By political editor John Tyler
22-12-2007
People with guts go against the flow; defy accepted notions and conventions. Radio Netherlands Worldwide presents a series of portraits of people who this year proved they had guts. They could be a politician, an idealist or your next-door neighbour.
One of these people is Dutch politician Rita Verdonk. Once minister of immigration and integration, now leading a party of one in the Dutch parliament. She wants to be seen as tough-talking, gutsy, a Dutch Margaret Thatcher. But how has she used her political boldness? Has it served her well in Dutch politics?
Politician of the year
Measured by political achievement, Verdonk's style has not served her well, at least not lately. She is isolated in parliament, and has not had much influence on policy. But measured by public image and popularity, she is doing well. She was voted politician of the year 2007 in a major national survey, and she has been doing well in other public opinion polls.
Her boldness got her kicked out of the Conservative VVD Party, and the party almost split in two. She had been the most visible leader of the party, serving as minister of immigration in two cabinets between 2003 and 2006. As minister, Verdonk established herself as tough on immigration, a protector of Dutch values, and a fierce opponent of multi-culturalism.
But after the elections, Verdonk had to retreat to the parliament benches. She had trouble accepting her position as number two in the party. When her famed forthrightness resulted in a number of public spats with party leader Mark Rutte, she got the boot.
Outsider
Now she's launched her own movement, called Proud of the Netherlands. She plans to use the movement to prepare for the next elections, which may not take place until 2011.
Rita Verdonk has succeeded in positioning herself as an outsider. Like other populists before her, she's attracting people disillusioned by politics as usual. That has not ingratiated her with the political establishment. As part of the same survey mentioned above, her colleagues in parliament voted her one of the worst politicians of the year.
No guts
Henk Ormel is an MP from the Christian Democrat party. He agrees that Verdonk has guts, but says,
"in politics you need to have more than guts. Sometimes you need more guts to keep quiet than to shout."
The new number two in the Conservative VVD Party, Henk Kamp, doesn't think Mrs Verdonk showed guts when she quit the party, but kept her seat in parliament. "You need a lot of courage to stop, to quit, and to do something else besides being a member of parliament. She didn't choose for that."
Staf Depla of the Labour Party was surprised that Mrs Verdonk hasn't taken part in more debates in parliament, now that she's on her own.
"A member of parliament has guts if she's there when her issues are discussed. But when the main issues were debated, she wasn't in the parliament."
Positive
At least one representative has more respect for Rita Verdonk, and he is well-placed to comment on her latest career move: Geert Wilders.
Rita Verdonk talking to Geert Wilders
(ANP Photo)
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Like Verdonk, he is a former member of the Conservative VVD party. And, also like her, Wilders is now the leader of his own movement on the far right of the political spectrum.
He told Radio Netherlands Wordwide that Mrs Verdonk does have guts.
"She took the initiative not to be part of a party where she didn't feel welcome anymore."
Punished
Wilders went on to say that courage is the most important quality in a politician.
"Unfortunately, if you have guts in our Dutch political system, it will be punished. If you speak out for your constituents, often, you will not be rewarded." Geert Wilders has been rewarded for his boldness. His Freedom Party has nine seats in the current parliament. Rita Verdonk has her sights set a little higher. When she launched her new movement, she revealed that she would like to become prime minister someday. Right now, that looks like nothing but a pipedream. But one thing we have learned from Iron Rita - never underestimate a lady with guts.
Tags:
Freedom Party,
Geert Wilders,
guts,
Immigration,
Proud of the Netherlands,
Rita Verdonk,
VVD,
VVD
BF,
blakefinley@transpacific.net,
07-01-2008
- USA
Who would want to emulate the policies of Baroness Thatcher, a political relic and bedfellow of Ronald Reagan and the Bush family, all of whose political policies have destroyed their countries' infrastructures, created a revolting gentrification, and set social democracy and social equity back by at least 50 years? Holland appears to be falling apart at the seams via irrational political extremism at both ends of the spectrum, and political oddballs on the fringe stepping up to seek leadership. It seems like the Dutch should be scrutinizing what is manipulating the country (media? covert political operations?) into such fragmentation nonsensical radicalism, whether right or left. Perhaps the objective is to turn a country that was once a model of progressivism into an object of sneering ridicule for the corporate neo-fascist onslaught, exemplary of Baroness Thatcher and her overflowing storehouses of withheld milk. Greed is an Illness.
William Stout,
26-12-2007
- U.S.A.
Judging from what I have read about Rita Verdonk, I wish that she would run for President here in the U.S. in 2008.
Sandra,
24-12-2007
- Nederlands
I forgot to add to that article, I think Rita Verdonk will become the first female president. I will tell you why. I think a lot of men have underestimated a woman's abilitiy to rule a country successfully. When VVD [Dutch conservative party, ed] kicked Rita Verdonk out, they succeeded in making a lot of women angry, even buitenlanders [foreigners], even if they never supported her views before, it was insulting to see the way Mark Rutte ousted Rita Verdonk in that male ego selfish way. It seemed that the VVD was discriminitory towards Rita Verdonk because she is a woman and because she proved to be a lot tougher than Mark Rutte who obviously road on Rita Verdonk's popularity when he needed her, then threw her away like garbage when she proved to be more intelligent then the rest of VVD male ego idiots, it bruised Mark Ruttes ego. For those reasons as well, Rita Verdonk has not only taken support away from VVD supporters, she has also gained many supporters from women and gay people from all nationalities living in the Netherlands.
Sandra,
24-12-2007
- Nederlands
Interestingly, Rita Verdonk and Geert Wilders seem to be the only ones who really speak up for Gay rights and Women's rights, so of course they get a lot of support. Not only that, they are good allies of the Jewish community, something that is not seen much from the leftist groups because they are too preoccupied with defending illegal immigrants and criminals who should be deported and not the legal ones who have Dutch spouses.
