founder of Wilders’ party, endorsed same-sex marriage, abortion on demand, euthanasia, Netherlands’ cheap-and-legal drug policies, and socialistic income redistribution. He was opposed to mainstream socialists chiefly in that he favored the establishment of localized government institutions, as opposed to nationalized ones. Apparently Wilders has led the party to being much more free-market.
Ohh.
Fortuyn led his own one man party.
“A one-time communist and former member of the social-democratic Dutch Labour Party, on 26 November 2001 he was elected by a large majority as “lijsttrekker” of the newly formed Livable Netherlands party to participate in the Dutch general election of 2002”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pim_Fortuyn#Political_career
He was I guess economically a leftist, whilst a libertarian on social issues (which obviously tied into his distaste for islamm)
Wilders on the other hand came from Rutte’s pro-market VVD party:
“However, his appointment in 2002 as a public spokesman for the VVD led Wilders to become more well known for his outspoken criticism of Islamic extremism. Tensions immediately developed within the party, as Wilders found himself to be to the right of most members, and challenged the party line in his public statements.[12] In September 2004, Wilders left the VVD, having been a member since 1989, to form his own political party, Groep Wilders, later renamed the Party for Freedom”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geert_Wilders#Political_career
I guess the two things both men have in common is breaking out of their previous political associations in order to form their own parties with a focus on figting (radical) islam.
Cheers.
Baby steps.
Sounds like a message has been sent to the Christian Democrats: copy Wilders' anti-Islamicist plank, or disappear from the political scene.
Come to think of it...
It really sounds like you are mixing up the two men. Your description would have fitted Fortuyn very well - being a gay former communist.
YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Especially the LESS ISLAM thing!!!! Way to go Holland!!!!! I am shocked and delighted for all of you!
It only shocked the elites, not the people.
seems like the conservatives are making a great come back in the Old World and the New. Hurray for Wilders, and good luck.
The VVD is more pro-free market than Wilders, who is a populist. In Europe “liberal” means pro-business but there are two branches: 1) Classical and conservative liberals. 2) Social liberals, including british left-wing Liberal Democrats.
Sometimes those two branches compete against each other inside the same party, like German FDP.
Liberal parties (left or right-wing) are usually progressives or moderates on moral issues.
The Christian Democrats in the Netherlands and other European countries are pretty much centrist parties. The dutch VVD is the most pro-free market party in Europe and the closest ally that American Libertarianism could find here. They are truly very pro-small government.
Mark Rutte disagrees with Wilders mostly on economy:
“The problem with Wilders is that he is quite left-wing on the economy . . . while at the same time we agree with some of the measures we could take on immigration in the Netherlands. We disagree on this issue of Islam.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article7145217.ece
Absolutely. I had presumed that Wilders’ party platform was similar to the man who (sort of) founded it.
Interestingly, Wilders have already dropped his demand to not raise the retirement age, which was seen as a major stumbling block towards establishing a right wing coalition:
“’It is a very important point but not a reason to wreck a [potential] cabinet,’ the leader of the anti-Islam party told reporters.”
http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2010/06/wilders_drops_commitment_to_65.php
The Dutch have had an association with the Islams since the 17th century through treaty; now with 1-in-16 of the population being Islam there are mutterings of sharia law; the people of the Netherlands are right to be fearful of this growing force.
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