8 - The Netherlands: How the Mainstream Right Normalized the Silent Counter-Revolution

Summary

The Dutch multiparty system has incorporated exponents and beneficiaries of both the silent revolution and, more recently, the silent counter-revolution. Whilst post-materialist parties contributed to the erosion of the traditional party families’ dominant position, the breakthrough of populist right-wing parties after the turn of the twenty-first century has been more spectacular. These proved to be serious electoral competitors to the two established centre-right parties: the Christian Democrats (Christen Democratisch Appel, CDA) and conservative liberals (Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie, VVD). Those two parties adapted their positions in reaction to the right-wing insurgents, sharpening their positions on immigration and cultural integration in particular, and also collaborated with them in office. None of this has stemmed the popularity of the populist right, which continues to play an important role in the highly fragmented Dutch party landscape.