Why not change your perspective and look away from the centre, writes René van Leeuwen.

In two months’ time the elections will be over and done with. High time to shoot some holes in the arguments that are constantly being trotted out against the Socialist Party and the PVV.

The main gripe seems to be that these parties are populist parties. It is supposed that their particular brand of ideas and solutions will never work and that is why they can never be part of a stable cabinet.

Holy grail 

But why should the ‘stability’ and ‘moderation’ of the political ‘centre’ be the holy grail? It’s so holy that some of you have taken to calling it the ‘radical’ centre. It’s embarrassing. Can you really not think of any other configuration, in spite of the crisis, than one made up of the centre parties?

For decades the Christian Democrats and the VVD have been leading us towards our present state of political desperation, economic misery and a pseudo-intellectualism whose adherents are no longer able to think outside the party box. In spite of this, the Netherlands is still worth saving. Why not give the PVV and the SP a go? And as for stability, there have been many political crises when the centre parties were calling the shots.

Underbelly

The second argument is that the PVV and the SP are taking advantage of popular feeling. The underbelly, or the heart, depending on your stance, should be kept out of politics.

I don’t agree. It’s precisely the lack of emotions that has led power-hungry parties astray. Note to political parties: ideals are long-term and solutions should be fluid. But in most parties the opposite is true.

That is why we see so-called Christian ministers deport children to countries they hardly know and ‘socialists’ privatise public utility companies, healthcare and public transport. So-called democrats are handing over sovereignty to Brussels and so-called liberals are playing footsie in broad daylight with this country’s most conservative party. Isn’t it high time we showed some feeling for the original ideals and the solidarity that used to underlie politics?

Straitjacket

The third argument, and you may have heard this one, goes like this: The Netherlands can’t do without Europe. It’s not a question of more or less European involvement, it’s about how to shape the political and economic integration process.

I say a far-reaching European integration is not as inevitable as is being made out. Think of the costs of saving the euro (€1,600bn for the Netherlands), think of the anti-democratic bureaucrats who rule Brussels, think of the diversity of the cultures and economies who find themselves strapped together in the straitjacket of European cooperation.

Slippery

Chances are that we’ll never agree on Europe (until the whole thing explodes and there’s no place left for you to go). But you could ask yourself in all honesty if it wouldn’t be worthwhile to change your perspective and to think about the Netherlands as a country that trades with other countries, works with other countries on international issues such as the environment, financial supervision and criminality but which takes care of all the other stuff itself. Perhaps we could even go back to the guilder. After all, we still have francs, kroner and pounds. You could at least try to come up with something better than those doom scenarios or the tired dogmas of free trade and (neo) liberalism.

Why should I not vote for the PVV or the SP when I’m confronted with slippery administrators and politicians and a solution to the crisis whose costs outstrip its benefits. A solution, moreover, which will help the rich and mighty and their banks and not the PVV and SP electorate? 

René van Leeuwen is studying for a Masters degree at Erasmus University, Rotterdam