Where are Dutch politics going to?
I ask this question because it has all to do with the cover of today's newspaper.
The spindoctors of the Social Democrats are relieved. The leader of the Labour party (PvdA) showed he can still debate after a bad radio debate a week earlier. He showed more effectiveness in a television debate between him and the minister-president of our country.
This was the first time in the multi party system of the Netherlands that the 2 biggest parties send their candidate to debate on television.
Politicians of other parties are less happy with this attenuation of politics.
A two party system? No of course not, the other parties are important too. Is it an election of a president? No, but if so then it's a silent revolution. The Netherlands is still a monarchy. (if you like it or not)
Luckily voters know that and they go for the content and not for who is going to be minister-president.
Voices in the right wing of the political spectrum ask for a two party system. I don't hear those voices on the left wing. The Dutch are to divided to bring the opinions together in two parties.
A reformation in the political structure is likely for example a treshold for parties (like in Germany to prevent small parties to enter the Bundestag), or a smaller The Hague Parliament. Even transformation to a district system like the British one is possible. These reforms will take a long time.
