Last week, the Interior Minister, Guusje ter Horst told Vrij Nederland, a Dutch opinion magazine that she was hoping for a "revolt of the elite" against what she called "the extreme right".
Minister G. ter Horst
Crushing dissenters and opposition
This remark met with well-deserved derision. How can you revolt when you are in charge?
What she meant was of course that the peaceful opposition by a part of the population must be surpressed with force. Such force as was used by Minister ter Horst's police to arrest Dutch Cartoonist Gregorius Nekschot with a swat team of ten police men forcing themselves into his house. Or the threat to reveal his identity so Jihadists would know who to kill.
Liberal psychology
Still, the remark of the revolt of the elite tells something essential about the mindset of the Liberals. The self image of liberals is that they are always outnumbered and besieged, never mind how much their hands clench the reigns of power. No matter how puny the means of their opponents. The liberal giant thinks it is a dwarf.
With such a self-image they can justify the worst abuse of power. To themselves. And it leads the Liberal elite to overreaction and excess, which in the end will enhance the stature of their right-wing opponents.
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