Friday, June 05, 2009

A fifth seat for the Freedom Party?

Will the Freedom Party be second?

Press agency ANP reported that Geert Wilders' Freedom Party (PVV) may get a fifth seat in the European Parliament (EP). It was widely reported that the PVV stood at 4 seats. But the latest results show more gains for the PVV.

The Christian-Democrats (CDA) still stand at 5 seats. If the PVV gets 5 seats they will be equally large as the CDA and they will be equal to what used to be the biggest Dutch party in the EU parliament. All the other Dutch parties will be smaller than the PVV in Europe.

This may serve as a constant reminder to all the Europhile politicians that there is a strong undercurrent of hostility to greater power to the EU and its institutions.

Voter turnout and legitimacy of the EP

The voter turnout was not impressive. In The Netherlands around 36-37 percent of those eligible to vote, did. This alone should make the legitimacy of the EP, which passes around 80 percent of all legislation of the EU member states, questionable.

Turkey's membership of the EU

The PVV will be able to voice its opposition to allowing Turkey in the EU. It is essential that this country be stopped. Membership of the EU would mean free access of Turkeys 70 million citizens to Europe's Housing and Labour markets. With Turkey's double digit unemployment this would mean a dangerous reinforcement of the existing Turkish and Muslim communities in Europe's towns and cities. Turkey would be the second biggest nation in the EU, measured by population.

Wilders has categorically stated that Turkey can not be a member of the EU. Because it is a Muslim country.

That message must continually be restated in the EP.

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