Dutch elections : the animal party

[1vegan]

In two days the dutch will be voting for a new parliament (if that is what it compares to) the second chamber elections (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_in_the_Netherlands)


I can vote for The animal party (http://www.partijvoordedieren.nl/content/view/129), in the last elections they were just short of a couple of hundred votes to get a seat in the second chamber.


I'm wondering if I should vote for them with the risk that they don't make it this time either, and then my vote for them goes to one of the biggest parties (eventually)

Do you think it's still worth voting on the animal party, even if they might not make it at all?

[Keykeypie]

In two days the dutch will be voting for a new parliament (if that is what it compares to) the second chamber elections (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_in_the_Netherlands)


I can vote for The animal party (http://www.partijvoordedieren.nl/content/view/129), in the last elections they were just short of a couple of hundred votes to get a seat in the second chamber.


I'm wondering if I should vote for them with the risk that they don't make it this time either, and then my vote for them goes to one of the biggest parties (eventually)

Do you think it's still worth voting on the animal party, even if they might not make it at all?

Did you see this? (http://www.thenakedvegan.net/showthread.php?p=16215#post16215post16215)

[Gliondrach]

Do you think it's still worth voting on the animal party, even if they might not make it at all?

Yes, it is worth voting for them. If everyone thought that it might be a wasted vote no one would vote for them. I used to think along those lines but now I vote the way I feel and not tactically. Tactical voting usually only works if you know what other tactical voters will vote for.

I didn't know you were in Holland. Do you wear clogs?

[Bowwowmeow]

I never know how to answer this question. Here is the USA, they trot out alternatives in order to split votes so that the candidate in one of the two major parties, Republican or Democrat, who is losing, might actually win if the opposing votes are split between two other candidates. In this way we can end up with a President, for example, who wins with only a little more than a third of the vote of the entire number of voters, who would otherwise lose if there were no one else to split the vote with the opposition. Its so hard when the people in charge know all this stuff, and do everything they can to manipulate people's freedom of choice. There really is no freedom here, but I guess its still better than it is in countries where no one gets to vote at all.

I guess its a matter of choosing to go with your conscience, or choosing the lesser of two evils. Sometimes they are one and the same, other times they are not. I've done both. But it never gets any easier. :sigh:

[Phoenix]

Good luck 1Vegan.

... Here is the USA, they trot out alternatives in order to split votes so that the candidate in one of the two major parties, Republican or Democrat, who is losing, might actually win if the opposing votes are split between two other candidates. In this way we can end up with a President, for example, who wins with only a little more than a third of the vote of the entire number of voters, who would otherwise lose if there were no one else to split the vote with the opposition. Its so hard when the people in charge know all this stuff, and do everything they can to manipulate people's freedom of choice. There really is no freedom here, but I guess its still better than it is in countries where no one gets to vote at all ...
There is a similar kind of manipulation here. :grumble: Basically, we have the Labor party (like the Democrats) & Liberal party (like the Republicans). However, the Liberal party is in a coalition with the National party, and they swap preferences to get politicians voted in. So on a two-party-prefered basis, the Labor party would almost always win an election. But instead, the stupid, racist, greedy, selfish Aussie voters vote the Liberals back in! :hbang:

[Oracl]

...the stupid, racist, greedy, selfish Aussie voters vote the Liberals back in! :hbang:
Sad, but true. :(

[1vegan]

I voted before I went to work today, and voted for the animal party, they need it more then the other "social" partys :)

I hope the animal party gets a seat this time :)

[Bowwowmeow]

Dutch Christian Democrats Win Most Seats

http://my.eimg.net/harvest_xml/NEWS/img/20061122/4563d950_3ca7_1552720061122-484953459.jpg (http://enews.earthlink.net/article/pho?guid=20061122/4563d950_3ca7_1552720061122-484953459&article_path=/article/int&article_guid=20061122/4563d950_3ca6_1552620061122-961932056)

Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende and his wife Biance celebrate the Democratic Party CDA's parliamentary election results at the Lucent Dance Theater in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday Nov. FRED ERNST

By ARTHUR MAX (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
November 22, 2006 6:29 PM EST
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - The Dutch prime minister's center-right Christian Democrats won the most seats in elections Wednesday, but nearly complete returns showed a sharply splintered - and possibly deadlocked - parliament with no alliance winning a clear mandate to govern.
The Dutch divided their votes between a government coalition that has been tough on immigration and pro-business, and socialists - led by the Labor Party - promoting a softer approach.
No combination of left- or right-wing parties will easily muster full control of parliament, state-funded broadcaster NOS predicted after more than 94 percent of the vote was counted.
The vote could result in weeks, or months, of coalition haggling with smaller parties in a position to demand a heavy price for their support. Even if a coalition emerges, the result could be an unstable government that would have difficulty completing a four-year term.
Still, an upbeat Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende pledged to "build on the foundation we laid." But he acknowledged the result was "complicated," and said coalition negotiations would require "a level head and perseverance."
"It's chaos. It is extremely difficult to distill a government out of these results," said Finance Minister Gerrit Zalm of the free-market Liberal party, Balkenende's current partner in parliament.
"The jigsaw can still be laid in many different ways," said Nebahat Albayrak, a top-ranking Labor candidate.
Balkenende's Christian Democrats, cashing in on an economic revival and popular measures to crack down on immigration, easily beat its closest rival, Labor, winning 41 seats to Labor's 32, according to the unofficial late results.
Official results are not expected until Monday.
The Christian Democrat's narrow victory was predicted early in the day in an exit poll by the TNS Nipo market research group and released on RTL television - based on responses from 27,000 voters.
"If the polls are right, I'm very happy because we're still the biggest party," said Marja van Bijsterveld, the chairwoman of the Christian Democrats. "We had great candidates, a strong program and a leader who was solid as a rock."
But it's still not enough for a majority in parliament for the Christian Democrats. Even in parntership with the free market Liberals, any Christian Democrat-led coalition would need to bring several more parties on board to reach a majority of 76 seats in the 150-member legislature.
Labor, led by Wouter Bos, emphasized how difficult it will be for their rivals to rule.
"What is clear is that this Cabinet has no mandate to continue," said Michiel van Hulten, Labor's campaign chairman. "That is good news. The Netherlands has opted for change."
At the same time, no combination of leftist parties appears capable of forming a majority, leaving open the possibility of an uncomfortable alliance among ideological foes, or even a "grand coalition" of the two largest parties.
The Socialist Party, led by political veteran Jan Marijnissen, made the biggest gains Wednesday. One exit poll predicted the Socialists would gain 17 seats, to 26, in the new parliament, nearly triple their current total.
"We expected to double our seats but this is absolutely fantastic," said Socialist Party lawmaker Agnes Kant. "I am proud the Netherlands wants to move to the left."
Right-wing maverick Geert Wilders also had cause to celebrate. After leading a one-man faction in the outgoing parliament, his allies were forecast to win nine seats on the strength of his powerful anti-immigrant message.
"We are a normal party that wants lower taxes and tougher sentences, but we are also proud of our culture and against the rise of Islam in Dutch society," he said. "There are enough Muslims in the Netherlands and enough mosques."
About six percent of the Dutch population is Muslim.
The country has been engaged in a rancorous debate over immigration and the threat of Islamic terrorism following two political murders tied to Islam in recent years.
But immigration and Islam were barely mentioned until the final days of the campaign, when Balkenende's hard-line immigration minister, Rita Verdonk, said the government intended to outlaw burqas and other face-covering apparel.
Fawaz Jneid, a Muslim cleric who has been criticized for his radical statements, said the attempt to ban the burqa would backfire on the government.
"The number of women in the Netherlands who wear a face-covering cloth is very few," he said. "The reality is that this law will hurt the Netherlands much more than it will hurt the women."
Labor's Bos campaigned saying he agreed generally with the government's call for restrictions on immigration, but called for a revival of the Netherlands' traditional tolerance of newcomers. He hammered the conservatives over what he called a heartless social policy, but kept his criticism on immigration policy muted.
"On one side ... we have to ask people to prepare to come to the Netherlands so they can adapt to our society's core values," Bos said in a televised debate Tuesday. "But we must also ask our society to do something: Make people feel welcome here."
If he became prime minister, Bos said, he would grant pardons and citizenship to thousands of frustrated asylum seekers who have been living illegally for years in the Netherlands.
Balkenende, in contrast, insisted the illegal migrants be deported. He said his government's immigration and integration policies had made progress in the past four years, "but there is still work to do."
Balkende's ruling coalition collapsed in June after a minor party, D66, pulled out to protest immigration minister Verdonk's botched attempt to revoke the citizenship of Somali-born lawmaker and strident critic of radical Islam, Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
In a first for Europe, the Party for Animals was forecast Wednesday to win at least two seats. The animal rights' party wants to curb inhumane practices in industrial farming.


"In a first for Europe, the Party for Animals was forecast Wednesday to win at least two seats. The animal rights' party wants to curb inhumane practices in industrial farming."
I hope so! I guess no one will know until Monday. :crossfingers:

[Bowwowmeow]

Party for the Animals

The Party for the Animals is a Dutch political party that aims to improve the position of animals in our society. The party was founded to promote an awareness of the way in which humans treat animals and to emphasise that this needs to change – in the interest of not only the animals themselves, but also humans and the environment in which we all live.
Party Platform
The Party for the Animals’ platform is built around the belief that both animals and humans are living creatures with emotions and a conscience and therefore, animals have the right to be treated with respect by humans. This means that regardless of whether they are in the wild or are kept in farms or homes, animals should be able to live according to their own nature and not have their well-being affected by humans without reasonable or necessary reason. The party believes the extent to which a human society is ‘civilised’ can be measured by the way in which its members treat other living creatures and the natural environment in general.
History of the Party for the Animals
The Party for the Animals was founded in October 2002 because the political environment in the Netherlands did not (and still does not) pay any attention to the interests of animals. Other political parties place concepts such as the economy, law and order, and integration above nature, the environment, and animal welfare. The Party for the Animals will give animal welfare the priority it deserves. Taking part in the political process provides the party with the opportunity of placing the legal protection of animals high on the political and social agenda and convincing other parties to support the interests of animals.
From the day it was founded, the number of people supporting the Party for the Animals’ has continually grown. In January 2003 the party stood for the first time in a Dutch parliamentary election and received 0.5% of the votes (around 50,000 votes), which just fell short of the number required for a seat in the lower house of the national parliament. In 2004, the European Parliament elections saw the Party for the Animals receive 3.2% of the votes (around 153,000 votes), again coming close to winning a seat. In terms of membership numbers, the Party for the Animals was the fastest-growing political party in the Netherlands in 2005. This is unprecedented for a young party that has not even been elected to parliament yet.
In a number of other countries including Belgium, France, Germany, Spain and the UK, political parties similar to the Party for the Animals were recently set up, and opinion polls indicate that the Party for the Animals could potentially win 8% of the votes in the Netherlands. The Dutch political system is based upon proportional representation, which means that the heterogeneous character of the voting population is reflected in the make-up of parliament. On 22 November 2006, new parliamentary elections will take place in the Netherlands and these should see the Party for the Animals elected to the national parliament; it will be the first time in the world that a political party which champions the interests of animals has achieved this feat.
We are on the verge of an historical breakthrough in the campaign for animal rights. The success of the Party for the Animals in the Netherlands could gain international importance and thereby improve the lives of billions of animals. If you wish to assist us in our breakthrough, please send an e-mail to info@partijvoordedieren.nl Thank you very much for your support!

***************************************

Press release
A victory for the animals
Party for the Animals gains 2 parliamentary seats in the Netherlands

Amsterdam, 11/23/2006 – On Wednesday, November 22, the Dutch political Party of the Animals gained 2 seats in the 150-member legislature in The Netherlands. This makes the Netherlands the first country in the world in which a party for animal welfare is elected into a representative body of the people.
“We are thrilled with such a wonderful result of our campaign”, says party leader Marianne Thieme. “Finally we can start realizing our party’s highest priority, namely ending all animal suffering. We want a constitutional amendment, guaranteeing animals the right to freedom from pain, fear and stress caused by humans. Let’s begin with easing the suffering of the hundreds of millions of cows, pigs and chickens stuck in factory farming”, she said. Thieme feels success in the Netherlands could help the movement elsewhere. One of the party’s purposes is to be an inspiration for other countries and animal rights activists.
A growing number of Dutch people are wondering why it is necessary to have economic interests prevail over ethical considerations when it comes to animal welfare and the interests of nature and the environment. “The Party for the Animals expresses this concern that so many Dutch have”, says Esther Ouwehand, number two on the party list, explaining the party’s victory.
The party and viewpoints of party leader Marianne Thieme received a great deal of media attention. After law school and a brief corporate career, she decided to enter politics as an advocate for all animals and founded the Party for the Animals. A large number of well known Dutch authors such as Jan Wolkers, Kees van Kooten, Maarten ’t Hart and Harry Mulisch have joined the Party for the Animals. 20 of the party’s 30 candidates are opinion leaders in the Netherlands. Also a number of business people have contributed large sums of money to the Party for the Animals, allowing for a full-fledged political campaign.

****************************************

A world first:
Party for the Animals has a big chance of winning parliamentary seats in the Netherlands

Amsterdam, 11/14/2006 – On Wednesday, November 22 the Dutch will go to the polls. One of the 24 parties in the running is the Party for the Animals. Chances of this party winning two or more seats in parliament are continuously increasing. This will make the Netherlands the first country in the world in which a party for animal welfare is elected into a representative body of the people.
Recent animal crises such as mad cow disease and foot-and-mouth disease have clearly exposed the flaws of intensive cattle farming. Dutch farmers were hit more than average by these crises as the Netherlands are a nation marked by highly intensive cattle farming. In the end, millions of healthy animals were exterminated. This animal suffering has set many Dutch people thinking about the methods used in animal farming. Economic interests should not prevail over ethical considerations when it comes to animal welfare and the interests of nature and the environment. The castration of pigs without the use of any anesthetic, as well as the clipping of their tails and teeth are commonplace. A growing number of Dutch people are wondering why this is necessary. The Party for the Animals expresses this concern and acts as a booster towards other parties in the Dutch parliament that call themselves animal friendly.
On the candidate list of the largest opposition party (the labor party) the only animal protector rose from a 51st position, with no chance of being elected, to a 33rd position thanks to the influence of the Party for the Animals.
The party and viewpoints of party leader Marianne Thieme receive a great deal of media attention. After law school and a brief corporate career, she decided to enter politics as an advocate for all animals and founded the Party for the Animals. ‘Our party’s highest priority is to end all animal suffering. People who treat animals in a civilized manner, will treat each other in a civilized manner’, Thieme says.
A large number of well known Dutch authors such as Jan Wolkers, Kees van Kooten, Maarten ’t Hart and Harry Mulisch have joined the Party for the Animals. Poets, singers and other artists also occupy the party’s list of candidates. 20 of the party’s 30 candidates are opinion leaders in the Netherlands. A number of business people have contributed large sums of money to the Party for the Animals, allowing for a full-fledged political campaign. The French-American professor Laurence Arcadias of the Maryland Institute College of Art and her students created election videos for the party, including this one:
http://www.partijvoordedieren.nl/PvdDTV/?id=4

:celebrate: :celebrate: :celebrate:

[Bowwowmeow]

Hey 1vegan, it must feel really good to know you had a part in making history! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[paul]

:rock: :thumbsup:

[Oracl]

It is very exciting! :excited: Now that the Netherlands has taken this historic step I would love to think that a similar movement could occur in other countries. :agree:

[Gliondrach]

That is great news. Well done, 1Vegan and all the others who voted for them.

This could convince people in other countries that a similar party could be set up and that their vote for it wouldn't be wasted.

[Keykeypie]

That is great news. Well done, 1Vegan and all the others who voted for them.

This could convince people in other countries that a similar party could be set up and that their vote for it wouldn't be wasted.

You mean like the UK? Read on. (http://www.speakcampaigns.org/news/20061122speakpolitical.php)....:)

http://www.speakcampaigns.org/news/20061122speakpolitical.php

[Gliondrach]

That's exciting news, Keykeypie. Thanks. I live in a strong Labour seat so there probably wouldn't be a candidate here. But I will see what I can do to help them.

Incidently, for UK-types, there's a programme on BBC2 on Monday about vivisection and the new vivisection labs in Oxford. It's on at 9pm.

[1vegan]

Hey 1vegan, it must feel really good to know you had a part in making history! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

I only pressed a button :shy:

[Bowwowmeow]

But it was the right button, and it worked. :agree:

[Phoenix]

:yea: :yea: :yea: :yea: :yea:

[Gliondrach]

Has 1Vegan been appointed as Prime Minister yet?