Getting Populists to Govern Responsibly: What the Netherlands and Finland Can Teach Us

The Dutch government collapsed because the Freedom Party (PVV), led by Geert Wilders, withdrew from the coalition. The reason for this was that Prime Minister Dick Schoof's coalition government failed to implement the strict immigration policy outlined in the coalition agreement quickly enough.

In other words, Schoof and the other coalition parties did want the Freedom Party to support their policies, but they were not, in turn, willing to advance the issues that are of utmost importance to the PVV. As a result, new parliamentary elections will be held in the Netherlands on October 29.

This case is interesting from a Finnish perspective, as Finland also has a government that includes an immigration-critical party, the Finns Party. It has supported initiatives important to the other coalition parties, and as a consequence, has lost much of its support and its position in local politics in municipal and regional elections.

Nevertheless, the Finns Party remains strongly committed to the coalition because the government has, at the same time, pursued a much stricter immigration policy in line with the party’s demands—thus advancing issues crucial to itself and its core voter base. As a result, current, or remaining, supporters of the Finns Party are more satisfied with the government's actions than supporters of other parties.

This is something that should be noted in other Western countries as well. In most of them, immigration policy has been at odds with the will of the people, so a change is bound to happen sooner or later.

This means a stricter immigration policy, in exchange for which immigration-critical parties brought into government understand the necessity of supporting parts of the coalition program they may otherwise dislike. At the same time, forming coalition governments becomes easier and the will expressed by citizens in elections is more accurately implemented.

After all, isn't that ultimately the purpose of democracy? To carry out policies that reflect the will of the people as expressed in elections?

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Should the Dutch Do Something About the Fact That Immigrants Don't Tolerate Visiting Jews?
A woman's logic, Putin's test, and the Netherlands' change
Attitudes towards immigrants are not becoming more positive in Western countries

Should the Dutch Do Something About the Fact That Immigrants Don't Tolerate Visiting Jews?

One of the greatest public secrets of our time is that not all people and cultures are the same. We received a tangible example of this yesterday, when groups carrying Palestinian flags attacked Jewish supporters of the visiting team after a football match in the Netherlands, causing significant harm. Even non-Jewish tourists found themselves in difficult situations.

Naturally, Dutch police intervened and detained at least 60 rioters, and ultimately the Israeli government planned to send planes to bring Israeli football fans home from the Netherlands. The question, of course, is how such incidents are possible in a country that, just a few decades ago, was known for its exceptional freedom and liberal values.

I’m confident that my esteemed readers understand the answer to this question even without my explanation. However, I’m less certain whether this understanding extends to the decision-makers in politics. And whether they’ll reach the consensus that similar incidents will recur if immigration policies in the EU are not significantly altered.

So, we’ll see whether, in this case as well, the event will be lamented for a while, the attackers of Jewish people will receive minor punishments, but the real issue will be left unaddressed. Or will the Dutch government show the resolve that voters expected from it in the 2023 elections? And take actions that would halt the growth of problematic immigrant groups in the Netherlands, in the EU, and thus also in Finland.

That is at least what Geert Wilders demands, as he wrote on social media, "A pogrom in the streets of #Amsterdam. We have become the Gaza of Europe. Muslims with Palestinian flags hunting down Jews. I will NOT accept that. NEVER. The authorities will be held accountable for their failure to protect the Israeli citizens."

Never again.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Palestinian Youth Require More Understanding, Less Aggression
A woman's logic, Putin's test, and the Netherlands' change
The Rwanda Law of Britain paves the way for the future of Western Europe