Christmas

A merry Christmas to all

Dutch elite is out of answers

Collectively flabbergasted

A Dutch polling firm, TNS Nipo, conducted a survey under 400 members of people who are regarded as the elite (Dutch). Out of the 400 administrators, CEO's, scientists, high ranking civil servants, bankers, politicians and cultural authorities polled, 250 participated. More than half of them has no confidence that the Dutch administrative elite will be able to formulate a policy to counter the wave of pupulism which is making waves since the 2001 Fortuyn revolution. Although three- quarters of those polled sees populism embodies in the rise of Geert Wilders'Freedom Party (PVV) as problematic and damaging to the international stature of The Netherlands.

In short, the Dutch elite is ready to bow and scrape for the PVV, despite not liking the party, nor the citizens they represent, understanding the concerns of neither the former nor the latter.

Contrasting Europe with Islam

Austrian MP Ewald Stadler juxtaposed the contemporary attitude of Muslim societies viz Christians with that displayed by European or Christian societies against its Muslims.



The man is on a roll!

A bomb under the Wilders retrial

The end of the first trial

This blog just featured a post about the Amsterdam Court's intention to set up a retrial for Geert Wilders. The previous trial ended in a defeat for the court and a victory for Geert Wilders, when the latter was granted substitution of the judges for bias. I did some checking on the antecedents of the new judges on by-offices and such.

Registers of by-offices

For checking I used namenlijst.rechtspraak.nl and Burhoven. Rechtspraak.nl has a register of side jobs and by-offices of judges. It get its information from the judges themselves. Burhoven is a resource set up by a whistelblower which has tons of background information on legal functionaries, including judges. It seems to feed itself from traditional paper publications in the form of registers in book form published by the courts and the ministry of Justice.

Two passes

I checked on the three surnames. I found nothing at all for judge Van Oosten. Junior judge Boeree has one job next to her job as a judge. She is a teacher at OSR/SSR. A check on the internet shows this is an educational organisation for people working in the legal field. So far so good. Checking on senior judge G.P.C. Janssen I found three innocious jobs in the rechtspraak.nl ledger. I found nothing on judges Boeree and Van Oosten on the aforementioned Burhoven private resource on by-offices of legal functionaries.

The appearance of bias rears its ugly head again

But on checking judge G.P.C. Janssen I discovered he has a side job which is not registered on rechtspraak.nl. He is Voorzitter Stichting Rechtsbijstand Asiel Amsterdam in Amsterdam since January 1, 2000. That says he is the Chairman of the refugee legal aid foundation. An organisation which can be expected to be hostile to the aims of a politician who is trying to restrict the abilities of third world and muslim refugees such as Mr. Wilders. Comparing the other details in both the rechtspraak.nl and the Burhoven register, both entries concern the same person.

The bias bomb

If this entry in the latter register is correct, there is an "appearance of bias", which caused the previous judges to be substituted.

Wilders soon on re-trial

The Court of Amsterdam again

The Court of Amsterdam today, November 11, published its intention to put Mr. Geert Wilders on trial again. Mr. Wilders is accused of "Hate Crimes" against Muslims. Many of the cited crimes consist of quotes from the Quran and other authorative Islamic sources. This intention was just published on a website of the Courts, rechtspraak.nl. The judges of the Amsterdam Court is to have the trial "soon". In order to set a new date for a new trial the Court states that it is "in negotiation with the parties concerned".

The names of the judges

The message of the court states that the judges which will try Wilders are judge and Chairman A.A.M. van Oosten, senior judge G.P.C. Janssen and junior judge J.C. Boeree.

More bias in the Amsterdam Court

Bias, bias, BIAS

Last Friday 22 Oktober saw the culmination of the show trial against Geert Wilders. The show trial had become so obviously a show trial that even the Amsterdam Court had to admit it. A précís of the bias that the Amsterdam Court revealed during the trial:

1. The Judges allowed only three of the eighteen witnesses Geert Wilders and his Defense laywer had asked for.

2. The instruction by the Amsterdam Court's Judges ordering the Public Prosecutor (OM) to prosecute Geert Wilders for Hate Speech, discrimination and all that malarky was dripping with bias.

The Court of Appeal has considered that the contested views of Wilders (also as shown in his movie Fitna) constitute a criminal offence according to Dutch law as seen in connection with each other, both because of their contents and the method of presentation.

As can be seen the order was written in a way which presumes Geert Wilders' guilt. There is no presumtion of innocence in this instruction by the Judges of the Amsterdam Court. This was pointed out by Wilders' defense Bram Moskowicz on 22 October. One of these judges and the main author of the injunction was Justice Tom Schalken.

3. In the first days of the trial Judge Jan Moor used language which agreed with Geert Wilders' political opponents. When Wilders used his right to remain silent Moors needled him saying: "It is said that you avoid debate". In spite of all the evidence of Wilders being part of the debate by writing essays, books, debating in Parliament, his speeches, speaking to the press and making a film this biased Judge still accuses him of avoiding the debate. And the enormity of it is that while he said it Wilders was sitting in a courtroom under threat of fining and imprisonment. For Wilders to speak might land him in jail. Such conditions are not conditions for debate, but for interrogation, for cross-examination.

4. Judge Moors then showed his bias, by expressing his understanding when one of the plaintiffs wanted to leave the courtroom when Wilders' movie Fitna was about to be shown. Thus he expressed what his opinion was of Wilders expressions in Fitna. Fitna was offensive to Muslims.

5. Finally Judge Moors did not want to hear Arabist Hans Jansen, on his supper with supper club "Vertigo" where Justice Schalken tried to influence expert witness Professor Jansen by convincing him that the trial was a rightious cause.

The President of the Amsterdam Court: SUPER BIASED

Finally the substitution court substituted Judge Moors and the other the judges on account of their bias. Geert Wilders registered a complaint against Tom Schalken for influencing a key witness, which has to be the subject of another trial. That very evening a news program, Nieuwsuur, interviewed the President of the Amsterdam Court Leendert Verheij. President Verheij issued a CATEGORAL statement that there was in no aspect whatsoever that Mr. Schalken tried to influence the evidence of the expert witness (Hans Jansen) in the Wilders Trial.

BIAS! If the President of the Amsterdam Court categorically denies the charges that have been laid against Justice Schalken, how can the Amsterdam Court be considered neutral, an arbiter on whether Geert Wilders was wronged by Justice Schalken?

Bastards, bastards, bastards!

The whole Amsterdam is a sham from its decayed head to its rotten core. The judges are completely oblivious to the possibilty that there are other legitimate points of view apart from theirs.

Turkish EU Consul threatens Freedom Party (PVV)

Talking like a real Turk

Kleinverzet has a story on Freedom Party (PVV) EU MP Barry Madlener questioning the consul to the EU Egemen Bagis. MP Madlener asked why the government of Turkey refused to meet with PVV leader Geert Wilders, who is opposed to Turkey joining the EU. MP Madlener added:

You are good friends with Iranian dictator Ahmadinejad, while you shun my party's leader. It is a disgrace.

The consul of the Turks responded with a personal attack on Wilders and Madlener

Racism is a dangerous disease from which Europe suffers much. It is clear there are still people suffering from it. Mr. Madlener, we will cure you.

In addition to a personal smear, this is a direct threat against Mr. Madlener, Mr. Wilders and those who stand with them. How will the Turks "cure" those who oppose their joining the EU? Will they cure them with the cure the Armenians received less than a century years ago, when they were against remaining a part of the Ottoman Empire?

Seeing but not seeing

Indicative of the refusal of the EU elite to see reality of Turkish and Muslim irredentism for what it is, the EU secratariat ommitted the remarks by the consult of the Turks from the meeting notes. Quoting Kleinverzet:

Thomas Grünert, secretary of the EP, says the remarks made by the Turkish minister were not included, because it wasn't 'really a political point'. According to him it was something personal between the Bagis and Madlener.

We didn't think it was in the interest of the governance of the European Union to emphasise the confrontation between the Turkish minister and Madlener.

Judge Tom Schalken torpedoes trial against Geert Wilders

And in view of the harbour a ship goes under

Just before the hearings were to end the Geert Wilders Hate Speech trial run aground. Geert Wilders' Defense laywer Bram Moscowicz demanded again that the three judges presiding over the trial ought to be removed. The cause for the request by Wilders' Defense was an article by daily De Pers (Dutch) on a supper with one of the judges, Tom Schalken. Justice Schalken was one of the judges who had ordered the the public prosecutors (OM) to prosecute Geert Wilders for Hate Speech. This blog was the first English language blog to feature an article on witness Professor Hans Jansen's supper with Justice Tom Schalken and his friends. During the supper Justice Schalken tried to convince witness Hans Jansen that it was right to put Wilders on trial. This was three days before Hans Jansen had to witness in Court.

What happened? Who did what?

This dinner happened in early May. A few days ago, Hans Jansen wrote this piece for politically incorrect blog Hoeiboei (Dutch). Two days ago, on Wednesday this piece was published by the editor Annelies van der Veer, the owner of Hoeiboei. This Hoeiboei blog is a group blog that often features pieces on Islam by Professor Hans Jansen. The piece was also picked up by free newspaper De Pers which published some exerpts yesterday, just before midnight AND by Powned a right-liberal blog with a TV program yesterday at around 22:30.

Striking the iron while its hot

This morning Wilders' defense demanded from the three judges that they would be substituted, with the De Pers article to give his demand extra weight. The substitution chamber or Wrakingskamer was reconvened in the early afternoon and this time the request was granted. Thus the whole trial is a mistrial and has to be done over. Possibly the next time the fifteen witnesses which had been refused to speak on behalf of Geert Wilders' defense may now be allowed to add their testimony.

How could this happen?

It defies belief that the substitution chamber turned down the request for the judges to be substituted twice and finally granted it on account of a supper. Once when presiding judge Jan Moors attacked Geert Wilders for remaining silent, in words remniscent of Wilders' political opponents. Judge Moors made himself suspect of being biased again by saying that he understood that plaintiffs wanted to leave the Court room when "Fitna", a Islam critical documentary by Wilders was shown. The reason that a story about a supper where a Justice tried to convince a witness of the rightness of the trial against Wilders finally did make the substitution chamber to ask for new judges must be that they are starting to realize that the Court system are facing a mayor loss of trust form the Dutch public in this trial.

The emergence of critical media

This loss of trust is to a large extend the result of critical reporting on blogs such as GeenStijl, the associated Powned TV station, the emergence of smaller blogs such as Hoeiboei which give participants in the trial such as witness Hans Jansen a platform to speak from. Add to that the emergence of free newspapers such as De Pers which do not toe the party line of the Political and Judiciary elite. Finally the Justice Minister which puppeteered the prosecution of Geert Wilders for Hate Crimes and the rest was replaced by Ivo Opstelten. Mr. Opstelten has negotiated the new government including their tacit and essential support by Geert Wilders' Freedom Party (PVV). He is wont to be helpful to Geert Wilders.

A changed country

The Netherlands has changed considerably as far as media and politics are concerned and the Judiciary was caught napping. Perhaps they will make a come back against Geert Wilders in the new trial and catch Geert Wilders and his defense napping.

Anti-Wilders Judge pressure defense witness

The painting "Eminence grise" by François Leclerc du Tremblay

Trust of the Dutch public in judges

An opinion poll shows that only a third of the Dutch public trusts (Dutch) the independence of the Court which is conducting a trial against Geert Wilders. Fully a third DISTRUSTS the Court in the case against Geert Wilders. The trust in judges is generally low too, but not as low as in the Wilder trial. Forty-five percent of those polled generally trusts judges, 20 percent do not. Perhaps those who trust the Amsterdam Court are naive. Read the article and judge for yourself.

Old friends keep in touch

Now one of the witnesses called up by the defense, Orientalist Hans Jansen, reveals on the Hoeiboei blog (Dutch) that on May 3 2010 he was invited by an old friend Bertus Hendriks. Hendriks is a leftist journalist and an activist for the Palestinian cause. Mr. Hendriks invited him for a supper at which "other friends" would be present. They wanted to speak about the Wilders trial and Islam. Later in that week, Professor Jansen was to be heard as an expert-witness by the Court of Amsterdam.

The omens

Professor Hans Jansen writes that he turned up early for the supper, a habit "born out of uncertainty". If this reference to fear is not ominious enough Hans Jansen wrote earlier that his friend Hendriks has called him "a representant of a generation whose time is over". Both Jansen and Hendriks are from 1942.

Eminences grises make their appearance

The professor then meets one of the other guests. Justice or Raadsheer Tom Schalken. Justice Schalken is one of the members of the council chamber or raadskamer which ordered the Public Prosecutors (OM) Meester Velleman and Meester Van Roesel to put Geert Wilders on trial for hate speech, discrimination and all that malarky. The justice starts a conversation about Islam. Professor Jansen replies by asking whether he may be arrested for what he says and demands a guarantee he will not get a run in with the law, now that people can be tried and punished for voicing opinions on Islam. They came to the agreement that the professor would not be arrested for what he was going to say that evening. As the other guests arrived several of them turned out to be magistrates as well. All these powers in the land were members of Labour and the Greens or PvdA and GroenLinks as we know them.

Mr. Jansen keeps the rest of the conversation confidential.

The article by Professor Jansen elaborates that if speech is criminalized persuation and thusly politics by persuation becomes difficult.

Influence peddling

But the most damning aspect of the episode is that the judges that ordered the trial, tried to influence the trial by influencing one of the witnesses.

Standing up against Liberals requires a straight back

A Conservative dancing to the Liberal tune

Mr. Auster, who runs the VFR blog, features a reader's anecdote in a recent article:

A reader heard NY Republican candidate Carl Paladino tell Sean Hannity on the radio today that he has no problem going into homosexual bars......What a thing for a gubernatorial candidate--let alone a conservative gubernatorial candidate who has strongly criticized the normalization of homosexuality--to say.

Mr. Auster then draws a conclusion he has drawn before:

When he first appeared on the scene, Paladino seemed like a tough-guy Italian-American maverick ready to do battle with liberalism. In reality he's a babe in the liberal woods, helplessly eager to show himself a "good guy" by liberal and homosexual standards. This latest embarrassing statement of his is further support for my position that you cannot effectively challenge the ruling liberalism unless (a) you understand liberalism, and (b) you stand outside liberalism, on non-liberal ground that is independent of liberalism.

Where does Wilders stand?

On the same day I read a quote from a book "Choose Freedom" or Kies voor Vrijheid by Mr. Geert Wilders. The quote concerns his reasons for admiring his teacher of the political handwork Frits Bolkenstein. Mr. Bolkenstein opposed the excesses of Multi-Culturalism in the 90ies. Geert Wilders writes:

Bolkenstein taught me, choose a point of view, support it with a basis of good arguments, do not be afraid of criticism and do not yield an inch, certainly not when the Leftist community in political and media circles in the political centre of The Hague attack you and try to corner you.

Mr. Auster says that an attack on Liberalism must be mounted on a foundation of non-liberalism.

Is Wilders a Liberal or not?

Is Wilders' attack on Multi-Cultural Liberalism non-liberal or is his critique grounded in another, older or classical form of Liberalism. If it is the latter, than his attack is in danger to develop to the same stage that present day Multi-Cultural Liberalism has reached, namely of an anti-western movement, hostile to the Dutch nation and the other historic nations of the West. I will address this question in a second post.

Truth is a defense according to Geert Wilders' defense

Speaking the truth about Islam

One of the most worrying and totalitarian aspects of the Geert Wilders show trial occurred last Friday. Friday, on day five of the trial the Public Prosecutor (OM) advised the judges to drop the hate speech, racism and discrimination charges against Wilders. Which is nice for Wilders. But what about other Dutch citizens who want to use the Freedom of Speech? The trial is relevant for all citizens. A verdict that Geert Wilders' criticism of Islam is protected by the Free Speech provision would support all those who want to speak the truth about Islam and the Multi-Cultural society. For instance, Geert Wilders' defense, Moszkowicz, had argued that what he had said about Islam was the truth and could therefore not be the subject of legal proceedings against him.

Prosecution: EMOTIONS are fundamental

The reaction of the Prosecutors (OM) was in essence that speaking the truth, does not protects speech from the scutiny of the courts. Ferdy at Kleinverzet sums up the argument of the Prosecution (OM) as follows:

the prosecutor argues that truth is irrelevant. What's relevant is the emotion the speaker generates. Does the speaker generate a hate emotion? Does the speaker divide society in two groups and does he warn against a dangerous conflict between those groups? The [thought] crime depends also on how tense the situation in society is.

Truth is no defense

Truth is no defense. What is relevant is the judgement by the judges on the EMOTIONS speech may generate. This gives judges enormous leeway to prosecute and punish people who critizise Islam or any other ideology. This means that ideological debates are very difficult, because critics of an idea must always take into account the possibility that a judge may punish them for "Hate Speech" on the flimsiest of all grounds, namely on his perception of immaterial EMOTIONS of sections of the public.

The olichargs

Under such circumstances political debate is highly circumscribed by a narrow elite of 1,600 judges. The parliamentary democracy we have in The Netherlands is just for show, it is a legal olichargy that decides what is debated and what not.

Geert Wilders and Galileo

Today Geert Wilders defense attacked the idea that truth is no defense. He compared Geert Wilders to Galileo, who in the 17th century famously argued that the earth revolves around the sun. This earned him censure from the Roman Catholic Church who muzzled him. After Galileo's death however it became an accepted fact that the sun is the centre piece of the solar system. The church lost a lot of respect by attempting to smother ideas which helped to advance our knowledge of the natural world.

Persuation versus pure will

In the political world free debate is even more essential than in science. Politics avoids the use of violence. It is through persuation that thorny issues must be resolved. Persuation is impossible if certain truth are not permeitted out in the open. If the legal system impedes the free exchange of ideas in the political arena, politics becomes a matter of pure will. The political and legal elite attempt to make the public conform to its ideology and worldview by the use of force, the force of the police and the prisons.

Examples of the use of force

This is not theoretical. Last week a webmaster was convicted for publishing "Hate speech" made by a commenter on a forum that he owned: www.misdefinitie.nl (Dutch). Gregorius Nekschot, a Dutch cartoonist was arrested by a force of ten policemen, who impounded his PC and other possessions he needed for his work and then left him to wait on a verdict for two years. The verdict left him off the hook. For now. Others were convicted as well.

Defending principles

It is great that Mr. Wilders defense, Mr. Moszkowicz, is making a point of principle against the judges and the Public Prosecutor (OM). Mr. Wilders has always insited that he wants to effect his platform , without the use of violence. For him to defend Freedom of Speech (FOS) makes eminent sense, persuation is the only path open for him. Even if the judges deny the point in the verdict on Wilders, it helps that attention is asked for this essential part of the Freedoms which define te West. It is the duty of all patriots to defend the West, its abstract Freedoms and its concrete societies, in this case the Dutch nation.

Burning down Mosques; a serious problem?

Lawrence Auster who blogs at VFR quotes an AP article on the laywers on behalf of the plaintiffs in the trial against Mr. Geert Wilders:

Mr Enait, from Rotterdam, said the mosque he attended as a child had been burned down. Dozens of mosques in the Netherlands were burned in 2004 in apparent retaliatory attacks after the killing of filmmaker Theo van Gogh by an Islamic radical who is now serving a life sentence.

Mr. Auster comments:

Dozens of mosques were burned in the Netherlands in 2004? If this were true, wouldn't we have, ah, heard something about it at the time?

Snouck's Commentary:
On 2 November 2004 Filmmaker Theo van Gogh was assassinated. The Dutch press reported a wave of attacks on mosques and Islamic schools. A number of churches was also attacked.

There are more than four hundred mosques in The Netherlands. Some attacks were very light, mere insulting graffiti texts. Schools and mosques were defiled with manure and (pigs) blood. There were also many more serious attempts at arson, by ethnic Dutch youngsters, who often added nationalist or neo-nazi graffiti. Several attacks were succesful. Schools and mosques were actually burned down. Although, the intensity of the violence lessened as time passed, it continues until today. Before 2004 there were already occassional attacks against mosques.

Recently arson was attempted against a mosque in the North (Selwerd) and a shot or shots were fired at a mosque in Dordrecht and other towns.

Looking at the pattern of the attacks I note that hardly any mosques are attacked in the mayor cities with large Muslim and non-white populations. The attacks are mostly in towns, where ethnic Dutch are the majority, but where there is a Muslim presence which is large enough to anger but not intimidate the local population.

Two days ago Mr. Geert Wilders tweeted on Twitter

the fewer mosques in The Netherlands, the better. But violence against existing mosques is unacceptable and must be fought and punished.

The Wilders show trial goes into its second week

Increasingly farcical proceedings

Today on Monday 18 October 2010 the Wilders show trial goes into its second week. The term "show trial" is a reference to the Moscow show trials, which Stalin used to eliminate his enemies, who met a tragic fate through them. The Wilders trial was intended by the Amsterdam judges to eliminate Wilders as an viable enemy of the Multi-Cultural society. But now the trial is descending into a farce, with the judges and plaintiffs ending up on the losing side. History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, then as a farce. Said Karl Marx.

The lineup of jokers

This week representatives of 17 organisations are lined up to complain about what Mr. Wilders has said in the past 5 years. A Moroccan, Mohammed Rabbae, former prominent politician for the Greens or GroenLinks made a statement this morning (Dutch). The statement consisted of a long summing up of encounters of "racism" by Muslim immigrants. According to Rabbae Muslims in the Netherlands feel hostility against them and their life becomes unbearable. This racism was supposed to be result of public statements by Mr. Geert Wilders. The 17 organisations demand that Geert Wilders is fined 1 Euro for making these statements.

The punchline

The target of Mr. Wilders' statements is not so much immigrants, but Multi-Cultural society and the ideology of Multi-Culturalism. Mr. Rabbae's statement that life in Multi-Cultural Dutch society is unbearable actually gives more thrust to Wilders' arguments that the Multi-Cultural ideology is a failure. People from such different ethnic and religious backgrounds cannot live together well. That is in my opinion the real joke of this trial and the "Hate Speech" legislation.

Eight Hundred Posts

The number of posts on this blog is now eight hundred.

German PM kills Multiculturalism

Christian-Democrat Prime Minister Angela Merkel has launched a frontal attack on the Germany's Multi-Culturalist ideology

Germany's attempts to create a multicultural society have "utterly failed", Chancellor Angela Merkel has said, urging immigrants to do more to integrate, including learning to speak German.

The Chairman of the Bavarian Christian Democrats went even further. Mr. Horst Seehofer,

has rejected any relaxation of immigration laws and said last week there was no room in Germany for more people from “alien cultures”.

Things are moving with lightning speed in Germany. It is an incredible sight to see leaders of mainstream parties attacking Multi-culturalist dogma. In the largest nation in Europe. This will have a major impact in Germany's neighbouring countries.

Dutch prosecutors want charges against Wilders to be dropped

Let him go

The prosecutors of Geert Wilders never wanted to prosecute him. They thought his remarks were not brazen enough and that he is too well funded, too powerful. They were dragged along kicking and screaming. The judges of the Amsterdam court had to ORDER the prosecutors Paul Velleman and Birgit van Roessel to prosecute Mr. Wilders. Now they have defied the judges and recommended dropping all charges, which they had gathered from the plaintiffs.

The judges have the last word

It were the judges of the Amsterdam Court who want to put him on trial. And they can still punish him for what he said about Muslims and Islam. They will need a lot of spine, though. With top level support for the trial from the eminence grise Hirsch Ballin gone just a few days ago, the judges will be instructed by the new Minister of Justice right-liberal, Mr. Ivo Opstelten. Mr. Opstelten was oppointed yesterday. He was the formateur who put the new Rutte government together. This government relies on support from Geert Wilders' Freedom Party (PVV).

Old friends

Mr. Wilders formerly belonged to the same party as Mr. Opstelten, te right-liberal VVD. Mr. Opstelten was formerly mayor of Utrecht, in the 1990ies. In this function he got to know Geert Wilders well, who was a member of the Utrecht municipal council or gemeenteraadslid learning the ropes of practical politics under the eyes of Mr. Opstelten.

We do not know what will happen, what the verdict of the judges will be. But I would daresay that it is not looking too bad.This is important because a harsh verdict for Mr.Wilders will mean that political speech on immigration, multicultural society and Islam will be stifled for years to come. If the judges let Mr. Wilders go as well, the debate will continue.

For further insights in the Wilders trial I point to today's Kleinverzet blogpost.

Hearing but not hearing

Persecution by rulers

King David, the Psalmist, wrote 3,000 years ago:

Psalm 119: 161-163

161 Rulers persecute me without cause,
but my heart trembles at your word.

162 I rejoice in your promise
like one who finds great spoil.

163 I hate and abhor falsehood
but I love your law.

Could have been written for Mr. Wilders

Enforcing the correct view of the elite

The previous week was the week of the Wilders Show Trial. It is a show trial because an important goal of the people who ordered that the Public Prosecutor (OM) should undertake a case against Geert Wilders for Defamation, Hate Crimes and Discrimination was to SHOW the public what would happen to them if they would voice negative opinions against classes protected by the law. These protected classes are women, gays and minorities including Muslims. Their protection is defined in Article 1 of the constitution, article 137 of the Penal Code and the Case Law pertaining to Dutch citizens voicing negative opinions about protected classes. These laws came in effect in the early 1980ies and earlier.

The complaints against Wilders by a large number of Dutch complainants consisted of the charge that, verbally, in writing and by making a film "Fitna":
-Mr. Wilders defamed Muslims as a group, on account of their religion;
-That he incited the public to have hateful feelings towards Muslims, discriminating against them;
-Called for a ban against the Koran, in the way of the ban of Mein Kampf;
-Discribing Islam as a violent, hateful and supremacist religion, a political ideology and a program of conquest;

Around eighty related charges, brought by around forty plaintiffs. Full text of Geert Wilders' summons in English.

It was also a show trial, because the judges already knew what to think about Mr. Wilders' opinions. Judge Jan Moors revealed in which camp he was at the first day of the trial. It was the intention of the court to cross-examine Geert Wilders. Through his laywer Mr. Geert Wilders told the court he would use his right to remain silent. Everything he wanted to say had been said he insisted. Mr. Wilders did read a prepared statement. He insisted that not only his person was on trial, but through him the freedom of speech.

The three judges went into consultation in a backroom and when they returned Judge Moors spake thus:

The court has read the files, but the court also read newspapers and watches television these days. You have been accused by others of being good at stating an position but unwilling to debate it. It looks as if you’re doing the same thing today.

This charge has been leveled at him by his political opponents even at times when he had just debated his opponents and very ably too.


Hearing but not hearing


What is happening here is that the believers in the Multicultural fantasy do literally not believe their ears. Whenever a well spoken opponent of the Multicultural ideology and critic of the Multi-cultural society explains what is wrong with their ideology and its result, the Multi-cultural mess speaks to the pious Multi-culti believer they act in the following way.

Theology is not political science

After a critic has given his reasons they immediately dismiss what they just heard and even accuse the critic of not being willing to debate. So what is their definition of a debate? Their definition of a debate is a conversation in which both speakers eventually agree that Multi-cultural society is truly great and that Multiculturalism is the only valid way of thinking. The Multi-culturalist's belief in the earthly heaven of Multi-culturalism is theological, confusing an ideal and dreamed state of being with a political project and a legal framework for a real existing society.

They literally think they can bring heaven on earth, by their manipulations.

The judiciary and its power

Unfortunately the members of this deluded sect hold true power as the owners of the political parties and appointers of the judiciary.

The task of Geert Wilders is showing that this is so. He is trying to show his supporters and the population at large that the Courts are in a state of delusion.

What must be done?

The next step must be too gain enough power to be able to influence the selection and appointment of judges in order to get a magistracy which works for the Dutch nation and not against it.  

Christian Democrat MPs support minority government

MPs apply seal of approval

Three days ago on 5 October the Christian Democrat CDA parliamentary fraction supported the agreement or regeeraccoord between them, the right-liberal VVD and the populist Freedom Party or PVV. The support was moot because two members of the CDA fraction are opposed to a government with PVV support. The two unsupportive MPs are Kathleen Ferrier and Adriaan Koppejan.

I rather prematurely suggested that the agreement was a done deal, after a congress of CDA members approved it on Saturday. I hope it really IS finished now :-)

Geert Wilders addresses the Germans in Berlin

Geert Wilders addresses the biggest nation in Europe

From the International Freedom Alliance a clip of Mr. Geert Wilders addressing a audience of Germans in Berlin. This was on 2 October. Mr. Wilders is speaking in German. The clip is subtitled in English.

Islam and the Multi-Cultural elite

In the video Mr. Wilders addresses the danger posed by Islam to Germany and the West. The Multi-Culturalist elite that assist Islam in increasing its power in Germany. As an antidote he prescribes that Germans refuse to accept inherited guilt, take pride in the German nation, the Christian heritage and take upon themselves the burden of the duty to defend their nation and civilisation.

The video is below.

Geert Wilders, speech in Berlin, 2nd OCT 2010 (English subtitles) from International Freedom Alliance on Vimeo.

The video can be found here.

The Wilders hate speech trial is resumed

Geert Wilders Hate Speech trial
Today on Monday the Fourth of October 2010 the trial against Geert Wilders was resumed. There is an excellent write-up by Ferdy at KleinVerzet on this trial.

Attacking the squatter movement head on

Check the picture here for better focus.

Weak protection of property rights

More than a month ago I wrote about the weakness of the protection of property rights in The Netherlands, especially in Amsterdam. Now this blog will feature an article on the improvement in the protection of property rights.

You see, since the late 1960ies it had been so that squatters who took over someone's real estate would receive more protection from the courts and police than the owner of the property. If the owner would try to take back the property the squatters would be able to call the police and the courts would convict owners for the use of violence against people in their own house. The police would seldomly come to evict the squatters, as long as the squatters limited themselves to squatting in houses which had been unoccupied for half a year or longer.

Rolling back the squatter movement

With the Fortuyn revolt in 2001, which was copiously supported by real estate developers the squatter tide started to recede. Early in 2010 legislation was enacted that would make squatting illegal again and which in effect would give property owners the power of the police to get their property back if it was occupied without his consent. The legislation went into effect on 1 October 2010.

Evicting squatters

Today in Amsterdam the new legislation made itself felt. The riot squad of the police evicted squatters from occupied houses in the Spuistraat in Amsterdam. The squatters had demonstrated a few days before. The demonstration had turned into a riot and pavements, windows and cars had been damaged. More importantly two policemen and a squatter were injured. The major of Amsterdam, Eberhard van der Laan, announced that the squatters would have to pay the damage, including the health bills of the policemen.

Conclusion

After 1968 most of the Western world went off the rails. The knowledge of Good and Evil was surpressed. Damage to our societies is immense. One society worst hit by the progressive wave was The Netherlands. The return to the protection of property rights is one indication that our society is on the way back to sanity, one step at the time. Let us hope that more many more steps will follow!

Wilders bashes Islamisation of Germany

For Germany and Europe

Last Saturday, the same day that a Christian Democrat congress approved a cabinet dominated by him Wilders speeched for 500 invitees in Hotel Berlin in Berlin. Mr. Wilders spoke in good German of the need for Germans saying:

In these difficult times, where our national identity is under threat, we must stop feeling guilty about who we are. We are not "kafir," we are not guilty. Like other peoples, Germans have the right to remain who they are. Germans must not become French, nor Dutch, nor Americans, nor Turks. They should remain Germans. When the Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan visited your country in 2008, he told the Turks living here that they had to remain Turks. He literally said that "assimilation is a crime against humanity." Erdogan would have been right if he had been addressing the Turks in Turkey. However, Germany is the land of the Germans. Hence, the Germans have a right to demand that those who come to live in Germany assimilate; they have the right--no they have a duty to their children--to demand that newcomers respect the German identity of the German nation and Germany's right to preserve its identity.

A new, German Freedom Party

These are great truths and they needed to be spoken. Mr. Wilders was in Berlin at the invitation of René Stadtkewitz. Mr Stadtkewitz is a former German Christian Democrat, who was expelled from the CDU (German Christian Democrat Party) for inviting Wilders and who founded a new party called "Die Freiheit" of Freedom in English.

This comes after a high ranking German Banker, Thilo Sarrazin published a book detailing the many failings of Multi-Cultural society. For the first time Multi-Culturalist orthodoxy  is under discussion in Germany, the biggest nation in Europe and its economic and political engine. Events are developing fast! The ideas of Sarrazin have great support amongst Germans. There is a great future for a populist movement in Germany too, just as in The Netherlands. If this will get Europe anywhere remains to be seen, but for now at least there is some movement, where there used to be inertia.

Right-wing government approved by CDA congress

Showing their colours

Well now the new Dutch cabinet has been put on a firm footing. The agreement or regeeraccoord that was negotiated between right-liberal VVD, Christian Democrat CDA and populist PVV was approved by a congress of CDA members in the city of Arnhem last Saturday. 4,000 members showed up and 68 percent of these approved of the participation of the CDA in the new cabinet.

Wilders and his movement becoming accepted

What is remarkable is that the ballot was not secret, but public and even live on TV. This means that 2,759 people showed their support for co-operation with Geert Wilders on TV. This breaks the ice for showing support for Wilders in a major way.

The future of the CDA

The CDA and its forerunners was the major political movement of the right in The Netherlands since the 1901 cabinet of Abraham Kuyper's ARP, the first true political party in The Netherlands. Due to ongoing secularisation the Christian Democrats have been weakening considerably. Especially in the last 20 years. With the acceptance of the populist movement the CDA is confining itself to the margin, while the PVV will take its place as the centre piece of Dutch politics.

The right-wing announces having formed a government

Here is video of the leaders of the three parties Mark Rutte, Maxime Verhagen and Geert Wilders announcing having come to an agreement. All in Dutch of course, but one can sense the relief of the three leaders.


The agreements or regeeraccoord still has to be approved by the three parties, the right-liberal VVD, the Christian-Democrat CDA and the populist PVV.

It is Done! We got a right-wing government

A King with two vassals

The news just came out a few minutes ago on De Telegraaf. There is a right-wing minority government in The Netherlands after a 111 days of negotiating. Right-Liberal VVD and Christian Democrat have agreed on a settlement (Dutch) or regeeraccoord with the populist Freedom Party (PVV) of Geert Wilders.

Edit: it is not yet done. The parties have to approve the agreement. The deal can still be torpedoed. I got carried away.

European Turks splintering away from the mainstream

The European public and European leaders reacted with concern when the Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan opposed assimilation of Turks in Europe, specifically Germany. In 2008 Erdogan said:

I repeat... assimilation is a crime against humanity [..] I explained over there (Germany) that they must differentiate very clearly between assimilation and integration.

Multi-culturalist ideologues hold that society is coming together and that national, religious and ethnic boundaries are being erased. Indeed, some boundaries are fading. Differences between religious denominations fall away as religion is taken less serious by Europeans. Regions are losing their distinct flavour as regional dialects, customs and building styles are dissapearing and replaced by individualism and blander modernist styles. However it is becoming increasingly clear that the Multi-culturalist story is overlooking new and widening chasms causing sharply separated social groupings.

There is evidence that societies in Europe are not coming together, but falling apart. Children are not going to school together. The phenomenon of "black schools" has been a contentious issue in The Netherlands for years. Some examples across Europe:

Belgium: Esther reported that a Flemish school set up separate classes for immigrants and ethnic Flemish children in response to parent requests. Read: Belgium: Apartheid in Schools.

Danmark: in two other reports Esther showed Danish schools are splitting up classes as well and the issue is alive in Sweden too. Read Danish Apartheid 1 and Danish Apartheid 2.

Germany: in his recent book "Deutschland schafft sich ab" German banker Thilo Sarrazin addresses the issue in Germany.

Austria: Gates of Vienna mentions an Viennese school with 98.5 percent foreigners in its classes.

The Netherlands: anecdotal evidence. A Turkish friend told me that the Turkish community in The Netherlands has become self-contained. He and his friends agree that they hardly meet Dutch people outside the workplace. "Dutch people do not want to know us anymore".

The setting up of a separate society does not only happen at the levels of daily social interaction the school-going anymore. Esther reports today Turkish doctors setting up clinics aimed at the market of Turks living in The Netherlands. The clinics see an opportunity to deliver their services in a way that suits Turks better, as communication with Dutch health care professionals is deemed problematic.

If society was really coming together as the Multiculturalists keep insisting, would there be so many examples of social separation accross Europe?

Ground Zero speech by Geert Wilders

A fine speech was given at Ground Zero by Geert Wilders today to commemorate the 9th anniversary of the 11 September attack by the spearhead of Islam: the Base or Al-Qaida.

Dear friends, May I ask you to be silent for ten seconds? Just be silent and listen. Ten seconds. And listen… What we hear are the sounds of life in the greatest city on earth. No place in the world, no place in human history, is as richly varied and vibrant and dynamic as New York City. You hear the cars, you hear the people, you hear them rushing to their various destinations, you hear the sounds of business and of pleasure, you hear the cheers, you hear the cries, the buzzing sounds of human activity. And that is how it should be. Always. Now close your eyes – I know it’s a beautiful day, but close your eyes. I have been told that this day nine years ago was just such a beautiful day -- and remember, or try to remember, or try to imagine the sounds which were heard here on this spot under this same blue sky exactly nine years ago. The sound of shock, the sound of MORE

The right wing says: give it another try

Sultan Wilders shows his magnanimity

After the Christian Democrat (CDA) MP Ab Klink, who busted the coalition talks, left Parliament on Monday the road was open to restart the talks. Initially Freedom PArty (PVV) Geert Wilders refused saying there were still two ant PVV MPs left in the CDA. But on Tuesday he relented. Chief Christian Democrat (CDA) agreed. That evening the leader of the right liberal VVD Rutte announced to the press that the negotiations would indeed be restarted. This embarrassed the Queen of The Netherlands. According to the protocol she has to be informed first and act first. The act she could have done is to appoint another chairman (informateur) of the negotiations.

Dividing the spoils

Rutte was hauled over the coals about his gaffe in parliament. But the negotiations continued and apparently most issues have been hammered into a settlement (regeeraccoord) out and what is left is mostly the VVD and CDA rewarding themselves with the minister and deputy minister positions.

Let's see what happens

Queen of The Netherlands shows Multi-cultural colour again

The figurehead of Multi-cultural ideology

The heraldic colour of the Dutch Royal family is orange. But ideologically the present Queen Beatrix colours red and in the present day and age that means she supports Multi-culturalism.

After the negotiations for a right wing coalition ran to the ground last Friday, the chairman of the negotiations or informateur Mr. Ivo Opstelten had to give up his position.

The Queen then appointed another informateur. It is the second time he was appointed. The previous time he had to chair the negotiations for a left wing coalition. It is Tjeenk Willink, the Head of the Council of State. After Tjeenk Willink spoke to all the left wing last time he made a final report to the Queen as is his job. He added an addendum stating that in order to protect the core values of The Netherlands it would be necessary to maintain the principle of non-discrimination ridgidly, down even to immigration policy. This means that Mr. Willink favours continued mass-immigration in the face of the considerable electoral victory of anti immigration parties Freedom Party (PVV) and right liberal VVD.

Incredibly this ideologue has now been appointed as chair of the new negotiations of the new round of negotiations again.

PVV's Geert Wilders already called for Tjeenk Willink's replacement.

Things fall apart, the centre cannot hold

Dutch society is losing its anchors. Political parties and politicians are weakening, as is the judiciary, the police and the Church. The Queen by expressing her favour for Multi-Culturalism so strongly and partisanly is undermining another anchor of Dutch society: the Monarchy. Society is splintered and unstable and the people at the top are hastening the unravelling of the social and political fabric. It is an incredible spectacle. Greatly saddening.

Geert Wilders is taking charge

The true focus of the political game

In my opinion the Freedom Party (PVV) is becoming increasingly dominant in Dutch politics. Politics is increasingly revolving around Geert Wilders the PVV and its program for years. Politicians who want to make a name for themselves, do so by publicly opposing the PVV program and by expressing their hostility to Geert Wilders. This is seen in the come back from oblivion by leftist D66 under Pechtold.

Today is Mr. Wilders' 47th birthday and this is a good occassion to focus on his and his party's achievements so far.

Getting closer

Recently Wilders' dominance is coming sharper into focus. Last Friday the attempts to the formation of a right wing coalition with the PVV ended over the expression of refusal and opposition of three CDA members to alliance with the PVV. The CDA is split over their approach to Multiculturalism and the internal conflict is made flesh in this refusal of Ab Klink and the other two CDA rebels. This again shows the centrality of the PVV in the political proces. Furthermore it was Geert Wilders who withdrew from the negotiations after declaring the unreliability of the torn Christian Democrats (CDA). Mr. Wilders showed his dominance by taking this action.

The axing of the rebel

Finally today Ab Klink, the CDA rebel, left parliament politically broken, a fact which has been noticed by all those who are in active politics. Just one week after Mr. Klink wrote his letter expressing his opposition to continuing negotiating for a coalition with the tacit support of the PVV he has been forced to remove himself from the stage of national politics, probably for good. The message is clear, this is what happens when one opposes the PVV.

Not bad for a party which was started just four years ago.

Christian democrat Klink stops kicking and screaming

End of a career

Last Friday the news came out, that the negotiations for a right wing cabinet of right liberals (VVD), Christian-Democrats (CDA) with tacit support of the populist Freedom Party (PVV) ended in failure. Negotiations were given up after Ab Klink, a CDA MP and one of two negotiators on the CDA team, had sent a letter to his party leadership in which he articulated his principled opposition to collaboration with a populist party such as the PVV. Apart from Ab Klink two other CDA MPs were opposed to any political alliance with the PVV, no matter how informal.   

This resulted in PVV-leader Geert Wilders asking for assurances in writing that all CDA MPs would fully support the settlement or agreement that was to be reached in order to from a coalition government. The CDA negotiating team, from which Mr. Klink had already been removed  refused to do so. At this point the unreliability of the CDA as a possible coalition partner had become fully exposed. The PVV then broke off the negotiations.

Taking the consequences

Mr. Ab Klink understood that he had become unreliable in the eyes of possible political partners of the CDA. That he had become a liability to his party. Today he stopped being a CDA MP and if I understand things correctly he will be replaced by someone with a lower ranking on the CDA list of MPs. Mr. Klink did express  (Dutch) that the reason for him leaving Parliament was that he had become unreliable in te eyes of others.

Now that Klink is gone there are still two left in the CDA parliamentary fraction, who are opposed to co-operation with the PVV, as Geert Wilders noticed. He reacted non-committally:

we will see were this takes us

Apparently he does not see a reason to rush into new negotiations.

Ab Klink was a protege of Mr. Hirsch Ballin, who is the Minister of Justice. Under Hirsch Ballins the public prosecutor of the Court of Amsterdam has indicted Geert Wilders for political offenses, such as "hate speech" and "discrimination". In my view the forces behind the case against Wilders, which will resume in October, have been weakened by the set back or perhaps end of the career of Ab Klink.

No right-wing cabinet

It is now 17: 46 hours and I see an article popping up on Nu.nl. It says that the negotiations for a right-wing cabinet in The Netherlands have failed. There will be a televised press conference at 18:00 hours.

This is dissapointing. It will have repercussions for the Court case against Geert Wilders I m afraid.

Christian democrats dragged along kicking and screaming 3

The CDA opposition to Wilders

The negotiations to create a new right-wing coalition are marred by the unreliability of some of the Christian Democrat (CDA) MPs. Yesterday this blog featured an article about an option to enlist the support of the orthodox Christian SGP-party. This party with two MPs would extent the right-wing majority from 76 to 78. In case of wavering in the CDA two MPs could refuse to support a proposed bill. However the number of CDA MPs who are hostile to co-operation with the Freedom Party (PVV) is three.

What are their names?
Their names are:
- Ab Klink;
- Adriaan Koppejan;
- Katleen Ferrier.

Interestingly the latter is an immigrant from former Dutch colony Surinam. Ab Klink was on the negotiating team, negotiating for an agreement to form a right-wing government with the tacit support of the PVV.

What can be done?

Is there an options to replace the MPs by the party leadership? According to Dutch electoral law (Kieswet) MPs are elected to their seat on their personal title and not on a party ticket. The MP owns his seat and the party does not. The party is just a club or association (vereniging). The number of three rebellious Christian Democrats is a serious impedient to the formation of an effective right-wing cabinet.

Broadening the base

Christian Democrat unreliability

This blog previously featured a piece mentioning that even if a right wing minority cabinet with tacit support of the Freedom Party (PVV) is established it will not amount to much. The three parties have a minimum majority. 76 out of 150 seats. With various members of the Christian Democrats unreconciled to the idea of having to actually implement measures against mass immigration and multiculturalism the government will not be able to be very effective. Therefore it will be unsatisfactory for all participants both the CDA, the right-liberal VVD or the PVV. One way to diminish such problems is by broadening the base of the cabinet beyond the present 76 MPs that it counts. By pulling a fourth party into the settlement.

Two extra MPs

For instance by pulling an orthodox Christian party, the SGP, into the coalition the base will be broadened  from 76 to 78. With a mere 78 MPs the defection of up to two MPs from the CDA will be meaningless.

Permanent alliance shifting

This is doable. A minority government settlement (regeeraccoord)  is going to be more loose, allow more leeway than the very narrow contractual settlements that rule two party majority coalitions. It is possible to find agreement from issue to issue and vote to vote. There will be temporary coalitions formed in order to pass any vote and the pace of passing legislation will be much lower than has been the custom. This is a boon from a conservative point of view.

Politics will be in constant flux and be hard for the people to follow. This will lower the standing of politics and politicians even more than is now the case.

Christian democrats dragged along kicking and screaming 2

Towards a right-wing government

The rebellion amongst the Christian Democrat (CDA) negotiating team has been surpressed. The leadership of the Christian-Democrats (CDA) has resolved to continue the negotiations to form a minority cabinet. This is a cabinet of right-liberals (VVD) and CDA with the tacit support of the populist Freedom Party (PVV).

Heads roll

The instigator of the unrest, negotiator and MP Ab Klink has been removed from the two men negotiating team. He has been replaced by Ank Bijleveld, who will continue to try to create a settlement which will find acceptance with the VVD and PVV.


Whether this will end the troubles afflicting the CDA is unlikely. They will continue to prove unreliable, even though all 21 MPs of the CDA agreed to continue negotiating.

Steaming ahead

Meanwhile the PVV is already e-mailing its volunteers to prepare them to assist in the campaign for the Provinces and the Senate in March 2011. Perhaps we will even have a new cabinet by then.

Formation running aground

 The sandbar

Well it has happened. Yesterday the ship of the negotiations for a cabinet consisting of right-liberals (VVD), Christian Democrats (CDA) and the populist Freedom Party (PVV) has run on a sandbar, stalled and the crew is trashing about.

A split team

The negotiations team to form a new cabinet consists of 6 persons. Two from each party. The CDA is represented by Maxime Verhagen and Ab Klink. Ab Klink opposes formation of a cabinet with support from the PVV on grounds of principle. It is not clear which one of Klink's principle's have been violated. Otherwise Klink has send a letter to the party leadership last Monday stating that he thought that his party is getting a raw deal out of the negotiation. He should know. He is one of the two negotiators.

The other negotiator on the CDA team, Maxime Verhagen, wants to press ahead with negotiations.

A narrow majority

Klink has a essential poition any cabinet of VVD, CDA and PVV will have 76 seats out of 150. That is the tiniest of majorities. Every seat is pivotal.

Getting underway again

The CDA MP's met in the early afternoon and have resolved to have talks with all the individual MP's. The idea is to sound them out whether they would agree to continue with the negotiations for a minority cabinet. Whether this makes any sense when the minority cabinet needs all the seats it has. And Ab Klink already having made clear that he wants the negotiations to discontinue is unclear to me.

CDA in dissarray

It is becoming obvious that the CDA is in convulsions and that the troubles which befell Labour (PvdA) and VVD when they had to confront the issues of the failing of Multiculturalism are now hitting the CDA. Its orderly ranks are being ripped apart by discord and fraticide. The CDA is nearly without leadership. The former PM Balkenende has left after the halving of the vote for the CDA. Balkenende's deputy and replacement Camiel Eurling conveniently left politics just before the elections. The old guard of the party is plotting in the shades to sabotage co-operation with the PVV.

Any resolution to these problems is going to be short-lived

Two more weeks

The three week term

The chairman of the negotiations for a cabinet (informateur) of Christian Democrats (CDA), right-liberals (VVD and the populist Freedom Party (PVV will last longer then originally announced. When these negotiations started it was said that an agreement would be reached in about three weeks.

On Friday informateur Opstelten announced that it would take another two weeks more (Dutch). He stated that all matters have been breached by now, but that there still remain many minor points which defy a full concensus.

The 2011 budget

That means that the budget for 2011 which is traditionally presented in early September will be set up by the old government. That is just the Christian Democrats (CDA) and the Christian Union (CU), without the Labour Party (PvdA) who broke the previous government.

Geert Wilders stands up for his people

Geert Wilders defends his voters

As negotiators are working on putting together a new coalition government of CDA, VVD and PVV, more and more formerly prominent politicians are coming out with their opposition against a possible government including the Freedom Party (PVV). These former prominents are all members of the Christian Democrats (CDA). The reasons given for their opposition to a coalition with are that the PVV endangers the Rule of Law and excludes and demonises the Muslim part of Dutch society.

Wilders on Twitter

Wilders reacted yesterday on Twitter by defending his 1.5 million voters and to call for an end to the demonisation against them.

Who and by whom?

It bears pointing out that while the former CDA prominents mourn the possible exclusion of the followers of Islam, they actively seek the exclusion and demonisation of the PVV-voting base. Therefore it is not exclusion and demonisation as such they are against and differ with the PVV. It is who must be excluded and demonised. And it is about by whom there must be demonisation and exclusion that they differ from the PVV. They seek the moral high ground by their complaints about the baseness of demonisation and exclusion. While practising both of these as part of their political art.

The Good Book

And this Sunday's Bible reading is from Matthew 7, verses 1 - 29.

Fretting about the Formation

Formation negotiations

Since the 9 June 2010 elections Dutch politicians have been working on various possible coalitions. A left-wing variant and a centre variant have been tried and since July 31 a right-wing variant is under negotiation. Within a few days the negotiations for the right-wing minority government with the tacit support of the Freedom Party (PVV) will have gone on for a month. With nothing to show for it. Additionally former CDA Prime Minister Lubbers wrote some leaked letter to the secretariat of the party stating his opposition to a coalition with tacit support of the PVV today.

So I am starting to fret.

Minor contentious issues

I was put at ease by an article in the "Het Financieele Dagblad", a financial daily which takes itself somewhat serious. They report that insiders state that the negotiators of the Christian Democrats (CDA), right liberal VVD and the populist Freedom Party (PVV) are close to a settlement. Close means early next week.

The insiders say that major issues have been resolved. Only a minor issue has to be taken care of.

A list of agreed cuts

The article mentions other cuts, which are not problematic. Development aid, defense, cuts in the care for handicapped youngsters, tax cuts, cuts in the number of civil servants and their salaries, cuts in subsidies to public broadcasting and cuts on the Dutch subsidy to the EU have been agreed upon.

The health budget

For the CDA a problematic issue remains the planned cuts on the health budget. So if these insiders are right this is all they have been talking about for the past two days.

I feel much relieved. Nothing to worry about. Everyting is in order.

German top banker aligns himself with Geert Wilders

Emerging opposition

In European countries like Belgium, The Netherlands and Denmark the ruling Multiculturalist ideology is effectively challenged. Vlaams Belang, PVV and DFP are formed as opposition parties who manage to convey the failures of Multiculturalism and the dangers of mass-immigration. In other countries criticism of Multiculturalism is still effectively barred. But even there cracks are appearing. E.g. in Germany a top banker, Thilo Sarrazin, is not mincing his words and attracting a lot of attention. Mr. Sarrazin notably is a member of the Social Democrat party or SPD. He recently wrote a book with the title "Germany is self-destructing"

Germany is self-destructing

Esther's IslaminEurope featured a Der Spiegel article a few days ago. Notable exerpts are:

This week, though, the Social Democrat (SPD) seems to have outdone himself. German media outlets, including SPIEGEL, have published excerpts of his soon-to-be-published book on Germany's supposed demise. As Sarrazin makes abundantly clear, that demise comes as a result of immigration. The bluntness with which he presents his ideas has kicked off a debate in Germany, and within the center-left SPD, as to whether Sarrazin has crossed the line into racism and whether he should be censured. []

If the fertility rate of German autochthons remains at the level it has been at for the past 40 years, then in the course of the next three or four generations, the number of the Germans will sink to 20 million," he writes in the book. "And, incidentally, it is absolutely realistic that the Muslim population, through a combination of a higher birth rate and continuation of immigration, could grow by 2100 to 35 million. []

Through the language used in his polemics, Sarrazin appears to be aiming to push the highly divisive debate over immigration and integration closer to that of right-wing populists elsewhere in Europe, like Geert Wilders in the Netherlands.

A German Fortuyn

The emergence of a respected and high ranking dissident against the Multi-Cultural consensus is disquiting news for the political and media cartels. It is easy to discredit swastika-waving Neo-Nazis. But another thing to defeat the critical analysis of an insider. Sarrazin appears to be a Fortuyn-like figure. Fortuyn was also a former member of the establishment who showed by writing books and columns the inconsistencies of Multicultural ideology. Thus giving words and power to members of the public who had already become disaffected with Multicultural lies. But who felt uncomfortable with the existing rightwing parties, who were seen as connected to the unsavory far right.

The German Christian-Democrats express concern

Last week Franz-Jozef Achterkamp, a German Christian-Democrat, sent an open letter to the Dutch Christian-Democrats urging the latter not to form a government with Geert Wilders. The German Christian Democrats are part of the Multi-Cultural political concern. The rise of the Freedom Party (PVV) in The Netherlands and their possible participation in government adds gravitas to the voices of German critics and dissidents against Multi-Culturalism. Multi-Cultural society in Germany shows the same problems of crime, joblessness and hostility to the native population. Sofar the German media and the political cartel have managed to keep the spirit in the bottle, but there also the pressure on the lid is becoming greater.

International Freedom Alliance

Geert Wilders understands the dynamic and for this reason he launched the International Freedom Alliance, in order to defeat Islam and Multiculturalism in many Western countries apart from The Netherlands. Because this fight is a fight of the whole West, not just The Netherlands.

Potholes on the road to a new government

Trials and tribulations

Dutch politicians of the right-liberals (VVD), Christian-Democrats (CDA) and Freedom Party (PVV) have been on the road to forming a minority cabinet for the fourth week now. And if noises coming from behind the scenes are any indication it is not going well. On a TV news show Knevel en van den Brink the Chairman of the CDA, Mr. Bleker stated that the CDA - VVD coalition has to "bind" or "reconcile" all groups in society. This can be taken as an insistence to continue the policy of mulling over differences between (Muslim) immigrants and ethnic Dutch.

Wilders' reaction

PVV-leader Geert Wilders (Dutch) reacted with a personal attack on Mr. Bleker on Twitter (Dutch). Mr. Bleker is "whinger" according to him. What he means is that the CDA is committing the fault of the Dutch. Which is "to offer too little and to ask too much".

The next steps

The expectation is still that there will be a convenant for government (regeeraccoord) by next week. And if there is a convenant it will be put up for approval by a congress. And the congress is expected to approve the convenant.

The heart of the matter is the nature of Islam

Mr. Bleker and his CDA collegues are pretending that the sole problem could be the inclusiveness or exclusiveness of the ethnic Dutch. They are completely ignoring the point of view of Islam and its adherents. It is Islam which is excluding non-Muslims. It is Islam which states that all societies should be brought under Sharia law. And that all other points of view are wrong. Yes, the PVV policy is one of political exclusion of Islam as a political ideology. This is an essential exclusion if the nature of a Western society is to be maintained. The values of the West and Islam are mutually exclusive.

The use of the CDA

The sooner the membership and leadership of the CDA starts understanding this, the sooner they can do a service to Dutch society. And it is my impression that the rank and file understands this better than the leadership of the Christian-Democrats.

War of Civilisations, conflict of values

At the Wall Street Journal (or Neo-Con Central as I call it in my mind) Ayaan Hirsi Ali has written a well-considered piece. The subject is the irreconcillable gap between Western Civilisation and the other civilisations. Particularly Islam. The piece gives a good introduction to Samuel Huntington's "Clash of Civilisations" and the consequenses of his thesis.

The greatest advantage of Huntington's civilizational model of international relations is that it reflects the world as it is—not as we wish it to be.

I do hope that insights like these make it into the Western mainstream.

Formation going into heavy seas

Economic issues coming to the fore front

The latest formation attempt of a new Dutch minority coalition of right-liberals (VVD), christian democrats (CDA) with the tacit support of the populist Freedom Party (PVV) is coming to closure. At this point difficult compromises and concession have to be made. An agreement to disagree over the position of Islam was made at the beginning of this formation period and I covered it in "A Minority Government" here. Due to the global economic troubles the VVD wants to cut 18 billion Euros of the state budget. This is proving to be difficult. 

PVV inserting itself BETWEEN CDA and VVD

The right wing notions of the PVV program on Islam, immigration and assimilationare well known. But what is less well appreciated is the leftist slant of a part of the PVV program.

On August the first a commenter R. Hartman remarked: 

There's nothing 'right wing' about the PVV. You might stipulate that the PVV is the least 'left wing', the least socialist party in NL, but it's still socialist. And that's NOT 'right wing', not even 'centric'.

With regards to economic issues Mr. Hartman is right. Although the PVV started out with a hardline free market position, the populists have since adopted an social and economic program to the LEFT of the right-liberal VVD. Notably on the issues of the care to pensioners, the ease with which an employer can fire an employee. As well as the right of the unemployed to receive generous state benefits in the first few months after getting fired, dependeing on how long the fired employee was employed for one employer previous to losing his job.The strategic move that the PVV is making here is recognizing that many voters who are worried about the rise of Islam, rising crime levels and the loss of Dutch and Western values are also concerned about globalisation and the loss of social and economic protection. These voters can be anywhere, both on left but also on the right. The PVV has connected the social and economic concerns of these voters with the expense of non-western immigration as this blog covered in e.g. "The Borjas Question". It has promised voters it would protect them better than the current cartel of parties on all the issues that these voters are concerned about: loss of national identity and rising crime, but also fear of economic replacement by immigrants. 

The right liberal VVD is insisting that many social arrangements have to be scrapped or made less generous in order to cut the budget. But the PVV and the CDA are opposing cuts (Dutch) in pensions, benefits and care for elders.

Culturally to the right

Many commentators are acting surprised that the PVV is creating waves over these issues. This shows that they do not understand what the PVV is about and how their strategists perceive the economic and political landscape. What the PVV is doing makes a lot of sense and is highly coherent. This is another reason why the PVV has a real chance to become to premier right wing party in The Netherlands. It is rightwing on cultural and religious issues. But it highly opportunistic in economic questions, where it may take positions which are associated with the left. Because politics has been about economic issues for 40 years people are looking at politics through a prism of economic theory. This explains that commentators observe the PVV to be coming from the "wrong" direction. 

Make no mistake. This is a big shift and it will not just hit and change The Netherlands, but many if not all Western societies, because all these societies struggle with the problems created by mass-immigration.

No easy compromise

Still, the conclusion must be that Geert Wilders is not easily going to compromise on these matters with the VVD. The formation of a minority cabinet could well fall apart on this issue, because the PVV cannot be seen to compromise to much on these core matters.

Grouping my Formation 2010 articles

I added a new label to cluster my articles on the 2010 formation of a Dutch government for easy access.

The label is Formation2010.

Harbingers of Spring 2

While hammering out a plan

The negotiations to form a new Dutch government are getting ahead. The right-liberal VVD and the Christian Democrats (CDA) are still seeking to form a minority cabinet with the support of Geert Wilder's Freedom Party (PVV). The PVV is sitting at the negotiating table. Although a 78 percent majority of the CDA voters favour a rightwing cabinet with PVV support, such a coalition is more controversial amongst CDA party members. With full media support a anti PVV group managed to gather 1,000 signatures of CDA members who oppose forming a coalition even with mere tacit support from the PVV.

Support for co-operation

On the other hand a quickly raised group favouring a right-wing minority cabinet also managed to get the signatures of 1,000 members of the CDA. This group is represented by a John Kuijt. Mr. Kuijt said he expected his party not to support any changes to the constitution, which is what the PVV wants, notably in the area of hate speech codes.

Standing out

It is quite amazing that 1,000 members of the CDA are going on the record to show their willingness to co-operate with a party that is the biggest enemy of Multiculturalism. That takes some moral courage.

Some animals are more equal than others

750 privately owned houses

This blog featured a post yesterday about the City of Amsterdam which is confiscating the second house of people who have a first house elsewhere. 750 owners are risking de facto confiscation. The confiscated houses have to be rented at controlled nominal rents to people who are deemed needy by the municipal bureaucrats, according to the housing statute of the City of Amsterdam. Labour party (PvdA) politicians are still defending the policy on the thinnest of grounds. Namely that the shortage of houses is "so acute". But no grounds are needed when men are bent on being tyrants. Whim is the heart of tyrranny.

Forced into loss

These house owners have to rent out the houses at rents which do not cover the costs of the mortgage, they are forced into heavy losses. But the municipality does not care about their troubles. It does not feel their pain. 

400 municipality owned houses

How could it know their pain? The municipality does not own houses, does it? However today Dutch daily "De Telegraaf" dug up the fact that the municipality owns about 400 houses in the centre of Amsterdam (Dutch). Two municipality owned firms, NV Zeedijk and NV Stadsherstel, obtained these houses in campaigns to end the large power drugs- and other mafias have in the Amsterdam red light district. By forcing suspect and seedy owners to sell their houses in this district. This by force of another right to property undermining law: BIBOB. But that is another story.

Paying mortgages is a pain

The municipality paid good money to obtain these houses. It had to get mortgages from banks to finance the purchases. And now the municipality has to pay the montly payments on the mortgages. According to the statutes used against the owners of second homes the houses are not used for living by the owner. And they have a value below 163,000 Euro. So they qualify as houses which must be rented out at controlled, nominal rents, according to the Amsterdam housing statute.

Amsterdam and its newest, bestest friends

However the houses are rented out through nearby hotels, Krasnapolsky and Barbizon, at 200 Euros per night. The location of the houses is the best, there will be a lot of demand for these municipality owned houses. The municipality and friends must be making a killing on this deal. The civil servants enforcing the confiscations from the private owners of second homes have been instructed to waive the statute for the municipality owned houses. This was confirmed by former Amsterdam Alderman Hans Gerson in September 2009 on the grounds that otherwise the municipality would own the houses at a loss. That is enough reason when the municipality has to bear it, but not enough reason when prive owners have to bear it.  

See no evil

Oh and if houses are rented out and it does not get into the books? There is no keeping track of the coming and going of tourists and travellers is there? This situation is ideal for the creation of black, undeclared money flows. Who knows who might be on the take?

Some animals are real pigs if you ask me

A Harbinger of Spring

The laywer

Last Friday the 13th a Dutch news and commentary show Knevel en van den Brink featured a well known Dutch criminal laywer Mr. Theo Hiddema. What causes me to mention him was the fact that the laywer is known for some time as a Freedom Party (PVV) supporter and managed to bring the ideas and policies and the reasons for those policies of the PVV to the limelight.

Keeping the right-liberals on track

Amongst other things Mr. Hiddema mentioned that the Dutch courts are flooded with criminals of foreign origin. At some point his interviewers said that Geert Wilders was too radical and that it would be better to vote for the right-liberal VVD, which has a very restrictive immigration paragraph. To which Hiddema replied that the VVD would only be reliable on immigration as long as the PVV was there to compete with them for votes.

A joy to listen to. Unfortunately it is all in Dutch but still here is the video:

The right to property undermined in Amsterdam

No protection for property owners

Within The Netherlands Amsterdam has been infamous for the weak protection of property rights. Bikes and cars be stolen without the police being willing to investigate the matter. I am speaking from experience here. Real estate, such as houses and apartments, is prey to a violent and arrogant squatter movement, who may take over empty buidings counting on the protection and assistance from the city government, and the public utilities for supply of power and water. This has been so since the late 1960ies.

Movements for property rights

Since the Fortuyn populist revolt in 2001 there is a counter-movement, seeking to bring back the protection of property. Fortuyn was bankrolled by big real estate owners, who sought the protection of their property rights and the destruction of the squatter movement. The leadership of rightwing parties in parliament saw in this a part of the agenda of the populist movement that they could implement without touching the multicultural ideology. They were hoping to isolate the populist movement from its financial base and they felt they needed to give something to their respective conservative bases to ease the grass roots pressure on the party leadership. And so the Balkenende cabinet wrote and passed a anti-squatter bill. This bill is going to take effect on 1 October 2010.

The bitter-enders of the left

The left did not give up so easily. Last June the national council of Public Prosecutors announced that they would not enforce the new anti-squatter law (Dutch). Law or no law, Naboth could go to Hell. Minister of Justice Hirsch Ballin insisted that the law would be enforced. Whatever that is worth.

But the left is not finished in its quest to replace the rule of law with the rule of whim of bureaucrats. And the the whim of its favoured violent special interest groups such as squatters, animal rights activists and such 1.). Which in the past furnished them with the assassin of Pim Fortuyn, when they needed one. To show their disdain for property rights the Labour Party (PvdA) dominated City Council is confiscating privately owned apartments (HT KV) whose owners are living in a first home elsewhere. Distributing the apartments to their own needy clients at a nominal controlled rent. A typical apartment with a monthly mortgage payment of 1,000 Euro will be rented out for a maximum rent of 548 Euros. So the owners will not be able to make good their investment. In addition the clients of the City Council may run down or damage the property of the owner, with uncertain recourse for the owner through the overloaded courts.

This is not at all new. In book 6 - Democracies and Oligarchies - of The Politics and The Constitution of Athens 2.) Aristotle remarks on phenomena which tend to bring democracies down:

The demagogues of our own day often get property confiscated in the law-courts in order to please the people.

The Rule of Law is a good thing

Kleinverzet introduces his article by remarking that

all and sundry on the Dutch left are decrying Geert Wilders as a potential threat to Justice and Rule of Law.

In the context of the lack of protection of property rights invoking the Rule of Law by the left is indeed totally unappropriate. The Rule of Law is a convenient stick to batter Geert Wilders and his Freedom Party (PVV). The left has never shown respect for the Rule of Law when it fettered their unrestrained rule.

By contrast, it is the effort of the supporters of the populist PVV and its forerunner, which put the nation back on the track of the rule of law. The efforts to enshrine and protect private property are part of that quest.

1.) This blog featured articles on the collusion between the Dutch establishment and violent radical leftist groups and how this was a fertile breeding ground for the assassin of Pim Fortuyn. E.g. connections to Fortuyn's assassin.

2.) Aristotle's Politics and the Constitution of Athens may be purchased from Amazon here.