oh, some actual news...

Oh, also, the Dutch national government fell last week! While everyone was gearing up for municipal level elections (taking place on 3 March, all over the country), the federal government was becoming ever more unstable: first with the results of an inquiry into the Dutch support for the US's war in Iraq (which nearly brought it down in January), and finally with heated debate over the position of the Netherlands on extending their mission in Afghanistan. In a parliamentary system characterized by the generally dull compromise of coalition governing, I'm told that this was the most riveting debate in Dutch politics in years. After a flurry of questioning and posturing on Thursday (the 18th), the discussion began anew on Friday evening. It lasted all night, finally finishing at 5:30 AM Saturday morning with the decisive collapse of the coalition.

I don't think it got a whole lot of press around the world, but it is, understandably, a pretty big story here (even more than the fortunes of the speed skaters at the Olympics). I think it's going to be pretty interesting to see what happens over the coming months, especially with talk of Wilders gaining enough seats to potentially form the government. Good for my research, but perhaps not so much for the Dutch themselves... On the other hand, some people I've been talking to about this possibility have said that maybe it's a good thing if Wilders' party (PVV) gets enough seats because - like the 'new realist', populist, far-Right Lijst Pim Fortuyn back in 2002 - they might just fall apart once they are given some real responsibility in the government.

If you're interested in reading more about this shake-up, check out Ms. Long's excellent blog about it: Government...scmovernment. The Dutch do it their own way!