What was newsworthy about the party congress of the CDA, this Saturday in congress center Hart van Holland in Nijkerk: it was not exciting. A trend break. In recent years, Christian Democrat congresses have been dominated by angry members, a party top that once again had to account for internal affairs. There was a lot of crying after election defeats, resolutions were tabled that made it difficult for the political top.
Four months ago, a meeting of members about the nitrogen problem, in the same place in Nijkerk, degenerated into a series of accusations against party leader Wopke Hoekstra. He was too invisible, members thought, and he had not made the CDA noise about nitrogen heard enough in the cabinet. This Saturday none of the sub-sessions that the CDA had concocted were about nitrogen. The program was structured in such a way that members did not and square public could talk to Hoekstra. No, at first sight there was a friendly, relaxed atmosphere in the convention center.
But beneath the surface, the dissatisfaction and concerns among members are indeed present. And occasionally also out loud. Take the sub-session on campaigning, where candidates for the Provincial Council and Water Board elections were updated about how the CDA wants to win voters. The CDA, they heard from campaign workers, had to ‘canonize’ the word ‘together’ in the coming period and use it ‘in every story, in every debate, in every rule, in every decision, in every behavior’. It has been noticeable for some time that members of government and MPs of the CDA use that word more than average. This also applies to the slogan “less me, more we”.
No sharp choices
CDA members also heard that the party does not want to make slick campaign videos about candidates, but wants to “talk” to concerned and critical voters. In an example film that was shown, a candidate from North Holland asks a farmer what he bumps into. “We already know what they’re up to,” said one of the audience.
Another CDA member: „The honest story is that we are at four percent in the polls. What I expected is that I would hear more urgency here.” Yet another CDA member wondered: „Where are the sharp choices in this campaign? We’re going to talk to people, we’re going to ask what they’re worried about. We are the party of society, you say. But stick the D66 or PvdA logo on it and you get exactly the same story. Everyone wants to involve society.”
At the end of the day, party leader Wopke Hoekstra was standing on a podium in the great hall of Hart van Holland, putting into practice what the campaign strategists had said. The word “together” appeared thirty-three times in his speech, which was largely about community spirit. Hoekstra also repeated a call that Hugo de Jonge made in 2019 in an interview in NRC and repeated again last September, in the Dutch daily newspaper. It is about the importance of ‘grip’ on migration. Hoekstra also argued for ‘concrete migration objectives’, but did not make these concrete himself by putting a figure on it.
Afterwards, members said they thought it was a nice speech. But what was really recognizable Christian Democratic about it? And does it convey the urgency that a party that is getting smaller and smaller should convey? These are questions that continue to haunt Hoekstra. Shortly before last year’s parliamentary elections, he became the new party leader, after many internal struggles that CDA members would like to forget and after he initially thanked him for the honour. He succeeded Hugo de Jonge, who was elected by a majority of the members but resigned after internal pressure.
Also read this article about the CDA and Hoekstra supporters: Supporters dissatisfied with asylum rate CDA
Rooms with suspended ceilings
The high expectations with which Hoekstra took office have given way to doubt. In recent months, this has mainly been heard among members at congresses and in departments throughout the country, recently also at the top of the party. Hoekstra, it is said, is a good minister. But he doesn’t have it in him and doesn’t seem to find it very interesting to rebuild a party that is on the brink. He doesn’t feel like living in rooms with suspended ceilings, lukewarm coffee and angry members. And that’s what the party needs. It is significant that some CDA members, and that is the first time, remember the short period in which Hugo de Jonge led the party with nostalgia. That is, it sometimes sounds like, at least a real CDA member. He finds things. He has his own story, which did not have to be thought up by others every time.
On Saturday, in Nijkerk, it was noticed that Hugo de Jonge led two of the partial sessions. The halls were always full, people had to stand. Wopke Hoekstra led none.