- The Dutch elections are confusing me. Nanne has the results and is trying to work out potential coalitions, but no one is agreed on what's going to happen next. The New York Times reckons the country will swing to the left, the Washington Post sees a vote in favour of the pre-elections centre-right government with a marked rise for extreme parties on either side of the political spectrum, while EurActiv sees a political dead heat marked largely by a rise in votes for anti-EU and anti-immigration parties.
So, anyone care to enlighten me? All the English-language Dutch political blogs I used to read seem to have died... What's going on, and what are the implications?
Update: Ah! Here we go - Guy of Non Tibi Spiro with an informed roundup over at Fistful.
Update 2: And now former Europe Minister Denis MacShane's in on the act, with a surprisingly sensible overview ruined by a thoughtlessly stupid attack on Proportional Representation at the end - already countered by Make My Vote Count, just as they countered MacShane's previous attacks on PR after the German elections last year.
Update 3: And now The Economist's on the case, arguing the results show the rise of the far right and a clash with Islam. Odd...
Update 4: Nanne's back with more - damn good stuff. I still don't understand what the hell's going on, but then it doesn't look like anyone does. Yet.
4 Comments:
Can't say there was much that was sensible about Macshane' overview, right from the start it was clear that the Dutch election was just another excuse to rant about the inherant badness of PR. If he was more honest he would have at least used it to show how PR would be very bad for labour.
Incidently, i found this:- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Netherlands_municipalities_results_2006.png Interesting map on the Wikipedia, basicly gives an idea of what the Netherlands would look like politicaly if it had a British system of electing members of Parliament. The CDA win with a landslide, and the smaller parties efffectivly no longer exist in a meaningfull way.
Hmm, doesn't like that link: http://tinyurl.com/y6hsf5
I just cannot read Macshane's view. Under PR Labour's vote would have dwindled to the point that it will have to form a coalition with the LibDem's and a more left wing faction headed by a Ken Livingstone, Tommy Sheridan, George Galloway etc. Then MacShane's Britain at the heart of Europe's fantasy will go all pear shaped.
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