If you have been reading these lines for a while now, you know that I am an active member of GroenLinks (GL), the dutch green party. The big thing in our party is the growing collaboration with the PvdA (the Social Democrats). For us it is a big deal. I have heard people against and people in favor, but no one is indifferent. We see ourselves as an upcoming party, growing and young and focused in what really matters, sustainability. We have never been in a national government. Meanwhile the PvdA is an old party (a secession of the communist party around 1900!) with lots of government experience, and focused in a fairly traditional way of being left wing. Can we gain experience? Can they gain green policy? Is it really a win-win or would it end up in us becoming more traditional and less green, without improving the PvdA? These are broad questions, but there are many more detailed ones flowing from here. I care deeply about them.
The question is why would you care.
The first reason is that this goes against whatever other politicians or parties are doing right now. Even if only by the surprise, you might want to know what’s going on. Every other party, both at the left and at the right, are radicalizing their positions. Think in Trump and the republicans, but also think in how much the european liberals have become conservative parties in every country, almost racist, certainly against migration and financially tighten. Meanwhile the left seems to go in the other direction at full speed, Think in Ocasio Cortez, but also Podemos in Spain or the Linkse in Germany. And what do we do? The PvdA will have to move leftwards, and we will have to move rightwards, if we are to collaborate. So our strategist thinks that we are better off by being less radical. Interesting, I would say.
But perhaps you do not care about how parties relate to each other. Is this move likely to change whatever is happening in your own life?
The second reason for you to care, then, is that GL and the PvdA are trying to collaborate to form a government that includes them. To me it seems unlikely to happen, but certainly not impossible. So it might just happen that this country, after being run by governments with a strong right wing component, pretty much since the previous century, will be suddenly run by a government with a strong left signature. Hum. Quite a change, one could say. And now, when we are perhaps starting to regrow after a pandemic, with disrupted supply chains, but with lots of potential to grow. Is this the moment to have a government that will increase investment in infraestructure? That will build houses? that will invest the lots of resources needed in greening the economy? If that is not going to change your daily life, I don’t know what would.
There is a third reason, perhaps a bit abstract. Your choices are going to be diminished. Before you could vote for the idealist greens, be happy that you did the right thing, and also be safe that we were not likely to do all what we said we would, but push a bit from the opposition. Or you could vote social democrat and think that your voice will be heard, since they had a chance of getting in government, even if with not so radical policies. But now… you will not get the choice between a safe idealistic vote and a pragmatic boring one. If the collaboration GL-PvdA is for real, you will have to decide to vote for extreme lefties, extreme righties, or a fairly broad but united group in the center.
Depending on your perspective this is a tragedy, or a blessing. I think you should care.