The SP
Back in 2002, the Socialist Party dropped its 'vote against' campaign and adopted the slogan 'vote for'. Following the success of its image as the 'anti-party', the SP decided to make it clear that, besides merely criticising government policies, it also had some alternatives to offer. The general election of 2003 saw the party grow to a total of nine seats in the 150-seat lower house.
Jan Marijnissen is the undisputed leader of the SP and has become a well-known face and personality in the Netherlands. It's largely thanks to him that the party's support base has grown substantially. The SP is no longer just the party of the 'working man', but also provides a good alternative option for the 'left-wing' elite. Disillusioned by the more 'liberal' policies adopted by their parties in recent years, many Labour and GreenLeft members have turned to the SP.
In the eyes of the SP, the course followed by the two initial centre-right cabinets led by Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende was one which saw the rich grow richer and the poor become even poorer. The SP, which is a firm supporter of collective agreements, was forced to stand by and watch as the healthcare system was reformed and collective insurance schemes disappeared.
However, the SP has also modified a number of key points from its earlier election manifestos. The party was always opposed to NATO and the Dutch monarchy and called for both to be abolished - a stance which has now changed. The SP remains basically opposed to both, but is no longer calling for their immediate abolition.
The party's support base has grown considerably and now includes people from all layers of society. One major change in policy which has played a role in this respect was the abandonment of the idea that rich people should pay income tax at a rate of 72 percent. Ewout Irrgang, mathematical genius and an MP for the SP, has described such old standpoints as 'symbolic politics' which did nothing to advance the party's cause.
GreenLeft party
The GreenLeft party finds itself having to work harder to attract votes in this election campaign. The party - the product of a merger between a number of parties to the left of the Labour party, and which began life as a progressive, pro-environment bloc - has lost much support as a result of the current course being following by party leader Femke Halsema. Under her leadership the party has shifted somewhat towards a more liberal free-thinking approach. Ms Halsema has called for more individual freedom, personal development and emancipation.
GreenLeft is no longer the country's party of the environment. This issue - with which GreenLeft distinguished itself from other parties such as Labour and the SP for many years - has been somewhat neglected by the party leadership. In recent years, they've focused more on issues such as law and order and the multicultural society. This has placed the party in a similar position to that of the D66 democrats.
Both these parties now suffer from a lack of that certain something which distinguishes them from the others, leaving them floating somewhat in the centre ground of Dutch politics - an area which has become increasingly overcrowded in recent years. Although the polls are currently forecasting that D66 may not even win any seats at all in the November elections, the GreenLeft party is doing better than that. However, it looks like the party is set to lose seats, and may well drop from its current eight MPs to as few as four.
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Election manifesto commitments: Socialist Party: 'A better Netherlands for the same price' |
Tags: Dutch monarchy., election, Green Left, GroenLinks, healthcare, labour, members, NATO, party, socialist party, SP