An amazing development in the row over 'double passports'

Geert Wilders of the Party for Freedom (PVV -Partij Voor de Vrijheid - http://www.pvv.nl/) has had for some time the hearts of many a Dutch politician beating furiously with high indignation because he has demanded that migrants who have been elected to political office discard their second passport. Holland has a big Muslim population that has for the most part come from Turkey and Morocco. Most, if not all, of these hold the Dutch nationality and the nationality of their country of origin.

One Moroccan/Dutch politician, Khadija Arib, who is central to the row and a cabinet minister, is adviser to the King of Morocco. Imagine the freaking-out of the PC-class in Australia if a Howard Government cabinet minister held a formal position as adviser to President George W Bush.

The PC-class in Holland has generally painted Wilders as representing the extreme right, and the de facto inheritor of Pim Fortuyn's mantel. This claim is typical of the mindless confusion of the PC-class. Fortuyn, a homosexual, was essentially a libertarian defending Dutch liberalism from the intolerance of the Left who were (and are) creating the environment for the growth of radical Islam in Holland - among other things. Wilders seems to take a similar position, but is more classically conservative. Now step forward Jan Marijnissen, leader of the Socialist Party (SP - Socialistisch Partij - http://www.sp.nl/), one you would expect in the forefront of those condemning Wilder's proposal.

It would not be surprising if some fast-beating political hearts in the watery Lowlands are nearing melt-down point, for socialist Jan Marijnissen is reported as saying that he thinks it would be better if 'people who had an important function in Holland gave up their foreign passport...it would be an extra fat tick if they did that' (my emphasis).

Jacques Tichelaar, the leader in the house for the Labour Party (Pvda - Partij van de Arbeid - www.pvda.nl/) could not contain himself. Mindful that the SP was stealing the Pvda's constituency at an alarming rate he announced to the world (via de Volksrant) that he found Marijnissen's comments 'offensive' (stuitend). He accused Marijnissen of 'shameless opportunism'. He added: 'The strategy of the Socialist Party is to play hide-and-seek in the House and weeks later to make your [sic] real position known via an interview.' He then threatened to jump on Marijnissen every time he made such stupid comments. Oh, how best mates can sometimes fall out!

You see, the SP and the Pvda are in reality mates in ideology. In the previous term of government they were both in opposition, taking turns to hammer the CDA (Christian Democratic Alliance), which is really the equivalent of the Liberal Party in Australia - a conservative party but for historical reasons called Liberal.

Now I am going to ask the Australian reader to imagine the unimaginable: imagine the Australian Labour Party agreeing to Coalition government with the Liberal Party and the Nationals. Truly, it would the end of civilisation as we know it. But that's what's happened in Holland. The Dutch Labour Party is in coalition government with two conservative parties: The Christian Democratic Alliance and the Christian Union. The freakiness of this arrangement is mitigated somewhat by Holland's system of proportional representation.

One result of this arrangement - the Pvda had to move to the right and make distasteful compromises - is the loss of voter confidence and the defection of an increasing number to the SP. Jan Tichelaar has found himself in the fortunate and unexpected position of intercepting a pass and is now running hard with it. Jan Marijnissen, who was otherwise engaged abroad, deputised SP member Harry van Bommel to appear on the entertaining Pauw and Witteman current affairs program, which has a chat format.

Poor Harry was grilled unmercifully by Pauw and Witteman and subjected to the bemused stares of the other guests around the table. He tried to make the distinction between voluntarily relinquishing one's second (foreign) passport and introducing coercive legislation. Alas, on the crucial issue Wilders and Marijnissen agreed in principle: the second passport was not compatible with acceptance of political office in Holland

Geert Wilders is taking full advantage of the admission.

return to Dutch Report