Thanksgiving, Austin and election results
Thanksgiving was spent in Austin, Texas where my wife’s family lives. I love going to Texas in the colder Chicago months (even though I wouldn’t call the 60s close to cold in November) and any holiday shared with family is priceless.
On Sunday, I met up with a good friend of mine who is traveling through the United States. We met almost five years ago, when she and I were working at the Stubaier Gletscherbahnen. When my wife and I moved to London she was a great help and we saw her regularly in London. She came to my wedding in the Netherlands and we will see her again shortly when her tour takes her to Chicago. A Dutch saying goes “it’s better to have a good neighbor than a far friend.” But that proverb might not have accounted for the Internet and airplanes.
The news about the Dutch election results made its way via phone to Texas. The election had some remarkable outcomes, yielding the first seats for an animal rights party in a European parliament and a 16-seat gain for the Socialist Party (SP) at cost of the Labour Party’s (PvdA) seats. For over a decade, the SP has been the traditional protest vote—even their logo is a tell-all tomato—but it seems the party has moved away from that appeal and has gone mainstream.
I don’t particularly like the program points of the SP, but these results make a center-left coalition with the Christen Democrats (CDA) and the PvdA a very viable option. And I don’t think that would be a bad thing, as I’d love to see the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) leave the cabinet.
For that reason, I was pleased with the loss of seats by the VVD, although disheartened by the fact that the anti-immigration Rita Verdonk received more votes than party leader Mark Rutte. Populist Geert Wilders’ Party for Freedom received 9 seats; mostly from voters who, I suspect, previously backed Pim Fortuyn. The formation of a new cabinet and the contingent negotiations will probably continue over the next couple of weeks. I am anxious to see the outcome.
In the meantime, back here in Chicago, it’s full steam ahead toward the busy and festive December month with Beyond the Score, Mariachi los Camperos, and Welcome Yule! concerts.
4 Responses to “Thanksgiving, Austin and election results”
Comments
1 Kami Huyse 27 November 2006 @ 10:58 pm
You were in my neck of the woods for the holiday (we are in San Antonio). I have a question, is voting compulsory in the Netherlands as they are in Belgium. There were some interesting results in the Belgian elections as well. Interesting days.
2 Marc 28 November 2006 @ 11:24 am
Austin and San Antonio are both such great places. I can’t wait to get back over there.
But to answer your question, no, voting is not compulsory. Still, although the final count is not in, the voter turnout will likely be over 80% for this election.
Belgian elections are usually interesting; there’s always the struggle between Wallonia and Flanders and I have been very worried about the rise of xenophobic Vlaams Blok (now Vlaams Belang) since the early 90s.
3 Kami Huyse 28 November 2006 @ 1:40 pm
Yes, I am concerned too, very odd group, and very odd for them to get so much support. It is hard to believe that the plight of Eastern European immigrants is even worse than that of South American immigrants here.
4 Ron Rains aka Cecil B. Grouch 21 December 2006 @ 3:08 pm
Hoi, Meneer.
It’s Mr. Grouch from “Welcome Yule” here. My wife is Dutch - uit Ellecom. Thought I would just say hi and introduce myself. My wife is always looking for people to speak Dutch with. She does get homesick sometimes… Maybe i’ll see you at CSO. Just 3 more days left, though, so maybe not…
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