Politics and Elections in the Netherlands: November 22 snap election, Rutte to leave

[DL]

Senate exit poll shows majority for government + GL/PvdA: 39 seats (24 without GL/PvdA).

Wouldn't the VOLT party's 2 seats also fit in well with Gov't + GL/PVDA?

[DL]

The Netherlands is not the only country in Europe that has a large agricultural sector and its also not the only country that is trying to meet climate change targets. Why is this BBB revolt by farmers such a uniquely Dutch phenomenon? Why do we not see similar parties popping up in Germany or Denmark or Belgium. I know those other countries have rightwing populist parties - but they tend to be focused on xenophobia and not fight against nitrogen reduction.

[DL]

The Netherlands is not the only country in Europe that has a large agricultural sector and its also not the only country that is trying to meet climate change targets. Why is this BBB revolt by farmers such a uniquely Dutch phenomenon? Why do we not see similar parties popping up in Germany or Denmark or Belgium. I know those other countries have rightwing populist parties - but they tend to be focused on xenophobia and not fight against nitrogen reduction.

I wouldn’t really consider this a climate change issue. The government is trying to limit nitrogen because of its pollution of the Dutch environment. This is worse than pretty much any other European country, and the courts ultimately forced them into acting or seeing significant restrictions imposed anyways. It probably helps that the Netherlands has a very low electoral threshold to get your foot in the door, and the breakdown of the traditional political system and associated voter loyalty means a new party can quickly breakthrough to ‘major’ party status. And to be fair other countries do see some parties fairly focused on farming/rural interests eg; the Center parties in most of Scandinavia or the Denmark Democrats in Denmark. The party that would traditionally represent many farmers/rural voters in the Netherlands, the CDA, is currently in government imposing unpopular policies on them so it helps spur these voters into looking elsewhere for something new and more radical.

I'm aware of the agrarian parties in Scandinavia such as the Centre parties in Sweden and Finland and Norway, but they are nothing like BBB. They are very middle of the road parties that have often been quite good on environmental issues.

[DL]

Doesnt the Netherlands have a pretty advanced welfare state much like Germany and the Scandinavian countries? How did they get that if the left has never won an election?

[DL]

Isn’t D66 kind of a “blue labour” social Democratic Party? My understanding is that party was first created by people on the right of PVDA in the 1960s

[DL]

Things are getting even more heated now in the PvdD.

People who love animals so much often seem to have serious issues when with dealing with human beings

[DL]

People who love animals so much often seem to have serious issues when with dealing with human beings

This is more the norm than the exception in Dutch politics though. From BIJ1 to FVD and from CDA to JA21 to DENK, they've all had big internal conflicts over the last few years.

I'm aware of that - I'm just amused at how a single issue party that is all about love of animals could be torn apart with vicious fratricidal conflict. The Green party in Canada imploded two years ago and someone wrote "Greens love animals, forests, lakes and trees - they just don't seem to like people very much"

[DL]

Is NSC basically a reincarnation of the CDA - which looks to be roadkill after this election? The NSC list looks to be mostly ex-CDA people