Next Dutch Election, pick your poison!

[DavidB.]

They all sound pretty awful TBH

This might be something for you: http://www.ncpn.nl/ The last time they were on the ballot in a general election was in 2003, though, but they do have a few municipality councillors - strangely, they have two seats in Heiloo, an affluent suburb near Amsterdam. The NCPN's splitoff, the "United Communist Party", managed to get more seats than the NCPN itself after some hilarious true-leftist drama.

[Cassius]

For the Netherlands.

[DavidB.]

For the Netherlands.

FF

[Zioneer]

For the Netherlands.

So, Geert Wilders, but more pro-austerity?

[SNJ1985]

I would vote for the SGP (Reformed Political Party).

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

GreenLeft

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Reformed and ChristianUnion sounds good to me.

Erm are you actually opposed to women's suffrage? SGP also have a lot of people opposed to television, any businesses open on Sundays, insurance (which they consider gambling) and vaccines.

[DavidB.]

Reformed and ChristianUnion sounds good to me.

Erm are you actually opposed to women's suffrage? SGP also have a lot of people opposed to television, any businesses open on Sundays, insurance (which they consider gambling) and vaccines.

Most people in the SGP aren't opposed to women's suffrage, and even a smaller part of the party is against insurances. But yes, many SGP members do not have a television and almost all of them are against doing business on Sundays.

For the Netherlands.

So, Geert Wilders, but more pro-austerity?

VNL doesn't want "fewer Moroccans", like the PVV. VNL isn't for closing all mosques (only the radical ones), like the PVV. Et cetera, et cetera. Their positions on the islam aren't Geert Wilders'. His radicalization has led the founders of VNL to split off in the first place. VNL's positions on the islam in the Netherlands might be comparable to Wilders' when he left the VVD.

[Zioneer]

Ah, the original post made it sound like the only difference was that one supported austerity and the other didn't.

[PJ]

Socialist, although I also like the GreenLeft and would vote for them on certain occasions. I don't agree with all of PvdD's ideas, but their presence in politics is generally a positive, and they'd make a good protest vote if I was feeling finicky.

[sparkey]

What are the temperaments of the leaders of the different parties? I'm familiar with Rutte and Wilders and not too many others.

[H. Ross Peron]

Ideally something between Labour and the Socialists but, since that seems not to exist, the Socialists.

This, although I might decide to vote for ChristianUnie instead.

[DavidB.]

Ah, the original post made it sound like the only difference was that one supported austerity and the other didn't.

Yeah, but it was not my OP.

What are the temperaments of the leaders of the different parties? I'm familiar with Rutte and Wilders and not too many others.

Diederik Samsom is the unpopular Labour leader. He's on the left of his party. In the past, he studied at Delft University of Technology, volunteering for Greenpeace. He's led the party to the left, pushed an anti-VVD campaign, and then decided to join a coalition with that VVD, which was hard to sell to many people on the left. It is expected that he will be replaced by Lodewijk Asscher, former deputy mayor of Amsterdam, currently Minister of Social Affairs and Employment and Deputy Prime Minister. Asscher is seen as a capable policy maker (as opposed to an "activist" like Samsom) and is clearly more on the right of Labour. Samsom chose to involve his family in his television ads for the 2012 general election, saying how Labour would positively influence the life of his disabled daughter - but 1.5 years later he divorced because it became clear that he had repeatedly cheated on his wife. Embarrassing.

Sybrand van Haersma Buma is the boring CDA leader. He is called Buma because Van Haersma Buma is too long and sounds too elitist/out-of-touch. He's from the northern province of Frisia. Nothing special about him.

Alexander Pechtold is leader of D66 and has become popular by being the anti-Wilders. He studied Art History at Leiden University, being a member of probably the most elitist "fraternity"/"student corps". He is very eloquent and a good debater. He is seen as pedantic and has earned the nickname "Kereltje Pechtold", something like "little boy Pechtold". Pechtold is liked by many and hated by many. He's been the most outspoken critic of the Rutte-I minority government, which consisted of VVD and CDA with outside support from the PVV.

Jesse Klaver has only been leader of GroenLinks for a few months. He almost lost his seat in the disastrous 2012 election (being an MP since 2010), eventually reclaiming it only because of GroenLinks' surplus vote agreement with Labour. Only 29 years old, he should make GroenLinks look "hip" and "young" again. He's on the left of his party, but at the same time, he's definitely a "modernizer". He has a multi-ethnic background: his father is Moroccan and his mother is Dutch-Indonesian. People might find him "hot".

Emile Roemer is leader of the Socialist Party. He hails from the south-east of the country, having a "southern accent" (which makes him look like "an ordinary guy"). He used to be a teacher in elementary school. He is popular with many people who think that Labour has gone too far to the right, with people who think that Labour has become too out-of-touch, and with (often lower educated) people from "underprivileged regions". His SP led the polls in 2012 until Roemer blew it by some horrible television debate performances (and by an anti-SP media campaign, led by the media that supported Labour, which resembled Harper's "can't afford" campaign regarding the Canadian NDP).

Arie Slob is the boring ChristianUnion leader who led the party to the right on the economy, while still advocating left-wing policies on immigration, asylum seekers, and the environment.

Kees van der Staaij is the well-liked, young-looking SGP leader who has become the face of the party, often debating in popular television shows, representing conservative values. By doing so, he convinced non-Reformed conservative-leaning people to think of the SGP as a serious option (instead of CDA/PVV/CU). Of course, many people still think the SGP is the "Christian Taliban", but it's safe to say that Van der Staaij raised his party's electoral ceiling significantly.

Marianne Thieme is leader of the Animal Party. She is considered principled. She is also considered hot. A member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, she might be the only non-Catholic Christian politician on the Dutch left.

Bram Moszkowicz is VNL's new leader. He is not an MP (yet). He used to be the most well-known Dutch lawyer, defending Geert Wilders at his first trial. However, he got disbarred because of some tax evasion scandals. He has also been a television personality for a long time. He led an extremely luxury lifestyle until his recent bankruptcy. Summary: lots of drama, but people still think he's fascinating. I'm not thrilled by him leading this party, but luckily, there are very smart people who decide what Moszkowicz actually says (like VNL MP Joram van Klaveren).

[mvd10]

VVD. I might consider VNL or the Libertarian party, but the Libertarian party has 0% chance at a seat and VNL's leader is a disbarred lawyer who evaded taxes. And I absolutely don't want the SP anywhere near the coalition. Roemer (SP leader) is a nice and likable guy but I think he would make a rather bad prime minister.

[DavidB.]

VVD. I might consider VNL or the Libertarian party, but the Libertarian party has 0% chance at a seat and VNL's leader is a disbarred lawyer who evaded taxes. And I absolutely don't want the SP anywhere near the coalition. Roemer (SP leader) is a nice and likable guy but I think he would make a rather bad prime minister.

Another Dutch poster? Welcome!

[DC Al Fine]

I actually have a 2nd cousin or something who's an SGP councillor.

Even if that wasn't the case, I'd vote SGP just for their Sabbath views.

[BaconBacon96]

GreenLeft or Socialist. D66 is too pro-EU for my tastes.

[DavidB.]

GreenLeft or Socialist. D66 is too pro-EU for my tastes.

Just for your information: GreenLeft is exactly as pro-EU as D66

[Boston Bread]

Despite the crowded field of centre-left parties, I don't particularly like any one of them. GreenLeft seems the most decent, although I'd still be holding my nose on the anti-nuclear anti-GMO positions an European Greens tend to have.

[Leftbehind]

Fairly easy: sp.

[Famous Mortimer]

SP still fairly tough on immigration/assimilation? GreenLeft still basically the party for IS apologists?

[Horus]

D66 (knee-jerk anti-Wilders vote).

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Arie Slob is the boring ChristianUnion leader who led the party to the right on the economy, while still advocating left-wing policies on immigration, asylum seekers, and the environment.

sounds pretty good.

[Green Line]

None of them are good, but I would go with VVD. They are proven competent center-right leadership.

[DavidB.]

SP still fairly tough on immigration/assimilation? GreenLeft still basically the party for IS apologists?

Many SP voters (white working-class outside the Randstad metro area) are tough on immigration/assimilation, but the SP isn't nearly the "immigration-critical" party many people think it is. Under Marijnissen, the party had a slight "touch" of it, but the SP jumped on the anti-Wilders bandwagon already before 2010. Nowadays, its stance on immigration/refugees/assimilation is not really distinguishable from that of the PvdA. Looking abroad, the party the SP could be best compared to is still Die Linke, which is pretty telling. The only criticism on immigration the SP seems to have, is directed at the EU.

Regarding GroenLinks: pretty much, yeah.