International

Just four more days and the polling booths open for the European elections. The Netherlands is still not all that interested. Many people simply don’t have a very positive view of the European Parliament. It is indeed rather odd: a parliament with neither state nor government. But precisely because you don’t look kindly on the European Parliament and the European Union, it’s good to get along and vote. Only if the combined forces of centre-right and centre-left lose their traditional majority in the EP is there be a chance that the road to a European superstate will be abandoned. And if that isn’t reason enough, then if our own governing parties, centre-left PvdA and centre-right VVD suffer heavy losses, then we’ll be going once more to the polling booths, to elect a new national parliament in the wake of the fall of Mark Rutte’s government.

The PvdA (Labour Party) and the opposition Christian Democrats sit in the European Parliament in the political groups which have for years enjoyed a majority together. Whenever it comes up, both groups vote for more power for Brussels. Of course, the same can be said of the Greens and the Liberals. It nevertheless matters whether the centre-right PPE and the centre-left PSD keep their majority or not. If not, more and broader coalitions will need to be forged, which will be to the advantage of EU-critical parties such as the SP. As things stand they will, according to the polls, retain their joint majority, albeit reduced to just forty from a total of 751 seats. Another little setback and their majority will disappear. By not voting for the establishment, something can indeed be changed in the EP.

The polls show that in the Netherlands the Labour Party will suffer a dramatic loss. For the centre-right VVD the prognosis is better, but that party too will fall well behind its total in the last general election. If both ruling parties were to take a drubbing, Rutte’s government wouldn’t last two minutes. The already extremely fed up supporters of these parties would see in the result the proof that things can’t go on like this. By voting neither PvdA nor VVD, you can bring the end of Rutte’s government closer.

In short, there are good reasons to vote and to vote strategically. Change is possible, but you won’t achieve it by closing the curtains and staying at home grousing. For anyone with a positive view of the SP, there’s yet a third reason to vote: this could be the first nationwide election in which the SP comes out bigger than the PvdA. That would be historic. Are you going to make it happen?