It is election week and I, like all the other obedient, civilized and engaged citizens of this country, am going through my electoral ritual. I obediently answer all questions from the electoral guide, wade through a dozen very complex dilemmas about transport issues, energy issues, housing, water policy in a matter of minutes. A red checkmark then appears on a graph with an x-axis and a y-axis: left/right and progressive/conservative.
When looking at that party landscape, there are two recurring thoughts. First off, what a lovely line. A dream of an outcome if it were a scientific experiment. All parties in the Netherlands neatly move along a narrow axis from the top left (progressive/left) to the bottom right (conservative/right). Second thought: why on earth use two more axes when one will suffice?
The next step in this election ritual: I take note of the result and then traditionally do not vote for the party that is closest to me in terms of content. That is Think. Or 50 plus. And I’m not voting for Denk or 50plus. There must be some very nice politicians who want the best for the world, but it’s not my bubble and I don’t participate in splintering boutique politics of the hyper-individual sub-group interests.
I was, incidentally, charmed by the BoerBurgerBeweging (BBB). If you ignore the hype for a moment, you have to conclude that Caroline van der Plas has achieved something admirable. She receives support throughout the country, draws full houses in Eemnes, but just as well takes selfies with enthusiasts at the market in Spijkenisse. She makes a convincing impression, hardly ever slips, is well-read, intelligent and also extremely folksy. Following in the footsteps of Hans Spekman and Fred Teeven, she is finally bringing some diversity to ultra-highly educated The Hague.
The journal follows her closely, in order to catch her in inaccuracies or radicalization and is prepared to magnify the most far-fetched association. As Tom-Jan Meeus wrote in an article in NRC (How does Caroline van der Plas prevent herself from becoming another right-wing fiasco? 2/7/2022): “Overviews showed that people who like her tweets also often like tweets from people like Raisa Blommestijn, Thierry Baudet and Joost Niemöller.” Meeus does not mention that it is now quite difficult on Twitter not to get likes from extremists.
But so far the search hasn’t yielded more than that. Van der Plas seems quite immune to the radical elements in her supporters who pull at her. I especially remember an episode with Member of Parliament Sylvana Simons (BIJ1), who managed to convince Caroline van der Plas with her family story to support the apologies for the slavery past. Such a public turnaround shows character, especially for a relatively new politician who represents a group that has little interest in the slavery past. It gives some confidence that she will also show the humanity after the elections to stick to principles and at the same time to make compromises with those who think differently. So have some faith in Caroline. Every vote she manages to drag away from the radicalized right wing is a gain for the Netherlands.
And yet I don’t vote for BBB either. As I said: I don’t do political innovation. In addition, the risk of teething problems and distracting affairs is life-sized. I have faith in Van der Plas, but BBB directors have to prove themselves first.
My preference is currently for a party where the opposite applies: at the CDA I have about zero confidence in the national leadership, from faded consultants like Wopke Hoekstra to people with a shaky moral compass like Hugo de Jonge. But in the periphery, the municipalities, provinces and water boards, there is still a lot of administrative solidity that I would like to have decided on those twenty or so complicated dilemmas. I’m going to vote for the electoral shrinkage area of the old establishment. Little Experiment.
Rosanne Hertzberger is a microbiologist.
A version of this article also appeared in the March 11, 2023 newspaper