Getting Everyone on Board

For John, BLUF:  The Environmentalists are not bringing along the larger population in their efforts to save the world.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Dutch farmers’ party secures landslide victory

Here is the sub-headline:

The BBB's huge election win is a direct challenge to Mark Rutte's coalition

From UnHerd, by Ms Senay Boztas, 16 March 2023.

Here is the lede plus three:

With the highest turnout in 30 years, Dutch voters gave an extraordinary signal to their four-party Government on Wednesday: the Farmer Citizen Movement (BoerBurgerBeweging, or BBB) is set to come first in regional elections, which decide the make-up of the Dutch Senate.

In a long voting day, with locations from repurposed drive-through testing centres to ancient churches, an estimated 61% of Dutch people turned out. The result was astonishing, even though the party has been creeping up the polls, feeding on anti-establishment feeling after unpopular Covid lockdowns.

Some analysts saw the election as a fight between two ‘moods’ in the Netherlands: a mood of (Right-wing) discontent, echoed also across other countries, versus the traditional consensus-driven Dutch mood. With 18 parties in parliament, politicians have typically found a way to muddle along, but this election was different thanks to the thorny issue of nitrogen compound pollution, which is tying the country in knots before a bill has even passed through parliament.

EU rules, Dutch laws, and court verdicts mean the country must reduce emissions of ammonia, nitrogen oxides and nitrous oxide from farming, transport and building machines. The question is who takes the hit — and whether 30% of productive farms should be shut, forcibly if necessary. The Netherlands, which feeds the world with its intensive farming and livestock-heavy agriculture, is at the sharp end of the international climate debate.

It is my secret belief that when folks talk about Caucasian European Males they are really talking about the Anglo-Dutch project, which brouoght Democracy to Europe and North America.  So, a major political change such as the recent Dutch elections should be seen as a possible signal of the system being out of adjustment

Through my narrow lens I see that the Progressive Environmentalists in the Netherlands have failed to build a sufficiently broad concensus among all voters, conidering all equities, to pass commonly agreed legislation, with all feeling they have a fair oppoortunity to make their case.  This is about building consensus,  That appears not to have happened before these recent elections. 

This should be a warning to all political parties and movements in the United States.  Just because you think your cause is righteous does not mean you don't have to build a consensus across the fruited plain.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff