No voting advice for our Dear Dutch Leader

Tell me who

The Dutch political season in readiness for the November 22^nd elections continues apace with the launch of StemWijzer (Dutch). StemWijzer is an online voters’ advisory that poses questions to the participant to help them determine if they are conservative, liberal, libertarian, socialist, communist or whatever political shade you might be, it now has a more European outlook called VoteMatch.

Then it advises on which of the 26 or so parties the participant should vote for at election, offering second and third choices depending on how the questions are answered.

As I have lamented before, our Western democracies are failing because of the failure of education and the lack of understanding of how to read party policies and ideologies and how to match that with personal political slant and thinking.

People think they are liberal and end up being classified as intolerant and right-wing, some who are right-wing end up in another political spectrum, how does one begin to appreciate ones political temperament and convert that into an effective democratic voice?

Bad system or lacking an ideology

Worse still is when StemWijzer cannot offer an opinion as what party you can vote for, when this happens to the person who has been Prime Minister of the Netherlands for the past four years, questions should be asked.

The Prime Minister is leader of the right of centre CDA, which would be nominally conservative, could it be that Stemwijzer is seriously flawed or we have a leadership without an ideology?

I do not have to answer that question because the Prime Minister himself says and I quote, “StemWijzer provided good support for people in making a well-motivated choice”. But for some reason, StemWijzer could not even find a neutral or nonchalant choice for our Dear Leader.

Other leaders like the leader of the Liberal party (VVD) was advised to vote for the progressive-liberal D66. The leader of the Labour Party (PVDA) however, was true to his party and ideology – he probably should be the next Prime Minister of the Netherlands.

References

Dutch election news - Part I

The Dutch government collapses around Mrs Verdonk

Just How?

How can the machinations geared to win the leadership election of a coalition partner in a ruling government through the denying of one citizen her right to citizenship lead to the collapse of a government?

How can the row over the position of a junior minister in the Ministry of Justice bring down a governing coalition in just one day?

How does the unreasonable adherence to rules lead to the situation that we no more have people in rulership?

How can the inordinate desire to safe face override the greater desire to depart for the good of all at large?

A liability that is now liable

Only yesterday, I said that Mrs Verdonk was too much of a liability she had to go, and now rather than go, she has pulled down the government with her, they resign tomorrow, if the Queen accepts the decision.

The D66 Party, a junior member of the governing coalition in the Netherlands insisted yesterday after reviewing the results of the reprieve of Ayaan Hirsi Ali supported the motion of a vote of no confidence in Mrs Verdonk.

Once again the Second Chamber reached détente and did not muster enough votes to make the motion pass.

This is where D66 demanded that for the survival of the government, Mrs Verdonk be sacrificed through her resignation and she would still did not budge – besides, other members of the coalition put their stock behind Mrs Verdonk insisting they stand or fall together.

Whilst immigration arrests the attention of many in Europe it is a second-rank ministerial function in the Netherlands, regardless of the press and controversy it attracts.

She has done it

It is interesting that we feared that if Mrs Verdonk had won the leadership of the Liberal Party she would pull the party out of the governing coalition, well, she has inadvertently done it through her lack of sense of duty and recalcitrance.

This is not person who has the love of the fatherland at heart, rather, it is the unconscionable love of self, she and her supporters should be duly and harshly punished for it.

When the saga of Ayaan Hirsi Ali first arose, a commentator did surmise that Mrs Verdonk might just have ruined the political careers of two women, hers and that of Ms Hirsi Ali – well the ramifications have gone a lot further.

The concern now is, that elections might be called in three months and having been rejected by her party, she might align herself with one of the more right-wing groups or become the flag-bearer of Rita’s bandwagon and go to the people.

The unpredictability of the Dutch in the exercise of their suffrage might just see her emerge as a serious contender, a prospect that would make many weep when the deed is done.

A most welcome collapse anyhow

As for the collapse of this government, whilst the circumstances of the collapse are unfortunate, the collapse itself is very welcome.

Never have the Dutch been so governed by invisible, prickly, faceless, silent and boring people of whom the leader has been compared to a dour and strict Victorian-type gentleman lacking in charm and charisma.

Even more, lacking in leadership, direction, purpose, initiative, innovation or goals; whilst our economy does prosper, it is in autopilot, if they touched anything, things would collapse.

The same leader has now had two of his governments collapse before term because of internal discord that other visionary or lesser leaders might have found simple or maybe legendary solutions to.

Now, they have collapsed, here is to the hope that the Dutch can reclaim their national soul of freedom, tolerance, liberty and fairness – time to go back to the Dutch as we once knew them – we live in interesting times.

Good riddance to Lady Oddjob! Minister of Disintegration (The Government) and Emigration (Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Salomon Kalou) – Well Done!

References

Dutch coalition falls after resignation of D66 ministers

Row brings down Dutch government

The Mrs Verdonk archive

Other issues with the out-going Prime Minister

The Balkenende II government