The Victory of Geert Wilder By Richard Miller (London)
Good news! Good news! First it was Javier Milei, the libertarian anti-globalist becoming president of Argentina. Now in Holland, Geert Wilders has won the Dutch elections. Wilders has been a strong critic of mass migration of the diverse, and of globalism. He has got into hot water with the EU race police, and is banned from travelling to Britain, which is now an absurdity, since a Western country now has a ban on an elected prime minister entering the country, if the 2009 order is still holding:
The EU elites are calling this a “nightmare,” and it sure will be for them. These two cases give us hope for radical political change, to the Right, when Leftist tyranny gets bad enough. If both countries pulled out of the World Health Organization it could impact upon the pandemic treaty. Certainly, with the return of Trump, if he keeps to his word, this can be rolled back.
“It's official - Geert Wilders has won the Dutch elections and says he will lead the country's next government.
"The hope of the Dutch people is that they will get their country back," Wilders said following an exit poll published by state broadcaster NOS.
In his post-election speech, Wilders called for a coalition which would include the liberal VVD, which was until recently led by outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
Meanwhile, liberals are in fits over Wilders' win - and in general, the shift towards populism across Europe. Here's how Bloomberg framed it:
A surge in the number of refugees since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as the spiraling cost of food and energy, has fueled support for far-right groups across the European continent. Germany’s Alternative for Deutschland now has more support than any of the parties in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition, while Giorgia Meloni came from nowhere to take power last year in Italy.
The Dutch election campaign highlighted how immigration has polarized voter opinion and driven support toward Wilders, for whom the topic has been a core issue for decades. The 60-year-old is known for his anti-Islamic views and has lived under police protection since 2004 on account of death threats.
Of course, the outlet also notes that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was "quick to congratulate him on his victory."
Just remember folks, it's not the will of the people reflected at the ballot box, it's the "far right" winning a "shock victory."
And assuming the exit-polls hold up, Wilders' prospects for forging a coalition government will hinge on his ability to reach across the aisle to parties which have already signaled maximum virtue and vowed never to work with him.
Wilders and his team hugged and cheered as the result was announced and sang along to the Rocky theme tune ‘Eye of the Tiger.’ Reporters who watched his campaign team celebrate at a crowded bar in Scheveningen near The Hague did so from behind glass.
The controversial politician benefited from the vacuum created by outgoing premier Mark Rutte’s decision to quit politics after 13 years in office — and from the refusal of Rutte’s successor as party leader, Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius, to rule out working with his party. Anti-migration sentiment of the kind Wilders has long-championed was a prominent issue on the campaign trail. -Bloomberg
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