Karl,
The political situation in the Netherlands is very different than in Denmark, due to strong leftwing powers like the leftwing political parties, universities, unions and press and media. But the conservative, rightwing, nationalistic, Patriotic, National conservative, rightwing Nationalist Populist parties and movements have grassrootsmovements, a solid base, representation in parliament, representation in the senate, representation in the Provincial councils (de Raad van Staten), many city councils and in the European parliament.
Fact is that the rightwing populist nationalist political parties and movements also have their influence on the rightwing wings of the center right conservative liberal VVD and the social conservative Christian-Democratic CDA parties. People of the youth organisations of the VVD and the CDA, JOVD and CDJA moved to the youth movement of Thierry Baudets Forum for Democracy, JFVD, and these young conservative liberals and young Christian Democrats became
Young Forum for Democracy members, they not only joined the
JFVD (
Jongerenorganisatie Forum voor Democratie), but also became member of the
FVD (
Forum voor Democracie). Some became dual member of
VVD/
FVD and
CDA/
FVD, but others just left the
VVD and
CDA and joined the
Forum voor Democratie. Fact is that these former young liberals and christian democrats have learned skills, were trained and followed seminars and workshops of the
JOVD/
VVD and
CDJA/
CDA. That knowledge, skills, information, training and practice they use today for the opponents of the VVD and CDA of Thierry Baudet's and Theo Hiddema's
Forum voor Democratie.
A gathering of Thierry Baudet's youth movement, the Youth Organisation Forum For Democracy, the JFVD.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youth_Organisation_Freedom_and_Democracyen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Democratic_Youth_Appealjongerenfvd.nl/Just like the PVV more than a decade ago, which was a split off from the VVD party the Forum for Democracy (FVD) attracts VVD people and CDA people, but also even PVV people from Geert Wilders.
I wonder how the Forum for Democracy will develop. If it will become an intellectual academic version of the PVV, if it will remain succesful and which direction it will go. One of the key elements of Forum for Democracy is that it is clearly and more profound a
Fortyunist political party than
Geert Wilders Freedom party which is more a Wilderist political party.
The ideology
Fortyunism is the political ideology or style associated with the Dutch politician
Pim Fortuyn (1948–2002), generally liberal but
critical of multiculturalism,
immigration and
Islam.
Pim Fortuyn (1948–2002) was a huge political example for the young Thierry Baudet and also inspired some present Geert Wilders Freedom Party MP's and even Geert Wilders who has quoted Pim Fortuyn.Observers variously saw
Pim Fortuyn's
Fortyunism as
a political protest targeting
the alleged elitism and
bureaucratic style of
the Dutch purple coalitions (
PvdA -Dutch Labour-,
D66 and
VVD government from
1994 until
2002) or as offering an appealing political style. The style was characterized variously as one "
of openness, directness and clearness", populism or simply as charisma.
Fortuynism is a distinct ideology, with an alternative vision of society.
Fortuynism was and is not just one ideology, but contains
liberalism,
populism and
nationalism. In
Fortuynism Dutch liberalism,
populism and
nationalism merge, and therefor
Fortuynism is a typical Dutch version of the
rightwing National Populist current in
Europe today.
Pim Fortuyn employed anti-immigration rhetoric, but he was neither a radical nationalist nor a defender of traditional authoritarian values. On the contrary, Fortuyn wanted to protect the socio-culturally liberal values of the Netherlands, women's rights and sexual minorities, from the "backward" Islamic culture. He held liberal views favouring the drug policy of the Netherlands, same-sex marriage, euthanasia, and related positions.
The LPF also won support from some ethnic minorities; one of Fortuyn's closest associates was of Cape Verdean origin, and one of the party's MPs was a young woman of Turkish descent.
His ideology can be comprised in the following positions:
- Civil liberties
- Classical liberalism
- Criticism of Islam
- Deregulation
- Direct democracy
- Euroscepticism
- Freedom of speech
- Laissez-faire
- LGBT rights
- Republicanism
- Secularism
- Separation of church and state
- Small government
- Women's rights
The ideology of Forum for Democracy merges Fortuynism with Right-wing populism, Dutch nationalism, Conservatism, National conservatism, Conservative liberalism, Euroscepticism, Direct democracy, and E-democracy. Thierry Baudet alterned Fortuyns ideology or ideas and opinions in a more rightwing, nationalist and conservative direction.
Thierry Henri Philippe Baudet (born 28 January 1983) maintains that his conservative political convictions have been largely influenced by two events in his first year as a history undergraduate in Amsterdam: the September 11 attacks and the assassination of
Pim Fortuyn. Thierry Baudet is more traditional, more conservative and slightly more in defence of traditional straight family values than
Pim Fortuyn. He differs in that from Fortuynist liberal views, being an conservative traditionalist.
The the assassination of Pim Fortuyn in may 2002 had a profound influence on the history university student Thierry Baudet's political views and stanceBaudet is a
national conservative and
eurosceptic, advocating for both
Netherlands' exit from the European Union and
its eventual dissolution. He is against further unskilled immigration into the Netherlands. In a speech he spoke about immigration causing a homeopathic dilution and in an interview he said
he prefers a dominant white and cultural Europe as it is. He is opposed to
Ukraine joining
the European Union.
Baudet has a strong opinion on arts, the topic of his book
Oikofobie, and considers non-Western art and Western post-1900 modernism in visual arts inferior to Western Realism, encourages education and programmation of tonal music opposed to atonal music and dislikes modern post-1950 architecture.
In his book
Oikofobie. De angst voor het eigene (
Oikophobia. The fear of home) from
2013,
Thierry Baudet follows
Roger Scruton's criticism on
cultural relativism and
multiculturalism. Baudets comes up with the word
Oikophobia and explains this as a term that stands for a type of self hate of the (left) elite towards their own traditional culture. According to Baudet this becomes visible in the society in the dominant preference for open borders within Europe, modern art, multiculturalism. The book forms, together with Baudets other book Aanval op de natiestaat, the fundament for his political program of his political party Forum voor Democratie.
Baudet frequently speaks about the perceived existence of a "
party cartel", in which the main ruling parties of the country divide power among themselves and conspire towards the same goals, despite claiming to be competitors. Baudet is not religious, but he is sympathetic with Christian values. In an interview, he called himself an "
agnostic cultural Christian."
I wonder if Baudet has something in common with the Danish, German and Austrian nationalist parties.
Cheers,
Pieter
