Political scientist Paul Lucardie, who wrote a book about populism, could not have foreseen that Wilders’ victory would reach such proportions.
Paul Lucardie is also surprised by the PVV’s enormous election victory. “When the cabinet fell over the migration crisis, I already thought that this could play into Wilders’ hands. But I didn’t foresee that his victory would reach such proportions.”
Together with Gerrit Voerman, Lucardie, who worked for decades as a political scientist at the University of Groningen, wrote the book Populists in the polder (2012). This also includes extensive attention to the rise of the PVV. Wilders’ one-man party has played a prominent role in Dutch politics for some time, but always as a protest party on the sidelines.
According to Lucardie, the PVV has now suddenly shot up like a comet due to three reasons: the theme of migration that Wilders has monopolized for years, the vacillating view of VVD party leader Dilan Yesilgoz on cooperation with the PVV and the moderation of Wilders’ positions. the last weeks.
‘His speech was very Trumpian’
According to Lucardie, this moderation is also reflected in Wilders’ victory speech. “That was a very modest speech for him. No ‘fewer Moroccans’ and other nonsense, but ‘Dutch people back on top’. Very Trumpian. Almost anyone can say that.”
It seems that the taboo to vote for Wilders has disappeared this year, perhaps partly due to the half-hearted rapprochement of the VVD. “There was always a fairly large group of people who agreed with Wilders to a certain extent, but thought he was far too extreme in his views. They assumed that he could not achieve anything and therefore voted for another party. I think a large number of those people have now voted for Wilders.”
But he certainly had a hand in this. Wilders made a name for himself with sharp statements that were more than once offensive to certain groups of people. But he is also a very shrewd politician. Lucardie: “He’s always been that way. It looks like he has now cashed in on that. At the same time, he is also driving a trend that is emerging in many Western countries. Populist and nationalist parties have also entered government in countries such as Italy and Sweden.”