What does Geert Wilders actually want, in policy terms? A 🧵.
A complete end to all asylum for refugees
Criminals to be stripped of Dutch nationality and deported
An end to free movement of labour in the EU, with working visas introduced for some
A ban on all Islamic schools, korans and mosques, and on headscarves in government buildings
A ban on dual nationality
Lower taxes on just about everything
10,000 more police, “zero tolerance for street scum” and preventive detention for people suspected of supporting terrorism
14 year olds to be treated as adults by criminal courts
Covid is real - and the shortage of ICU beds is a problem to be fixed
An end to nitrogen reduction laws, keep coal and gas power stations open, more North Sea gas extraction and more nuclear power. Stop trying to cut CO2 and withdraw from climate accords. No wind turbines, no solar panels
Stricter sentences for animal
abuse and a National Animal
Ambulance service
Abolish the Senate
Withdraw previous apologies for slavery. Stop providing government literature in Arabic and Turkish.
Stop all art and culture subsidies. End “left wing hate of our historical heroes”. Completely stop funding public broadcaster NPO
A strong reduction in the number of foreign students
Bring back Zwarte Piet
End military support for Ukraine. Kick Turkey out of NATO.
Cut fuel taxes and raise motorway speed limits to 140km/h
A complete end to all foreign aid
A Nexit referendum, and until then cut EU funding
“In this way we can rebuild the Netherlands and put the Dutch back at number one!”
He’s not a Dutch Boris Johnson or Nigel Farage - he’s a Dutch Marine Le Pen, to the right of Trump.
And a quarter of Dutch people voted for this.
I wrote an article about Wilders’ policies, and the chances of him seizing power, for @NewStatesman 👇
newstatesman.com/world/europe/2…
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