Much has changed with the Dutch.
The sweeping election result for Geert Wilders whose Party for Freedom doubled its size to 37 out of 150 seats, has emerged as the largest parliamentary party, sending shock waves through the political elite not only in Holland but also throughout Europe.
With the result, 110 million Dutch livestock might be breathing a sigh of relief as well.
In scenes reminiscent of Australia’s resounding defeat of The Voice referendum, New Zealand’s new conservative government striking out the last vestiges of Jacinda Ardern’s failed policies, followed by Argentina’s turning to a right-leaning government, we see a new wave of conservatism emerge in Holland—often considered a bastion of all things woke and liberal.
No more it seems, with a suite of boldly stated policies dealing with immigration, education, and matters environmental.
The plight of farmers being confronted with “climate change” regulations saw the quiet Dutch farmers take on the tactics of their much more assertive French counterparts with tractors rolling down the streets to make their voices heard.
Their voice was heard and acted upon given the government ignored their plight.
The nitrogen compound emissions from the 110 million livestock in Holland were targeted, with one Dutch farmer committing suicide every 14 days in response to the threats to their livelihoods—extreme environmental policies do come at a cost.
However, in Holland, the farmers, like in most countries, enjoy the support and empathy of the population at large.
When they hit the streets, the likelihood of community sentiment shifting is a bankable bet, and the conservative-aligned parties received the deposits in the ballot box, resulting in left-wing parties being cut down to a shadow of their former selves.
The seismic shift in Dutch politics, including the mammoth gains by the pro-farmers party earlier in the year in provincial and senate elections, was a harbinger of things to come.
Interestingly, New Zealand and Argentina’s new governments have promised less dogmatic approaches to the environment.
A Winning Formula for Conservatives Around the World
In the Netherlands, immigration was also an issue swaying voter sentiment similar to what occurred in Sweden and Italy.With the people expressing their views democratically through the ballot box many a woke and left-leaning commentator was left red-faced as their relentless narratives were ignored by the public.
In most of the commentary, Geert Wilder’s Freedom Party was labelled “far right” or “extreme,” whereas there never seems to be anyone on the “far left.”
This exposes a bias and a misunderstanding of the sentiment within the public that prefers cost of living or social cohesion be dealt with, rather than “woke-ism.”
How things have changed.
The sacred cows of the political elites are being rejected by people around the world making for an interesting dynamic generally and specifically for the United Nations which has pursued climate change in an aggressive fashion.
It seems that people around the world are telling their elected representatives to stop drinking the U.N. Kool-Aid.
When the normally mild Dutch community shifts its sentiment in such dramatic fashion it might just be time for centre-right parties to pick up on the sentiment and deliver policies that reflect common sense and a citizen-first approach, rather than a watered-down version of 21st century woke socialism.
It’s a recipe the conservatives in the United Kingdom may care to adopt as well as the Republicans in the United States, and the Liberal Party of Australia.
A return to core conservative values seems to be the winning formula the world over.
