DutchNews.nl - Opinion: Good news on Europe

Opinion

Good news on Europe

Friday 05 June 2009

There is some good news in the results of the Dutch elections for the European parliament, writes Robin Pascoe.

There is some good news in the results of Thursday's Dutch elections for the European parliament.

For a start, despite, the upward march of Geert Wilders' PVV, which took around 17% of the vote, over eight out of 10 people did not vote for his anti-Islam, anti-European party. And as only 37% of the total population bothered to exercise their democratic results at all, his actual support is very small indeed.

In Rotterdam, seen as his biggest urban stronghold, just 29% of the population turned out to vote, and of them, just 22% voted for him. Hardly an overwhelming victory.

The PVV was also the biggest party in The Hague - an embarassing result for a city which likes to portray itself as the centre of peace and justice.

But in Amsterdam, Wilder's party was in fourth place - and the pro-European Liberal Democrats and left-wing greens GroenLinks rule the roost. The picture is similar in Utrecht.

So despite the four - or possibly five - seats that the PVV will take up in Brussels, only a small fraction of his potential supporters actually bothered to vote for him.

And he failed to do what several polls had predicted: overtake the Christian Democrats to become the biggest party in the country. Given the massive amount of publicity he has had over the past few weeks, that could be construed as surprising. But it does mean by far and away most Dutch people are not xenophobes who want to knee-cap football hooligans and ban the Koran.

The other piece of good news is that the pro-Europeans won. Well under half of the Netherlands 25 seats have gone to avowedly anti-European parties - the PVV and Socialists. The biggest pro-Europeans - D66 and GroenLinks have doubled their representation and take six seats between them - more than Wilders.

As for the established parties - the coalition government and the free-market Liberals - they have been given a serious warning. Labour in particular has been punished for its invisible campaigning and mixed message.

The bad news of the night is that Europe is still a massive voter turn-off. Only 37% of us bothered to vote, and that is a big win for voter apathy.

Robin Pascoe is a founder of DutchNews.nl

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Readers' comments

Correct and well put, but of course Wilders will not make it appear so.

By Solkhar | June 5, 2009 4:13 PM

Why, in heaven's name, must we vote on a Thursday when most people work? Why not on the weekend like most other countries? That just might help turn-out.

By judith weingarten | June 5, 2009 5:59 PM

Sure, I fully agree with Ms.Judith Weingarten that the voting should have ben held in the weekend and not on a working day.

And about the voters turn-off is due to the lack of interest of political parties and leadership using a policy of One-Step further Two-Steps back!

By Khalid Ahmed Chaudry | June 5, 2009 8:34 PM

I do not feel that the logic used in this article is not of the higest standard. Voter apathy affects all parties almost equally and cannot be seen to damper the great strides made by the PVV.
Wilders attracts strong comments by the media and opposition because what he speaks is the truth. Just look around you. I live in Rotterdam and feel like I am living in North Africa. I am outnumbered by aggressive loud mouthed cultures who do not share the morals and values I was taught as a European.
Charity begins at home and it is not our job to take care of all the victim races of the world.
I am glad Wilders did well and hope he does better in the National elections. Only man with any sense and we would do well to listen. Look around...hard to ignore isn't it?

By Juan | June 5, 2009 8:52 PM

Geert Wilders does not advocate banning the Koran--but rather, says that if Mein Kampf should be banned, than the Koran should also be banned.
Because both are hate-filled; statistical analysis has revealed a higher % of hate in the Koran than in Hitler's book.

Robin's unsourced accusation that Geert would "kneecap" soccer hooigans is not credible; and is itself a form of verbal brain-capping.

Geert is a liberal, good-willed and cultured person. He is himself European, so cannot be considered "anti-European". "anti-Euroepan" is not at all the same thing as being anti-EU. Probably Geert would agree, free-trade should prevail (at least throughout Europe) and European countries should participate in NATO.

By kevin bjornson | June 6, 2009 2:20 AM

I understand the previous answer, but I have a comment, what is really the difference between Wilder and Ben Laden, Nothing,, Perhaps the methods , but the same amount personality disorder,, to explain that -Ben laden claims he is waging a war on the west, because he does not accept their way of life, and he is Anti -west. He is afraid the west will westernize the land of the Arabs, -Wilder also claims he is waging a war on the Muslims because their way of life,and he is anti_Islam and afraid the Muslims Islamize the land of Europe,, El Quaada , also says the west came to disturb their way of life, and ask to kick out all the westerns from the land of the Arabs,one of them said " I live in Dubai and feel like I am living in Amsterdam . I am outnumbered by aggressive nudity /slutty cultures who do not share the morals and values I was taught as an Arab.
You may say: Ben laden killed / terrorize people by bombs,, but you can kill/ terrorize people also by humiliating and desperation ,by dirty mouth and a feeling fake superiority than them ..
those are just tools but the mentality stayed the same,,btw, Ben laden started by words also,at first
If some feel doing charity in Holland to the north African who work hard to earn their money, some also in the Arab lands feel doing charity to harbor lots of dutch companies which work hard also to earn their money
If wilder enjoyed some support of some bigots, Ben laden also enjoyed some support of some (the second face of the coin ) bigots ..To both Bigots: what do you want, to return back to the primitive tribal conflicts between HUMANS? BECAUSE of SOME mental disturbed people If the European feel superior and can not tolerant the north Africa culture (although I do not see they are that wow ,different), why the Arabs can stand any European,, Put in mind that those North African had built Europe when the European themselves destroyed it and ask those north African the help.. Now should not both bigots shut up and leave the normal people to live in Peace and harmony.

Wake up people, enough sophism , No one is better than anyone, we are both from the same parents and we are all from dust to dust,,

By Zoser | June 6, 2009 7:12 AM

"The PVV was also the biggest party in The Hague - an embarassing result for a city which likes to portray itself as the centre of peace and justice."

Islamic terrorists have carried more than 13,342 terror attacks since 9/11: http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/
Where the peace and justice in that?

By Cassandra Troy | June 8, 2009 5:49 PM