You hit on the true issues early in the piece (cost of living, housing, employment stability) then ignore them later to suggest the disgruntled simply need to 'suck it up' and find more optimism for a life they should somehow be grateful for.
This is an oddly common message from the left in many countries (including the US and Canada), but unfortunately they will ultimately need to do the heavy lifting and solve at a minimum the housing crises and grocery inflation. I understand that fixing these properly may require radical government interventions that some will not be happy with.
But is the left's purpose to make life better or to sit in government? Lately it seems to think it's the latter, which is incredibly disappointing.
Hey Melody, thanks for your comment. I agree there are some real policy issues that need solving, including the ones you mention. However looking at the data I get the sense that--at least in the Netherlands--these issues affect just a tiny fraction of those who voted for this far-right politician. In fact, a new report came out today showing that housing and cost of living were the driving force for only a small minority of PVV voters; most were motivated by anti-immigration and anti-government sentiments. How do you square that with your view of people asking the government to simply fix problems?
In my analysis, there are several center-left parties in the Netherlands that have very concrete and useful plans for solving problems around housing, inflation, and so on. So if you wanted to solve these issues, it would make sense to vote for them. Is this different where you live?
You hit on the true issues early in the piece (cost of living, housing, employment stability) then ignore them later to suggest the disgruntled simply need to 'suck it up' and find more optimism for a life they should somehow be grateful for.
This is an oddly common message from the left in many countries (including the US and Canada), but unfortunately they will ultimately need to do the heavy lifting and solve at a minimum the housing crises and grocery inflation. I understand that fixing these properly may require radical government interventions that some will not be happy with.
But is the left's purpose to make life better or to sit in government? Lately it seems to think it's the latter, which is incredibly disappointing.
Hey Melody, thanks for your comment. I agree there are some real policy issues that need solving, including the ones you mention. However looking at the data I get the sense that--at least in the Netherlands--these issues affect just a tiny fraction of those who voted for this far-right politician. In fact, a new report came out today showing that housing and cost of living were the driving force for only a small minority of PVV voters; most were motivated by anti-immigration and anti-government sentiments. How do you square that with your view of people asking the government to simply fix problems?
(See https://www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/nieuw-onderzoek-toont-aan-flitswinst-pvv-kwam-voort-uit-eigen-volk-eerst-gevoel~bb864eee/ or https://stukroodvlees.nl/ook-de-nieuwe-pvv-stemmer-stemde-vooral-tegen-migratie-en-uit-politiek-protest/)
In my analysis, there are several center-left parties in the Netherlands that have very concrete and useful plans for solving problems around housing, inflation, and so on. So if you wanted to solve these issues, it would make sense to vote for them. Is this different where you live?