Populism is a concept that is difficult to define. However, there are a number of characteristics and conditions that can be associated with this movement. Populism has not always been reflected in Dutch politics over the years. Three populist periods can be distinguished from each other. At the time of the First World War, some populism can be detected in Dutch political history. Then in the 1960s there was farmer Koekoek with his Farmers’ Party, which held its own in politics for some time. Finally, Pim Fortuyn ushers in the third and final period of populism.
Contents
- What is populism?
- Populism in the Netherlands: three periods
- First form of populism
- The Farmers’ Party of Hendrik ‘farmer’ Koekoek
- Farmer Koekoek as leader and the downfall of the party
- ‘At your service!’ Pim Fortuyn
- Establishment of the LPF
- Geert Wilders and the PVV
What is populism?
Populism is a concept that has no clear definition. There are a number of characteristics that populism is associated with. First, the people are seen as a unit that must be listened to. In addition, the will of the people is law and this law must be followed. Finally, populism always opposes the elite that fails to represent the people’s will. Other characteristics that can be linked to populism are regularly mentioned, such as the urge for a more direct democracy and the appearance of a charismatic leader who speaks and acts on behalf of the people. There are also a number of conditions that must be present for populism to emerge. For example, a democratic system and an intertwining of state and society must be present. Other conditions are the fear of the disintegration of the nation and the presence of some form of crisis. In addition, the convergence of established political parties often leads to populism.
Populism in the Netherlands: three periods
The Netherlands has no populist tradition. This means that although populism does occur in Dutch political history, these movements always quickly faded into the background. Three periods of populism can be distinguished. The first period runs from 1916 to 1918 and coincides with the First World War. The second period runs from 1963 to 1967, in which the populist Farmers’ Party brings commotion to politics. The third and final period runs from 2001 or 2002, in which Pim Fortuyn comes to the fore. It can be said that the third period still continues in 2018 with the presence of Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party in the Dutch parliament.
First form of populism
In the Netherlands, the first form of populism can be found after the First World War. From 1900 onwards, democracy developed rapidly. Since 1919, there has been universal suffrage and proportional representation. With the completion of the democratic system, more and more interests and parties were involved, all of whom wanted to exert their influence on the decision-making process. This made the process more complicated, creating a gap between citizens and politicians. People began to rebel against the political elite that had emerged with the completion of democracy. However, the populist movements that emerged, such as Treub and his Economic League, failed to achieve electoral success. Treub managed to obtain only three seats out of a hundred seats. After disappointing election results, populist movements are weakening again.
The Farmers’ Party of Hendrik ‘farmer’ Koekoek
The next period comes from 1963 to 1967. After the depillarization in the 1960s, political parties were able to emerge again that focused on the entire people and not just their pillar. Other conditions such as the intertwining of state and society due to the emergence of the welfare state after the Second World War and the convergence of political parties were also present. In addition, the influence of the new medium of television at that time should not be underestimated. The Farmers’ Party by Hendrik Koekoek can be placed within this period.
The Farmers’ Party was founded in 1958 by Gerrit Voortman, Hendrik Adams and Hendrik Koekoek and, as the name suggests, focused on farmers. However, the party appears to be viable after the outcome of the municipal elections and the Farmers’ Party will also focus on citizens and the middle class. The party gained increasing fame and managed to gain three seats in the House of Representatives after elections in 1963. In 1966, the Farmers’ Party, with Koekoek as its leader, once again achieved electoral success during the municipal elections and the provincial council elections. The media have contributed to this. They visualized the crisis within the farming business, which also generated support from non-farmers. This moment is a turning point for the party, which from that moment on sets itself against the established political order, or the political elite. With this approach, the party not only appealed to more farmers, but also to other groups in society. The ultimate goal of the Peasant Party was to expel the elite and return to real democracy.
Farmer Koekoek as leader and the downfall of the party
In addition, the Farmers’ Party met the characteristics of a charismatic leader. It is doubtful whether Hendrik Koekoek can actually be labeled as charismatic, but he clearly positioned himself as a leader and anti-politician. He was mediagenic and full of farmer wisdom, which brought him much popularity. However, Hendrik Koekoek turned out to be a bad party leader and parliamentarian. For example, co-founder Adams was accused of being wrong during World War II. An issue that was still very sensitive twenty years after the end of the war. However, Koekoek kept his hand above his head and even started accusing other politicians of the same thing. However, these statements were based on nothing. Adams eventually resigned in 1968, but unrest within the party had already arisen.
In 1967, the Farmers’ Party managed to gain seven seats during the House of Representatives elections, but more and more members were resigning. From that moment on the fall of the Peasant Party begins. One of the causes is that Koekoek had personal conflicts that even required him to appear in court. The opposing party was vindicated. In addition, the party could not survive the abolition of compulsory attendance in 1970. Finally, citizens came to realize that the Farmers’ Party had not brought the change they had hoped for. Koekoek managed to retain his one seat in the House of Representatives until 1981, but after that this populist movement also faded into the background.
‘At your service!’ Pim Fortuyn
The third populist period arrived in 2001 and 2002. After the Second World War, a taboo had arisen around populism. Criticism of the democratic system was sensitive after this period of Dutch history. Even in the brief revival of the Farmers’ Party, the echo of the Second World War still resounded. Populism is not developing. The taboo has been gradually broken since the 1990s. Populism came into the spotlight when Pim Fortuyn spoke in an interview with De Volkskrant in 2002 about the fact that the anti-discrimination ban is subject to freedom of expression. Citizens had to convey that every voice should be heard, according to Fortuyn. The attacks that took place in the United States on September 11, 2011 played a major role in the rise of the new populism. The attacks were claimed by the Muslim fundamentalist terrorist organization Al Qaeda. This caused an explosion of tensions between conservative native Dutch people who did not feel heard and the migrants in the country.
Establishment of the LPF
With his ideas, Fortuyn responds to the concerns of Dutch citizens. A kind of crisis had arisen. In 2002 he founded the LPF (Lijst Pim Fortuyn) with the aim of giving politics back to the people and breaking the power of the established parties. He also advocated a more direct democracy. What is interesting about Fortuyn is that he made a breakthrough in the personalization of politics. Fortuyn led the LPF as a charismatic figure of speech. Pim Fortuyn was also described as a dandy. This is a self-made man who tries to dominate based on arrogance, verbal acuity and an eccentric appearance. Fortuyn met all these points. He wore expensive suits, always a silk tie, had a car with a driver, turned his house into a palace with a butler and self-portraits and finally owned two small lap dogs.
Contrary to what one might think from this summary, Fortuyn showed an aversion to the popular. This created an attraction for both the bottom and the top of society. Pim Fortuyn had become the symbol of democratic individualism. With his statement at your service! he wanted to demonstrate that he was serving the will of the people. Fortuyn had become a cult figure and media celebrity. Fortuyn’s personalization of politics created a gap between the established party culture, but at the same time built a bridge with the voters. The media have played a very important role in this.
On May 6, 2002, Pim Fortuyn was murdered. On May 13, 2002 it appears that the LPF managed to obtain no fewer than 26 seats in the House of Representatives. Never before has a populist movement achieved such great electoral success . How important Fortuyn was as a charismatic leader for the LPF became clear when the party lost eighteen seats in new elections a year later. In 2006 the party even disappeared from parliament.
Geert Wilders and the PVV
The gap left by the LPF is quickly filled by Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party (PVV). In November 2006, this new party entered the chamber with nine seats. The PVV is also focusing on the tensions between native Dutch people and migrants in our society. The party is strongly committed to combating Islam and combating migration. In contrast to the LPF, which attracted voters from all walks of life, the PVV focuses mainly on the poorly educated population who feel ignored by politics . Like the LPF, the PVV does meet a number of populist characteristics. In terms of personality, Geert Wilders – apart from his eccentric haircut – cannot be compared to Fortuyn. Yet the PVV is also built around the person Geert Wilders. In addition, the PVV also states that it represents the voice of the people. Finally, the PVV prefers to oppose the established political order rather than cooperate with it.
Comments can also be made about the fact that Geert Wilders and the PVV are placed under populism. In contrast to farmer Koekoek and Pim Fortuyn who profiled themselves as anti-politicians, Wilders can be called a seasoned politician. Before his work for the PVV, he was also a member of the VVD for a long time, a party that is part of the established order in the Netherlands. No matter how you look at it, in 2018 Geert Wilders is still widely represented in the Dutch parliament with 20 seats for the PVV.