Livable Netherlands
Encyclopedia
Livable Netherlands was a Dutch
political party
. Pim Fortuyn
began his political career in the party.
(provincial legislatures) and Gemeenteraad (municipal assemblies or city council
s) that were independent from the national party system. In the predominantly Catholic
south of the Netherlands during the 1950s, the Catholic People's Party
gained eighty percent of the vote in national elections, local and provincial groups of independents were organized.
During the 1980s, independent parties began to spread to other parts of the Netherlands. Some successful groups like Independent Rijswijk
began to move towards a national movement. A congress for this purpose held in 1989 did not result in much progress towards this goal, although independent parties were still very successful in municipal elections especially in Hilversum
and Utrecht
.
Some of them choose the name "Leefbaar" (liveable). It became a distinctive political movement. It is not a party in itself but consisted of many municipal branches. These branches had no formal ties, and often have radically different programs, sharing only their disdain for the political establishment.
In 1999, prominent media personalities Henk Westbroek
and Jan Nagel
, chairs of the highly successful Leefbaar Utrecht and Leefbaar Hilversum parties respectively, founded Leefbaar Nederland as a spin off from their local parties. Nagel became the party's chair. Nagel had previously been chair of the VARA, a broadcaster linked to the PvdA.
In 2001 the party's support and visibility began to increase. They came to be seen as an opposition movement against the second Kok cabinet. In November 2001 Pim Fortuyn
was elected as the party's lijsttrekker
. On February 10, a few months before the election he was discharged because of a controversial interview published in the Volkskrant newspaper. Fortuyn subsequently organized his own party, the Lijst Pim Fortuyn. On March 10, the Amsterdam public prosecutor Fred Teeven
was chosen as new lijsttrekker. In the elections of May 2002
the party won only two seats in the House of Representatives.
In the elections of 2003
, self help guru Emile Ratelband was put forward by the party board as their candidate for the lijsttrekkers' position. Teeven, who had gained some recognition as MP, withdrew his candidacy for the position when a motion of no confidence was not supported by the party's congress. During a tumultuous congress, the 22-year-old Haitske van der Linde, the daughter of TV personality Wubbo van der Linde and candidate of the party's youth movement J@L, was elected lijsttrekker. She was unable to hold onto the two seats the party held, and the party left parliament. Ratelband, who had formed his own list, was still less successful in the polls. The party tried to dissolve itself, but there were not enough members present at the congress to do that, and the party left the public spotlight. In 2006 the party announced that it would disband itself: it owed a large debt to the Ministry of Home Affairs
, who had lent them money for the 2003 elections, and only a handful of paying members were left.
They had a ten point plan which included:
were however founded around the same time hoping to gain from the same momentum. Many of these parties are represented in provincial
and municipal legislatures and cooperated in several municipal executives. They were highly successful in the 2002 municipal elections, but lost much of their support in the 2006 municipal elections
.
in which every member could participate. It convened once every year. It appointed the party board and decided the order of the House of Representatives, Senate and European Parliament candidate lists and had the final say over the party program.
, a populist party centered around a prominent media personality.
Politics of the Netherlands
The politics of the Netherlands take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy, a constitutional monarchy and a decentralised unitary state. The Netherlands is described as a consociational state...
political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
. Pim Fortuyn
Pim Fortuyn
Wilhelmus Simon Petrus Fortuijn, known as Pim Fortuyn was a Dutch politician, civil servant, sociologist, author and professor who formed his own party, Pim Fortuyn List ....
began his political career in the party.
Party history
Historically there have always been parties in States-ProvincialStates-Provincial
The States'-Provincial is the provincial parliament and legislative assembly in each of the Provinces of the Netherlands. It is elected for each province simultaneously once every four years and has the responsibility for matters of sub-national or regional importance...
(provincial legislatures) and Gemeenteraad (municipal assemblies or city council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
s) that were independent from the national party system. In the predominantly Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
south of the Netherlands during the 1950s, the Catholic People's Party
Catholic People's Party
The Catholic People's Party was a Catholic Christian democratic Dutch political party. During its entire existence, the party was in government. The party is one of the precursors of the Christian Democratic Appeal.- 1945-1965 :The KVP was founded on 22 December, 1945...
gained eighty percent of the vote in national elections, local and provincial groups of independents were organized.
During the 1980s, independent parties began to spread to other parts of the Netherlands. Some successful groups like Independent Rijswijk
Rijswijk
Rijswijk is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. It is a suburb of The Hague and covers an area of 14.48 km² ....
began to move towards a national movement. A congress for this purpose held in 1989 did not result in much progress towards this goal, although independent parties were still very successful in municipal elections especially in Hilversum
Hilversum
is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Located in the region called "'t Gooi", it is the largest town in that area. It is surrounded by heathland, woods, meadows, lakes, and smaller villages...
and Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
.
Some of them choose the name "Leefbaar" (liveable). It became a distinctive political movement. It is not a party in itself but consisted of many municipal branches. These branches had no formal ties, and often have radically different programs, sharing only their disdain for the political establishment.
In 1999, prominent media personalities Henk Westbroek
Henk Westbroek
Henk Westbroek is a Dutch radiohost, singer, songwriter and owner of a cafe named 'Stairway to Heaven' in the city of Utrecht. He was also a politician for Leefbaar Utrecht and Leefbaar Nederland in 1998....
and Jan Nagel
Jan Nagel
Johan George Nagel is a Dutch politician first of the Labour Party, and later for his own formed parties. Currently for the Pensioners' Party 50PLUS....
, chairs of the highly successful Leefbaar Utrecht and Leefbaar Hilversum parties respectively, founded Leefbaar Nederland as a spin off from their local parties. Nagel became the party's chair. Nagel had previously been chair of the VARA, a broadcaster linked to the PvdA.
In 2001 the party's support and visibility began to increase. They came to be seen as an opposition movement against the second Kok cabinet. In November 2001 Pim Fortuyn
Pim Fortuyn
Wilhelmus Simon Petrus Fortuijn, known as Pim Fortuyn was a Dutch politician, civil servant, sociologist, author and professor who formed his own party, Pim Fortuyn List ....
was elected as the party's lijsttrekker
Lijsttrekker
Lijsttrekker is a Dutch term for the top candidate of a party on a party list. He or she is almost always the party's political leader. After an election, this person usually leads the party's faction in the States-General, or serves in a senior position in the Cabinet if his party is part of...
. On February 10, a few months before the election he was discharged because of a controversial interview published in the Volkskrant newspaper. Fortuyn subsequently organized his own party, the Lijst Pim Fortuyn. On March 10, the Amsterdam public prosecutor Fred Teeven
Fred Teeven
Fredrik "Fred" Teeven is a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy . He is the State Secretary for Security and Justice in the Cabinet Rutte since October 14, 2010....
was chosen as new lijsttrekker. In the elections of May 2002
Dutch general election, 2002
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on May 15, 2002....
the party won only two seats in the House of Representatives.
In the elections of 2003
Dutch general election, 2003
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on January 22, 2003.-Background:...
, self help guru Emile Ratelband was put forward by the party board as their candidate for the lijsttrekkers' position. Teeven, who had gained some recognition as MP, withdrew his candidacy for the position when a motion of no confidence was not supported by the party's congress. During a tumultuous congress, the 22-year-old Haitske van der Linde, the daughter of TV personality Wubbo van der Linde and candidate of the party's youth movement J@L, was elected lijsttrekker. She was unable to hold onto the two seats the party held, and the party left parliament. Ratelband, who had formed his own list, was still less successful in the polls. The party tried to dissolve itself, but there were not enough members present at the congress to do that, and the party left the public spotlight. In 2006 the party announced that it would disband itself: it owed a large debt to the Ministry of Home Affairs
Ministry of Home Affairs
Ministry of Home Affairs is a name for an interior ministry. It may refer to:*Ministry of Home Affairs *Ministry of Home Affairs...
, who had lent them money for the 2003 elections, and only a handful of paying members were left.
Name
The term "Leefbaar" was turned into a political brand by the Leefbaar Utrecht and Hilversum parties; the founders tried to reproduce this success by taking over the name.Ideology & Issues
The party was a populist party, oriented at democratizing society and solving several difficult political issues pragmatically. The party saw itself as a movement against the 'old parties' and especially those cooperating in the Kok II cabinet.They had a ten point plan which included:
- implementing referendumReferendumA referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
s - combatting bureaucracyBureaucracyA bureaucracy is an organization of non-elected officials of a governmental or organization who implement the rules, laws, and functions of their institution, and are occasionally characterized by officialism and red tape.-Weberian bureaucracy:...
- strengthening the citizen's say over their own life.
- a just asylum-seeker policy
Representation
This table shows the results of the LN in elections to the House of Representatives, Senate and European elections, as well as the party's political leadership: the fractievoorzitter, is the chair of the parliamentary party and the lijsttrekker is the party's top candidate in the general election, these posts are normally taken by the party's leader.| Year | HoR | S | EP European Parliament The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world... |
Lijsttrekker Lijsttrekker Lijsttrekker is a Dutch term for the top candidate of a party on a party list. He or she is almost always the party's political leader. After an election, this person usually leads the party's faction in the States-General, or serves in a senior position in the Cabinet if his party is part of... |
Fractievoorzitter | Cabinet Cabinet (government) A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 Dutch general election, 2002 The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on May 15, 2002.... |
2 | 0 | 0 | Fred Teeven Fred Teeven Fredrik "Fred" Teeven is a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy . He is the State Secretary for Security and Justice in the Cabinet Rutte since October 14, 2010.... |
Fred Teeven | opposition |
| 2003 Dutch general election, 2003 The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on January 22, 2003.-Background:... |
0 | 0 | 0 | Haitske van der Linde | not in parliament | extra-parliamenary |
Municipal and Provincial Government
The municipal and local Leefbaar parties were not an official part of the party. Some of these parties, most notably Leefbaar RotterdamLeefbaar Rotterdam
Livable Rotterdam is a political party in the large Dutch city of Rotterdam. It won the council elections of March 2002 due to the charismatic leadership of Pim Fortuyn. This made it the city's largest political party, a position held for 30 years by PvdA...
were however founded around the same time hoping to gain from the same momentum. Many of these parties are represented in provincial
States-Provincial
The States'-Provincial is the provincial parliament and legislative assembly in each of the Provinces of the Netherlands. It is elected for each province simultaneously once every four years and has the responsibility for matters of sub-national or regional importance...
and municipal legislatures and cooperated in several municipal executives. They were highly successful in the 2002 municipal elections, but lost much of their support in the 2006 municipal elections
Dutch municipal elections, 2006
The Dutch municipal elections of 2006 were held on March 7, 2006. About 11.8 million people could vote in 419 municipalities. Due to local redistricting, 15 municipalities have already held elections in January 2006 and 24 municipalities will hold elections in November 2006...
.
Electorate
The party was supported by many independent voters, who no longer felt connected to a particular party.Organizational structure
The highest organ of LN was the CongressParty Congress
A party congress is a general conference of a political party. The congress is attended by delegates who represent the party membership. In most parties the party congress is the highest decision making body of the organisation and elects the party's leadership bodies such as the National Executive...
in which every member could participate. It convened once every year. It appointed the party board and decided the order of the House of Representatives, Senate and European Parliament candidate lists and had the final say over the party program.
Linked organisations
The party's youth organisation was called Jong@Leefbaar.nl (Young@Livable.nl; J@L). The party published De Leefbaar Koerier (Livable Courier). The scientific institute of the party was called Foundation Scientific Bureau Livable Netherlands, which published De Fundering (The Foundation).International Comparison
Internationally, Leefbaar Nederland may be compared to Forza ItaliaForza Italia
Forza Italia was a liberal-conservative, Christian democratic, and liberal political party in Italy, with a large social democratic minority, that was led by Silvio Berlusconi, four times Prime Minister of Italy....
, a populist party centered around a prominent media personality.