Rural populist party emerges as big winner in Dutch elections

The Guardian ^ | March 16, 2023 | Jon Henley

[House Atreides]

A new populist party surfing a wave of rural anger at government environmental policies has emerged as the big winner in Dutch provincial elections, dealing a heavy blow to the four-party coalition of the prime minister, Mark Rutte.

The success of the Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB) in Wednesday’s vote, which will determine the makeup of the senate, casts doubt over the government’s ability to pass key legislation, including its plans to slash nitrogen emissions.

“The Netherlands has clearly shown we’re fed up with these policies,” BBB’s founder, Caroline van der Plas, told the public broadcaster NOS. “It’s not just about nitrogen, it’s about citizens who are not seen, not heard, not taken seriously.”

Van der Plas, a former agricultural journalist who founded the BBB four years ago, said the party was “ready to talk with everybody”, adding that the movement “cannot be ignored any longer. The train in The Hague keeps rolling. We’re going to stop it.”

With almost 90% of votes counted, the BBB had secured a share of 19% – enough, according to projections, to give it 15 members in the 75-seat senate when the provincial assembly members choose the new upper house in late May. That would make the new party the biggest bloc in the upper chamber with the combined Labour (PvdA) and GreenLeft parties, also projected to have 15 senators.

The government aims to buy farmers out and reduce livestock numbers by up to a third to help halve nitrogen emissions by 2030. Soil and water nitrogen levels exceed EU limits in the Netherlands, the world’s second-biggest agricultural exporter.

The same problem has also halted construction projects despite a major housing crisis, with environmental groups winning court cases ordering the government to limit emissions and preserve nature before new building permits can be granted.

[House Atreides]

Perhaps there is hope that the people of Europe are finally waking up to the globalist EU’s plans to impoverish the European peoples and actually destroy the European economies with their various schemes. Perhaps eyes will be opened to the shenanigans being employed by the powers pulling the strings of THE UKRAINE PROJECT to add to the destruction of the European economies and peoples. God, I sure hope so.

[rbg81]

I predict the Dutch government will quintuple immigration to “solve” this.

[hardspunned]

MAGA is a rural populist movement.

[DallasBiff]

I guess the Dutch farmers saw the famine that happened in Sri Lanka, and said “no” to the Klaus Schwab WEF.

[cuz1961]

Maybe noraly ( itchy boots )
might want to go home now .

She’s already knocked a hole in her airbox, had a chain guard fixed and bent an ignition/tank key on her second trip in Africa.

Wish she chose Asia for a second tour instead, at least you can get Honda parts easily there.