The VVD has been the largest party in the Netherlands since 2010 and also provides the longest serving prime minister in the history of the parliament. Reason for a party on the day the party has existed for exactly 75 years, but there are also criticisms of the party.
The People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy was founded on 24 January 1948 as a successor to the pre-war Freedom Party (PvdV) and the Liberal State Party (LSP). After a period of opposition (2007 – 2010), the VVD led by Mark Rutte has become one of the governing parties of our country.
According to Caspar van den Berg, a senator of the VVD and professor of public administration at the University of Groningen, the VVD is still the liberal people’s party that it has been from the beginning. “In the 20th century there were three important groups that could be considered as popular parties, but the VVD is currently the only one that still exists.”
District
According to Van den Berg, this is visible, among other things, in the ranks. ‘All groups in society feel comfortable with VVD, including people on lower incomes. Within that category, the VVD became the largest party in 2021’.
However, criticism has been heard in recent years. The party would move more and more towards socialist ideas. ‘The main goal of the VVD is how to maintain a safe and free society in which all who wish can get on in life. That means you also have enough room to grow into all kinds of themes,” says Van den Berg.
The climate is important
According to Van den Berg, the fact that people now think differently on issues such as the climate and Europe than they did 12 years ago is a sign that ‘thinking within the party has not stopped’. “We have all found that the climate is very important if we are to maintain a free and secure society.”
At the same time, entrepreneurs say they are feeling less and less comfortable with the party. “We have to be careful about this, this is the spine of our party,” says Van den Berg. ‘We are there for the enterprising person. These are partly people with their own party, but they are also people who work in other sectors and yet also have an entrepreneurial attitude towards life.’
Van den Berg hears that rumble too; ‘those sounds are familiar’. But that’s not all, says the senator. “I’ve also heard that we look too much at big companies, so we need to find a balance.” Furthermore, working in a coalition also means that the party cannot do everything you “want to do.”
Half
But has the party moved too much to the centre? No, says Van den Berg. “The fact that the VVD has been the largest party for twelve years does not mean that the party also governs alone. We need partners to form these majorities.’ And, according to Van den Berg, it is logical that more attention be paid to the other parties and to the middle ground, even if ‘out of necessity’.
“In recent years there has been no alternative to the right. There are parties, but they are not really qualified to collaborate with certain positions and with a certain way of doing politics’.
This characterizes the last twelve years. ‘Within those coalitions we try to get that liberal sound into politics. We will continue to do so, the more people who vote for the VVD, the stronger the voice will be in the coalitions”.
Source: BNR
Fernando Dowling is an author and political journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. He has a deep understanding of the political landscape and a passion for analyzing the latest political trends and news.
