The leaders of the left. From left to right: Femke Halsema (GroenLinks), Jan Marijnissen (SP) and Wouter Bos (PvdA
PvdA leader Wouter Bos received more and more criticism for being too friendly towards the CDA. Before the campaign for the (November 22) elections began it was quite clear that the PvdA hoped to form a coalition with the CDA: he enforced that idea during the first weeks of the campaign. Now with only one week left to go, Bos listens to those who criticized this approach and says that he cannot identify himself any longer with the CDA and that he could favor a center left coalition (with Groenlinks and the SP).
Why can’t Bos identify himself any longer with the CDA, one might ask. Well, according to Wouter the CDA moved quite far to the right the last couple of years. Funny how he ‘suddenly’ notices this move. Is he saying that he did not notice this before, say, 15 November?
Perhaps the polls have something to do with it: the PvdA currently has 42 of the 150 seats in our Parliament. In the polls it only has 32 left.
The real problem for our leftist parties? There simply is not a majority – as I see it at least – of the Dutch people that favors a center left coalition.
Thank God.
Wouter’s only hope seems to be to limit the loss: the SP is growing rapidly. Leftist voters are turning away from the PvdA because Wouter Bos seemed to be a little bit too willing to work with the CDA. Polls show that if elections would be held today, the SP would win 28 seats. In short: the SP is coming extremely close to the hegemony on the left of the PvdA.
Also: Prime-Minister Balkenende suddenly feels attacked from the right: by my party, the VVD. Vice PM Zalm (of the VVD) said that Balkenende is afraid and not willing to reform as much as necessary. According to Zalm Balkenende realizes that more reforms are necessary but is afraid that – by saying so – the CDA will lose votes.
Meanwhile, viewers say that Jan Marijnissen won the last debate between the leader of the different political parties.
Second: Wouter Bos
Third: Jan Peter Balkenende
