After surviving several quite outrageous scandals, the Dutch PM used an artificial ideological crisis to pull the plug from the 4th Cabinet in his name (ie, Rutte-4). Several weeks ago, his own party had demanded his action to curtail the inflow of migrants & refugees. Perhaps, his brazenness will be rewarded.
On June 30, Politico Europe reported that Europe swings right — and reshapes the EU: “Italy, Finland, Greece have recently moved. Spain could be next. The shift will affect everything from climate policy to migration.” I suppose the Netherlands can now be added to this list.
The Dutch PM must have realized that it’s quite impossible to profit from (his) scandals. However, creating an artificial ideological crisis might just do the trick. Moreover, voters are usually keen to forget and/or forgive (his) past failures. I wonder who will win the 2023 Dutch general election.
For decades, I admired the talents of the Dutch PM. I viewed him as a pragmatist and as a skilled survivor. Little has changed although I use different labels today: he is a ruthless Machiavelli without principles. Perhap, his only principle is that he has no principles; or the principle of Power.
I expect an avalanche in the autumn of 2023. Most likely, the Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB) will win substantially. Their win may well create a comfortable conservative-right bloc. I expect that the liberal-left parties will be capped at 20-30% of Dutch votes. Today, they’re still rejoicing though.
The Dutch PM is aware of the above. In due time, his artificial ideological crisis might be viewed as a political masterstroke. In case he would not win, he may succeed the NATO chief, who extended his stay for just one year. Some US media claim that Biden wants Rutte to head NATO (eg, CNN, TIME).
I have little doubt that the Dutch PM will once again survive the political mess that he created since the start of his reign in 2010.
Survivor (2001) by Destiny’s Child featuring Beyoncé
band, artist, lyrics, video, Wiki-band, Wiki-artist, Wiki-song
[Chorus: All]
I’m a survivor (What?)
I’m not gon’ give up (What?)
I’m not gon’ stop (What?)
I’m gon’ work harder (What?)
I’m a survivor (What?)
I’m gonna make it (What?)
I will survive (What?)
Keep on survivin’ (What?)
I’m a survivor (What?)
I’m not gon’ give up (What?)
I’m not gon’ stop (What?)
I’m gon’ work harder (What?)
I’m a survivor (What?)
I’m gonna make it (What?)
I will survive (What?)
Keep on survivin’ (What?)
Note: all markings (bold, italic, underlining) by LO unless in quotes or stated otherwise.
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