More on the Eritrean Ructions in the Hague

Below is a follow-up to last Sunday’s post about the recent culture-enriching riots in the Hague, which pitted rival groups of Eritrean immigrants against each other and the police.

Many thanks to Gary Fouse for translating this article from NOS News:

All 13 suspects still in custody after Eritrean riot in the Hague

February 19, 2024

All 13 suspects who were arrested Saturday during the riots between two groups of Eritreans are still in custody. According to the police, they are suspected of public violence and weapons possession. They are men between the ages of 19 and 36.

In the riots surrounding the meeting of Eritreans in a meeting hall center in the Hague, eight police officers were wounded. Pro-government Eritreans were gathered at the meeting. Opponents of the dictatorial regime sought the confrontation. According to the Hague mayor Van Zanen, the rioting youths were from the Eritrean organization Brigade Nhamedu.

Tweede Kamer wants clarification

Yesterday, several fractions in the Tweede Kamer [Second Chamber of Parliament] stated that they wanted clarification on the riots. Among others, The VVD [People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy] and CDA [Christian Democratic Appeal] have questions for outgoing Justice and Security Minister Yesilgoz. The parties also think that there should be an investigation into Brigade Nhamedu.

These are images from the riots.

PVV leader [Geert] Wilders says he is “sick and tired” and feels that the perpetrators must be arrested and deported. “I want to become the prime minister who finally puts things in order,” he writes on X. The VVD wants “strong punishment” and feels that such violence must have consequences for an eventual residence permit or “Dutch citizenship”. Several parties also want an investigation into the tension between the two groups.

Regularly go at each other

Refugee supporters and opponents of the regime in Eritrea regularly face off with each other. For that reason, there were extra measures taken at the meeting. Mayor Van Zanen later acknowledged that the acts of violence surprised him.

Following the riots, the Public Prosecutor’s Office established a large-scale investigative team to prosecute the suspects. The police are still investigating the case.

Between a Rock and Hard Place

As expected, the negotiations for a new Dutch government have hit an iceberg. Our Dutch correspondent H. Numan sends some educated guesses about what might lie ahead.


Pieter Omtzigt with the mask off

Between a rock and hard place

by H. Numan

The formation of a new cabinet in The Netherlands is dead in the water. Mr. Pieter Omtzigt walked out, for the flimsiest of reasons: he didn’t think the budget would be handled properly by the new cabinet. Nobody believes him. His party tanked from 20 seats to 11 seats in the subsequent poll. He still wants to support a PVV cabinet, but only as a minority government. What’s going to happen now is anyone’s guess.

I told you we have a pretty clear electoral result: it’s going to be either a somewhat conservative government led by the PVV, or an extreme left-wing cabinet led by the PvdA-GL. No other combinations are realistic.

Mr. Omtzigt’s suggestion for a minority cabinet is ludicrous. Most people don’t believe him anymore, if only for that flimsy excuse. Supposing Wilders were to go for that option, his cabinet wouldn’t last long. Omtzigt would blow it up on the first possible opportunity, no matter how minute, trivial or outright silly the issue might be. Wilders is the longest-serving politician in Parliament, so he knows that, too.

I had my doubts about Mr. Omtzigt, and told you many times about them. For those who don’t know: Pieter Omtzigt was a CDA politician; in that party he held two positions. He was their no. 2 man, and enfant terrible. All politicians are actors. Some are better than others, but they all are. Wilders, for example, stands out because of his hairstyle. That’s his trademark. His nickname is Blondie or Mozart.

Omtzigt played the role of a very conscientious hard-working politician (that he is), selfishly working for the betterment of the country and his party (bull crap). He led several investigations that didn’t make him a lot of friends in his party. The shooting down of the Malaysian Airlines MH 17 affair he investigated, and presented a report that was controversial for the government. Part of that government was his CDA party. He correctly placed most of the blame on Russia, something that the government rather wanted to ignore, but couldn’t after his investigation. Another investigation was the Childcare Scandal. This caused the collapse of the previous government, in which his own party CDA was a coalition partner.

As he was number two in the party, there were only two ways his career could go: up or out. Either he would become the next CDA leader or he would step out of the party. CDA leadership knew he was hugely popular, so they rigged the leadership elections. Not once, but twice. Just to keep him from the no. 1 spot. Had they elected him as the new leader, we’d have a CDA government right now. Instead they opted for a campaign of gossip, slander and innuendo that drove him out of the party after a nervous breakdown. The once almighty CDA has now shriveled to a mere fringe party.

At the time, I wondered why they preferred oblivion. His recent actions told me why. This man is a loose cannon. Uncontrollable, and worse: unreasonable. He knows everything, and you have to do exactly as he wants. If not, he throws a temper tantrum and has a nervous breakdown until he gets his way. However, there is more. Omtzigt is a wobbler. His favorite game is the yes-no game. That goes for most politicians, but he excels in it. He doesn’t want to say yes, because that would alienate some voters, but also he doesn’t want to say no, in fear of losing other voters. He is a guy sitting eternally on the fence.

He also fears responsibility. One of the reasons why he didn’t win the elections was that he openly said he didn’t want to become the next PM, without telling us who his candidate for PM would be. Only on the very last moment (mere days before the elections) did he decide to accept that position after all, but the damage was done. It played a big part why his party ended in third place. A lot of people, myself included, say: if you don’t want to become prime minister, why set up your own party?

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Big Problem in Holland

As expected, the formation of a new government in the Netherlands after last November’s elections has been a tortuous process, and is still ongoing. Our Dutch correspondent H. Numan sends this report.

Big problem in Holland

by H. Numan

Folks, an update about the Dutch elections. We’re now in the formation phase, and it doesn’t look good. Remember what I told you about the election results? The PVV is the clear winner. They rank even better today in the polls. However, polls are not elections. The elections results are pretty clear: we can have a progressive ultra-left or a somewhat conservative cabinet. The people really want that somewhat conservative cabinet. The elites want the other one. And they’re doing everything possible to make that happen.

Before the elections the VVD changed position and, for the moment, broke the boycott against the PVV. They were now open for a VVD-PVV coalition. In that order. The VVD in the lead, with the PVV hopefully far behind. As far as possible. However, when the polls indicated the PVV was going to win they took that back. No more VVD-PVV for them, the exact opposite of what their voters want.

The NSC party was never in favor of a PVV coalition. Pieter Omtzigt is hugely popular, but he never even suggested a possible PVV coalition. Omtzigt stepped out of the CDA party, and within that party he headed the left wing. The group that does not, repeat: not, want a PVV coalition. When he left he took most left wingers with him. They still don’t want that, but the voters do.

Both the VVD and NSC faced a big problem. They do not want a coalition with Wilders. But stating that openly would end both parties. The usual way around it is to negotiate ad infinitum until Wilders makes a mistake. Then shed crocodile tears over how hard they tried to work with that loose cannon but in vain. After that come up with an ultra-left-wing coalition within days.

That is happening right now. Last week the VVD senators announced they are going to vote for the spreidingswet, or Distribution Act. This law will give the government almost unlimited powers to seize private properties and force cities to accept any number of refugees forced upon them by the government. Yes, if this law passes, it will be possible to evacuate anyone from their private homes without any compensation whatsoever.

If you see this as a modern version of Hitler’s Enabling Act, you’re spot on. That is exactly what it is. The problem, as with Hitler, is how to prevent it. Actually, we can’t. This is legislation prepared under the Rutte administration, and cunningly pushed through after Rutte’s demise. Just like the Enabling Act, only they don’t have to burn the Binnenhof (our Reichstag) for it. And so far without violence. No big burly VVD brown shirts, but I do think VVD pants are getting brown right now.

Given popular opinion, and to save the last bit of credibility the VVD has left, their parliamentary faction voted against it. The law is now on the way to the Senate. Our beloved Kurdish refugee cum wannabe prime minister Dylan Yesilgöz advised VVD senators to follow their lead and vote against it. The senators, in their infinite wisdom, decided to give her the finger. They are going to vote in favor.

The people are not really outraged. Something like this was more or less expected. The credibility of VVD politicians was rated lower than used car salesmen; now they match that of pedophiles. The VVD plays the usual damage control game: they let old retired VVD prominents speak out against their own senators. Observe no currently serving VVD politicians do that. Only politically retired prominents. Why? Because they are perceived to be more conservative, and are taken more seriously by the electorate. Until now. Those retired politicians are, well, retired. They hold no actual position in the party. Hence, no threat.

Wilders did win the elections, but the PVV does not have a majority in the Senate. It is very difficult for them to counter or block that law. Especially because ALL of their proposed coalition partners are either in favor (VVD, BBB) or not present in the Senate (NSC). This incident did not happen by accident. I am certain of it, though it looks somewhat innocent. It is supposed to look that way. It does happen, fairly often, a senatorial faction does not follow parliament. But never in sensitive and important matters like this.

I have a feeling this is exactly the obstacle what our Turkish Delight wants, not from a position of strength but playing on her own weakness. Set your partner up for a demand he simply cannot accept, and demand more. If he fails, a divorce. If he refuses to give in, pour out a flood of tears and say you didn’t mean it that way and that you’ll do anything he wants. Until next time. Ask any married man.

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A Small But Significant Victory

Our Dutch correspondent H. Numan sends this follow-up on the process of trying to form a government in The Netherlands after Geert Wilders’ electoral victory last month.


Frans Timmermans: ‘Hello, Ursula [von der Leyen]. Can I get my old job back?’

A small but significant victory

by H. Numan

After his stunning electoral victory, Geert Wilders is continuing the offensive. He scored another and a just as significant victory. The position of Speaker of the House was coming vacant. The no. 3 in the PVV party, Martin Bosma, won that election. He is now the new Speaker. After years of muslim women holding the gavel, it’s now an evil racist patriarchal oppressive white man! Not my opinion, of course, but that’s how the left sees it. Quite literally. The more progressive they are, the more insults and false accusations they utter.

Martin Bosma is well-liked and respected, by both left and right. He was deputy Speaker, and appreciated for his management of the House. The previous Speaker was Firouz Alida Chaouqui; she performed under her artist name ‘Vera Bergkamp’. Her father is Moroccan, and she holds — you’d never guess it — two passports. Her tenure was abysmal. We don’t have many civil servant strikes in The Netherlands, but she managed to get her civil servants to go on strike and nearly revolt. Apart from that she was partisan, vindictive and couldn’t maintain order in the House. The reason why this incompetent nincompoop became Speaker is obvious. She had the most pity points: D66 member, dual nationality, mohammedan, has a lesbian partner and two children.

The one before her was also a mohammedan, Khadija Arib. She was more competent, and a Labor party member. Of course dual nationality, the correct faith and plenty of pity points. She had to leave office in disgrace because her successor very capably got her in trouble. What exactly isn’t terribly important here. The case is pending, and basically swept under the rug, after her inglorious departure. Now it’s Martin Bosma’s turn.

This is a very significant victory, for Bosma and the PVV, because it broke the anti-PVV boycott. Most parties tried to keep the PVV at bay by boycotting them at every opportunity. Most PVV motions were denied. Usually a member of a boycott party would slightly rephrase the motion, to get it passed. Making it blatantly obvious that the motion was justified, but the carrier was not.

Every position a PVV member tried to qualify for was given to someone else. Even if they had to dig one up for it. Two reasons for the boycott: it happens to nearly all new parties that are even slightly controversial, or marginally anti-establishment. D66 was indirectly boycotted for several years before it became accepted. And, of course, because the PVV stands diametrically opposed to what the establishment wants.

As you might expect, the left is furious. Their candidate Tom van der Lee got substantially fewer votes. They were sure he would make it, even though van der Lee was deeply involved in the Oxfam child sex scandal. We don’t know (yet) if he dipped his wick in something he shouldn’t, but he certainly knew about it and did everything he could to sweep it under the rug. The usual whining doesn’t work anymore. More like the opposite: it shows the grapes are very sour. Especially Green-Left (ex communists) are very vocal about racists, fascists and more of that. The parties that voted for Bosma and got him is majority were the VVD and NSC.

Now, that doesn’t say everything is all right now. Far from it. Both party leaders very much wanted something else, but they simply couldn’t get it. There is real pressure inside their parties to put up or shut up. As I said before, the party elites would much rather have a communist-conservative coalition, but they stand alone. Supposing they do decide to go ahead and block Wilders, it’s the end of their careers and their parties. That happened before with the once-mighty Christian Democrats and the equally powerful Labor party, who both willingly and eagerly went woke and are now broke. The CDA is now almost a fringe party with five seats, and Labor had to merge with the Communists to save at least something. So don’t be surprised if Pieter Omtzigt (NSC) and Dilan Yesilgöz (VVD) go woke after all. It has happened before.

Another positive sign is that Wilders suggested that Ronald Plasterk did a great job and can become informateur. He was scout, looking for possibilities to form a cabinet. Just scouting. Nothing formal. To appoint an informateur is the next step. Essentially the same, but more formal. Parties now will start negotiating in earnest. Especially when points of view differ widely, that can take a very long time. In this case they do differ widely, but are forced to at least try. It’s likely negotiations will take several informateurs. The next step would be a formateur, that is, the man who will dot the i’s and cross the t’s. That is still in the future. I also expect Plasterk to resign from his party and join as a minister the PVV party. But that is also in the future.

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No Cabinet Wilders

Despite his resounding victory at the polls, I have always assumed Geert Wilders would never be able to form a cabinet — the Dutch oligarchs simply would not allow it. And indeed, according to our Dutch correspondent H. Numan, that seems to be the case.

No cabinet Wilders

by H. Numan

Gentle men and women, I’ve got bad news. Very bad indeed: a cabinet Wilders wont’ be coming. The elites will not allow it. They want to go for the other option: a conservative-communist cabinet. They aren’t negotiating to form a coalition, far from it. They’re negotiating in bad faith, trying to blame Wilders for their own mistakes. I have lived almost exactly 30 years in Thailand. In that time I witnessed many coups, coup attempts, coup attempts through the courts and failed coup attempts. My coup senses are tingling right now. I may be off, but I’m really worried I’m right.

The Dutch elections resulted in two viable cabinet options:

  • A center-right cabinet with PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB. That cabinet would have 88 seats. BBB has only 7, but would be invited to counter a VVD-NSC majority.
  • An ultra left-wing cabinet with PvdGL (Labor/Communists), NSC, VVD, D66. That cabinet would have 78 seats, 2 more seats than the bare minimum.

Other combinations are not possible. In both cases VVD and NSC have to decide which way they want to go. They only want to join a conservative coalition if forced to at gunpoint, otherwise they would much rather commit suicide by joining an ultra-progressive coalition.

It will take a long time before negotiations are finalized. Maybe even a full year. Forming a coalition is always difficult, mainly because politicians are extremely sensitive. In theory we could have a cabinet next week. PVV is a split-off from the VVD. They don’t differ that much on most topics. NSC is a rebranding of the CDA, and they don’t differ that much from the PVV either. It isn’t the policies that differ, but the people.

Before the elections Pieter Omtzigt (NSC) kept to the PVV boycott, despite a lot of opposition from his electorate. They are staunch conservatives, and definitely prefer a PVV cabinet. However, Omtzigt does not. The people he surrounds himself with who follow the leader are left-wing (ex) CDA politicians who also don’t want anything to do with the PVV. What the voters think is rather irrelevant to Omtzigt and his clique. He does exactly what he wants and nobody can convince him otherwise.

That’s why he was ostracized out of the CDA. It’s extremely difficult to work with someone who is borderline autistic. In case he doesn’t get his way, he’ll have or pretend to have a nervous breakdown. He has done it before, and will do it again. Imagine an unruly child throwing a temper tantrum to get what it wants. That’s Pieter Omtzigt.

Apart from that, his ideas are completely impossible to begin with. ‘We have to restructure our civil service’ sounds great, until you actually have to do it. Another one of his brain farts is a constitutional court. We don’t have one in The Netherlands. He wants to check all laws (especially those made by Wilders) in court. Hello? Anybody home? It’s a well known fact our courts are staffed by predominantly D66 judges, who hate Wilders so much they are even risking mistrials for it. Even, in the unlikely case he does gets his way, it will be years in the future. Kind of silly to say that Wilders has to follow the law to the letter, whereas his legal ideas don’t even exist.

There is even more. I told you a couple of years ago about a memo leaked by accident by the scouts of the previous cabinet. It showed ‘Omtzigt alternative position’ clearly to journalists who eagerly picked it up. Now of all people, the very same Omtzigt walks around with a memo ostentatiously showing ‘no PVV-NSC-BBB cabinet’. That’s very sick humor to me. Feeling mortally insulted when it happens to you, but a funny joke if you can repeat it on someone else.

The other person — yes, it’s personal — who hates Wilders is Dilan Yeşilgöz, the Dutch/Turkish/Kurdish leader of the VVD. During the elections she pretended a cabinet with the PVV was a possibility for her. However, the day before the election, she backpedaled on that. She doubted a cabinet with the PVV was possible. After the election she went even further. She doesn’t want to be part of the coalition because that would prevent her from being able to kill the coalition!

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Geert Wilders: A Halt to Asylum

In the following video, Geert Wilders answers reporters’ questions about what his plans are for the “asylum” process if he manages to form a government in the Netherlands.

Many thanks to Gary Fouse for the translation, and to Vlad Tepes and RAIR Foundation for the subtitling:

Video transcript:

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Meanwhile, in The Netherlands

As expected, there is massive struggle underway in The Netherlands to prevent Geert Wilders from forming a government. Our Dutch correspondent H. Numan has the report.


Dilan Yeşilgöz, the leader of the conservative party VVD, offering her warmest felicitations to congratulate Geert Wilders on his victory

Meanwhile, in The Netherlands

by H. Numan

We’re struggling as usual forming a coalition. Especially as nobody wants to be partner with the PVV party. By ‘nobody’ I mean the established parties that matter. In Dutch we call them ‘regenten‘ (regents); you would call them elites. They’re not just the political parties, but anyone important. The media are firmly against the PVV party. So are higher ranking civil servants, the courts, the press, many businesses — just about anyone of importance. There are, of course, parties that do want to work with the PVV, but they are all small fry. Not enough to form a coalition.

In America you have at least some mainstream media that are conservative. In The Netherlands that’s different. We don’t have any. None whatsoever. Take newspapers, for example. Nearly all Dutch newspapers are now owned by a single wealthy Belgian family or a Belgian company: the van Thillo family and Mediahuis. Together they own more than 90% of all Dutch newspapers. And they are very progressive. Salon socialists, of course. Socialism is, after all, a plaything for the discontented rich.

The NRC-Handelsblad fired the first broadside on the PVV after the elections. They published an article about Gom van Strien, a PVV senator appointed by Geert Wilders as scout. Don’t worry about the man; I never heard of him either. They published that he is currently being prosecuted for fraud. (The original article is behind a paywall.) The man had to resign on Monday. The idea behind it is pretty obvious: we’re going to make it impossible for Wilders to even try to negotiate. Let alone form a coalition.

However, it completely backfired. Geert Wilders struck back. It’s not the first time they’ve tried to block him. He asked Labor/GL politician Ronald Plasterk to scout for him, flabbergasting just about anyone. Who is Plasterk? One of the very few Labor politicians I find acceptable. He was a scientist, a real one, in molecular biology. He changed to politics, and became the (Labor) education and science minister in 2007. He left politics after his tenure, and currently is a professor at the University of Amsterdam. He is quite popular, left and right. That’s unique, and shows his capabilities. Even I find very little wrong with him! What’s even more striking is that he is a columnist for the (somewhat conservative) Telegraaf newspaper, and a popular one at that.

That’s striking back with a vengeance. Wilders didn’t know about the legal proceedings against van Strien. He was unpleasantly surprised to read it in the papers. Mr. van Strien never said anything about it when he accepted the job. What happens with the man is irrelevant for us. Maybe he’s innocent, maybe he’s not. I don’t know. I have yet to meet an honest politician, so I do have my doubts. Maybe he’ll keep his PVV job, probably not. I find it very questionable not to mention you’re currently involved in a trial. However, that is for Wilders to decide. Not me.

Wilders’ counterstroke is masterful. It completely stunned the establishment. By asking a popular (ex) Labor politician they stand, for the moment, powerless. They can’t embarrass Plasterk, as he is one of them. Nor can they prosecute him, as there is nothing to prosecute. He’s clean as a whistle. Even better: he is capable, no-nonsense and knows how to handle people. It’s possible, even likely, he’ll get the job done in a couple of days. Now the ball is back in the elites’ court again. They have to find something else. Don’t worry: they will.

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“The People Will Get Their Country Back”

As you all know by now, Geert Wilders, the leader of the Party for Freedom (Partij voor de Vrijheid, PVV) won a major victory last Wednesday in the general election in the Netherlands. The following video shows a brief victory speech given by Mr. Wilders to his supporters on the evening after the election.

Many thanks to Gary Fouse for the translation, and to Vlad Tepes and RAIR Foundation for the subtitling:

Video transcript:

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Political Earthquake in The Netherlands

Wednesday’s general election in The Netherlands was the most significant I’ve seen since I began covering Europe in 2006. In previous elections there was never any chance that Geert Wilders, the leader of the Party for Freedom (Partij voor de Vrijheid, PVV), would hold a cabinet office. This time, however, the PVV won massively, and there is a distinct possibility that the PVV may form a government.

Mind you, the announcement by Dilan Yesilgöz (what a typical Dutch name!) that the VVD (the party of Mark Rutte, the outgoing prime minister) would not be part of the new cabinet will make it difficult for Mr. Wilders to form a government. Difficult, but not impossible.

Below are two pieces from the Dutch media, both translated by Gary Fouse, that analyze the results and assess their significance.

The first article is from RTL Nieuws:

Moderate Wilders still controversial, but PVV government not ruled out

by Pieter Munnik and Arne Hankel
November 23, 2023

The Party for Freedom (PVV) was the big winner in the Tweede Kamer elections with 37 seats. To date, the party has always remained outside the cabinet. But this campaign saw a more moderate Geert Wilders. What does that mean? This time will the PVV join the government, and who will be the possible cabinet ministers? We lay it out.

1. How has the PVV grown into the largest party?

The Rutte IV cabinet fell over migration. Migration subsequently became one of the most important themes of this election campaign. It is a theme that the PVV, much more than the VVD (People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy), “owns”. Voters associate the PVV with that theme.

In addition, the VVD, according to the voters, has not delivered on that topic in recent cabinets.

Moreover, a vote for the PVV this time was not thrown away because the VVD said it was ready to work together in a cabinet. In the past years, the VVD excluded the PVV.

2. What makes the PVV controversial?

The PVV is controversial from the standpoint of its position on migration and Islam. Its election platform states: “Our beautiful Netherlands has seriously deteriorated through the ongoing asylum tsunami and mass immigration.”

And: “The Netherlands is not an Islamic country. No Islamic schools, Korans, and mosques.” A position that is contrary to the Constitution.

Other controversial positions include, among others, the plan to leave the UN Refugee Convention, no more money to the NPO [Dutch Public Broadcasting], and the abolition of the Eerste Kamer [Senate]. The party wants to immediately abolish all development aid. Wilders also wants a binding referendum on leaving the EU, and he wants all apologies for past slavery and police actions to be withdrawn.

In addition, the party is against Dutch support for Ukraine in the war against Russia. He called the Tweede Kamer a fake parliament and Sigrid Kaag a witch. Wilders also considers journalists — with some exceptions — scum.

3. Is Wilders now more moderate?

He speaks more moderately. In the campaign, Wilders said that he wanted to be a prime minister of all Dutch people, “no matter where you come from and what your belief is.”The PVV leader also said that his party will operate within the framework of the Constitution.

Wilders also said he is willing to put some key points of the party, so to speak, “on hold”. That would mean, among others, the ban on Islamic education and the Koran.

But the controversial points are still found in the party’s platform.

4. How great is the chance that Wilders will join the government?

The chance certainly exists. Although VVD and NSC (New Social Contract) let it be known before the elections that this would not happen any time soon, they did not repeat that after the polls. Pieter Omtzigt from NSC emphasized that his new party is available for the national government.

On the question about cooperation with the PVV, Omtzigt said that his faction is meeting for the first time this afternoon. “Then we will talk about how we can proceed from here. But we see the need for good governance.”

VVD leader Dilan Yeşilgöz kept her silence after the exit polls became known. This afternoon, she said after a faction meeting that the initiative to form a cabinet now lies with the “big winners” of the election, the PVV and NSC. While she had earlier said she was unwilling to join a cabinet with “Premier Wilders”, she is now talking of a “new reality”. She still provides no clarity on whether she is now willing to govern with him. She wants to let the results sink in.

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Landslide Victory for the PVV!

Our Dutch correspondent H. Numan sends this report on yesterday’s stunning general election in The Netherlands.

Landslide victory for the PVV!

by H. Numan

Yesterday we had elections in The Netherlands. The results are mind-boggling. Stunning, completely unexpected. Possibly even revolutionary! Though the most difficult part of the elections will be forming a coalition government. While the establishment has lost the battle, they may almost certainly win the war. Let’s have a look at the elections first.

The PVV won by a landslide. I never expected they would win this big: out of a total of 150, no fewer than 36 seats! The PVV gained a stunning 19 seats. That means they more than doubled, coming from 18 seats. They are, by far, the biggest party now. That doesn’t make Wilders PM automatically. He’ll have to negotiate a coalition. That means other parties must be willing to govern with him. And that can be very difficult, if not outright impossible.

The runner-up is the combination Labor/Communists, PvdA/GL. They won 25 seats, coming from 17 seats. The VVD (they pretend to be our Conservative party) lost a lot; they now hold 24 seats, losing 10 seats. I expected them to lose. In Dutch politics, the party that breaks the coalition pays for it. That’s what the VVD did, dropping from 34 seats to now 24 seats. Pretty big, and something I expected.

Another confirmed loser was D66; they are upper middle-class yuppies who pretend not to be communists. They dropped from 24 seats to 10, losing 14 seats. Given their being the party of utter wokeness, this was fairly certain, too. D66 is a rollercoaster party. One election they are on top; the next one they fall down.

Pieter Omtzigt did well, but not as well as expected. His NSC (New Social Contract, check the link where he found that name) scored only 20 seats. With good reasons: Omtzigt didn’t want to become Prime Minister, he said that during the entire campaign. He never presented a candidate, keeping it a secret. Only at the very last minute did he change his mind to become PM after all. The voters didn’t like that. Another problem for Omtzigt is that he didn’t have a clear program. By being vague you don’t alienate voters; that much is true. But you won’t gain many, either.

The Christian Democrats lost impressively, as everybody expected. Dropping from 15 seats to… five. Before the elections I joked that the only major feat of their new leader, Henri Bontenbal, would be announcing his resignation. Not a joke: he’ll be doing that sometime in the coming days or next week. One cannot lose two-thirds of his seats and remain party leader.

The Farmers Party (BBB) did pretty badly. In percentages their win was huge: no less than 500%. But they only had one seat. Now they have five. They polled about 13 seats, but ran on a one-issue program, focused on farmer problems. Everything else was secondary at best. Yes, most people sympathize with our farmers. Only The Netherlands is not a rural country. Even if all farmers voted for BBB it wouldn’t win them much more. Being vague and disinterested in what city folks want cost them everything.

The two other conservative parties JA21 and FvD were trashed. I expected that. FvD lost four seats, keeping four, and JA21 kept one of their two stolen seats. JA21 is a split-off from FvD. Two splitters Joost Eerdmans and Annabel Nanninga moved out of FvD in 2021, hence the name. Nanninga has some credibility (other than her impressive waistline); Eerdmans is an ambitious politician who jumps from party to party. Wherever he thinks his chances are best. You don’t want that character standing behind you. Neither did the electorate.

FvD is led by Thierry Baudet. He recently made headlines and lost everything by bluntly stating in front of cameras that he didn’t believe in moon landings and doubted 9/11. I’m surprised he was able to keep four seats. A statement like that should give him a straitjacket right away.

The remainder, all small fry, lost or remained the same. But they don’t amount to much, so it doesn’t matter.

What’s next?

In The Netherlands we don’t have a winner-take-all system. We have a representative democracy. Meaning that all parties get seats in relation to their electoral results. If your party scores 10% of the vote, you’ll get 10 seats. Even though Geert Wilders won by a landslide, it’s by no means certain he’ll become prime minister or even part of a cabinet.

Just look at the recent Thai elections. Move Forward won a landslide victory but are still in the opposition, and the leader resigned. He tried his best; twice he presented his plans to parliament. The house accepted his proposals, but the military senators said no. The runner-up was next. They quickly struck a deal with the military and within three days the Srettha cabinet was formed.

Fortunately, things aren’t as grim here. It’ll be difficult to form a coalition, yes. All depends on that Mr. Pieter Omtzigt. If he sticks to the boycott of the PVV, as he said during the campaign, no PM Geert Wilders. However, it isn’t that rosy for a left-wing coalition, either. There is a marginal majority for that, but with four parties. If Omtzigt goes that way, he would lose all credibility. From very popular he would become the most hated politician overnight. The biggest problem here is that he is autistic enough to do that. His policy, within the CDA and later as an independent is: whatever I want, I do. Damn the torpedoes!

There are, based on the results, two workable coalitions possible:

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Geert Wilders: “It is an Ideological Conflict, Not a Conflict Over Land”

Geert Wilders, the leader of the Party for Freedom (Partij voor de Vrijheid, PVV) in the Netherlands, is a well-known philosemite, possibly due to the fact that he lived in Israel during his formative years when he was a teenager.

In the following clip from Dutch TV, the interviewer uses Mr. Wilders’ experiences in Israel as the jumping-off point for a discussion about his views on the Jewish state and the war in Gaza.

Many thanks to Gary Fouse for the translation, and to Vlad Tepes and RAIR Foundation for the subtitling:

Video transcript:

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Geert Wilders: “Imported Violence in Almost All Our Cities”

In the following video, Geert Wilders, the leader of the Party for Freedom (Partij voor de Vrijheid, PVV) in the Netherlands, gives a speech on the floor of Parliament about the ghastly effects of the cultural enrichment of his country, which is rapidly being rendered unlivable.

Many thanks to Henk for the translation, and to Vlad Tepes and RAIR Foundation for the subtitling:

Video transcript:

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What’s a Few Death Threats Among Friends?

There has been an avalanche of death threats recently against Geert Wilders, the leader of the Party for Freedom (Partij voor de Vrijheid, PVV) in the Netherlands, but the Openbaar Ministerie — the Public Prosecution Service — says “ho-hum” about them. Who cares about death threats against Geert Wilders?

Many thanks to Gary Fouse for translating this editorial from De Dagelijkse Standaard:

Public Prosecution leaves Geert Wilders in the cold: 66 death threats are just shoved aside

August 11, 2023

Is the Public Prosecutors Office still credible? In a shocking revelation, the Public Prosecutor’s Office has simply decided to do nothing with the 66 death threats directed at Geert Wilders. Yes, you read it right. Sixty-six death threats. To be clear, we are not dealing here with a random citizen, but with a prominent member of Parliament. It is simply scandalous how easily the Public Prosecutor ignores this case.

Posting from @Het_OM: They do NOTHING about the 66 death threats and warnings of attacks against me from abroad because [chance of] a successful prosecution is limited, and “they want to use the scarce investigative capacity for other threat cases”. Nice job that OM.

— Geert Wilders, August 11, 2023

Wilders, obviously furious, gave his unvarnished opinion on “X”: “Posting from the Public Prosecutor: They do nothing with the 66 death threats and warnings of attacks against me from abroad.” As the reason, they prefer to use the ‘scarce investigative capacity’ for something else. Well, who would have thought that the security of a member of Parliament wouldn’t be high on their list of priorities?”

Now the question arises: Would the Public Prosecutor have handled it like this had the death threats been directed against, say, Sigrid Kaag or Jesse Klaver? The answer is easy to guess. Then the media would have been on it for weeks and left no stone unturned to track down and prosecute the perpetrators. But it seems that there is a different standard for Wilders in the eyes of our “impartial” judiciary.

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Mark Rutte is Dead. Long Live Mark Rutte!

On Friday Prime Minister Mark Rutte and the whole cabinet resigned, ushering in yet another political crisis in the Netherlands. Our Dutch correspondent H. Numan sends his cogent analysis of what’s happening.


King Willem-Alexander — ‘F**k, now I have to come back from holiday…’

Mark Rutte is dead. Long live Mark Rutte!

by H. Numan

It’s official. Prime Minister (almost for life) Mark Rutte announced the resignation of his cabinet to the king last Friday. The cabinet couldn’t agree on the issue of (more) refugees. Progressive partners (D66, CU) wanted more, more, more refugees. Mark Rutte looked at the polls, saw his party rising, and said: Nope. Less, less, less.

I’m not optimistic about the end of Rutte. Give the man credit where credit is due: he is the longest-ruling prime minister in our history. That’s certainly an achievement. You could also say he’s the slipperiest eel of the nation. Some prime ministers don’t last a full term, let alone four. Here we see a serious defect in our constitution: there are no term limits. The chance that a PM could be re-elected four times in a row was so insignificantly small that nobody took it seriously. Until Rutte did it. Now this character even plans to run a fifth time! Many dictators-for-life don’t make it to ten, let alone twelve years.

I’m even less optimistic about him being a proper caretaker premier. Officially he’s supposed to mind the shop, nothing more. Well, he was also caretaker premier during the beginning of the Covid crisis. He openly said he rather liked it, because it saved him the hassle of working with parliament. He has learned a lot since, namely that he can exploit any emergency as caretaker. We have so many emergencies and crises I’ve lost track: a severe housing crisis. Of course the global warming crisis. A refugee crisis, which caused the collapse of the cabinet. A nitrogen crisis, a pension crisis. The list is almost endless. Don’t forget the missing children scandal that caused his previous resignation.

I think he’ll take as much time as possible to postpone elections and the later formation of a new government. As there is a crisis (just pick one), legislation cannot wait and has to pass parliament. He can rule like the Kims in North Korea, but longer.

At the same time I’m not happy looking at the opposition. Wilders and the PVV have been marginalized. Yes, they are there. But the media only report negative news about Wilders. There isn’t any juicy gossip to report, so they report nothing. It’s like they have disappeared or no longer exist.

The only opposition party that matters is BBB, the Farmers’ Party. Unfortunately, they’re making beginner’s mistakes. Lots of them. First they gave away their majority in the senate because veteran progressive senators were easily able to compromise with the government. Newbie BBB senators weren’t. Now, at this very moment, Mrs. van der Plas lost a lot of non-farmer fans by supporting a highly controversial law that allows the government to confiscate property to house refugees. And that’s the reason why Rutte all of a sudden finds something he doesn’t have: a spine.

A bit about this property confiscation law. It gives the government the authority to remove people from their homes without compensation or notice. This law is democratic in the same way the Enabling Act was democratic in 1933. Given his penchant for perverting democracy into ‘dhimmi’ and ‘crazy’, something to be expected from Mark Rutte. The vast majority of those refugees are young muslim males coming from safe countries. All they want, in their own words, are: a free nice house, a good job the dole, free medical care, a free car and the right to reunite with their families (free of charge) as soon as possible. Many of them, I kid you not, want — demand even — that The Netherland converts to islam, because islam is good.

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