Proud of the Netherlands
Encyclopedia
Proud of the Netherlands is a Dutch
Political party
. The party was founded on 17 October 2007 by Rita Verdonk
, who at that time was an independent member of the House of Representatives. Verdonk declared that her movement would consist of "sympathizers" and, like the Party for Freedom
, would not have a membership structure. However on July 7, 2009 it was officially announced that the "movement" would become a official Dutch political party.
The party has been labeled as right wing
and conservative liberal
by the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad
. Dutch newspaper Trouw
has labeled the party "explicitly nationalist".
Verdonk stated that she wanted to use the party's own Wiki
as a debating platform for citizens.
An opinion poll by Interview-NSS
taken in week 42 of 2007 showed that Verdonk's movement would obtain 9.9% of the parliamentary vote, with losses for the VVD
, PVV
and SP
. Polls by TNS-Nipo
and Maurice de Hond
(Peil.nl) even indicated that the party would take second place.
On 3 April 2008, Verdonk officially launched the party. A subsequent poll by Maurice De Hond indicated that Proud of the Netherlands and the PvdA
would be tied for second place with 22 seats each in the Dutch Parliament which counts 150 seats.
Since the party's launch its popularity has gradually dwindled. Starting from the middle of 2009 polls showed the party winning at most one seat.
On March 3, 2010 the party participated for the first time in Dutch municipal elections. The party had a reasonable showing for a new party capturing nearly fifty seats in thirty different local councils. In Den Helder
it was the second largest party.
In the general elections
on June 9, 2010 Verdonk did not receive enough votes to secure a seat in the House of Representatives. As a result, she decided to drop out of national politics.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
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...
. The party was founded on 17 October 2007 by Rita Verdonk
Rita Verdonk
Maria Cornelia Frederika "Rita" Verdonk is a retired Dutch politician initially of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy until she was expelled in October 2007, she later formed her own party Proud of the Netherlands . She served as Minister for Integration and Immigration in Cabinets...
, who at that time was an independent member of the House of Representatives. Verdonk declared that her movement would consist of "sympathizers" and, like the Party for Freedom
Party for Freedom
The Party for Freedom is a Dutch right-wing political party. Founded in 2005 as the successor to Geert Wilders' one-man party in the House of Representatives, it won nine seats in the 2006 general election, making it the fifth largest party in parliament, and third largest opposition party. It...
, would not have a membership structure. However on July 7, 2009 it was officially announced that the "movement" would become a official Dutch political party.
The party has been labeled as right wing
Right-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
and conservative liberal
Liberal conservatism
Liberal conservatism also known as progressive conservatism is a variant of political conservatism which incorporates liberal elements. As "conservatism" and "liberalism" have had different meanings over time and across countries, the term "liberal conservatism" has been used in quite different...
by the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad
NRC Handelsblad
NRC Handelsblad, often abbreviated to NRC, is a daily evening newspaper published in the Netherlands by NRC Media. The newspaper was created on October 1, 1970, from merger of the Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant and Algemeen Handelsblad . In 2006 a morning newspaper, nrc•next, was launched...
. Dutch newspaper Trouw
Trouw
Trouw is a Dutch daily newspaper. "Trouw" is a Dutch word meaning "fidelity", "loyalty", or "allegiance", and is cognate with the English adjective "true"...
has labeled the party "explicitly nationalist".
Verdonk stated that she wanted to use the party's own Wiki
Wiki
A wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
as a debating platform for citizens.
An opinion poll by Interview-NSS
Synovate
Synovate was a market research firm owned by the Aegis Group. It was formed from the acquisition of a number of smaller market research firms. It has a number of different divisions, such as Synovate Healthcare, Synovate Customer Experience, Synovate Censydiam and Motoresearch. They claimed...
taken in week 42 of 2007 showed that Verdonk's movement would obtain 9.9% of the parliamentary vote, with losses for the VVD
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy is a conservative-liberal political party located in the Netherlands. The VVD supports private enterprise in the Netherlands and is often perceived as an economic liberal party in contrast to the social-liberal Democrats 66 alongside which it sits in...
, PVV
Party for Freedom
The Party for Freedom is a Dutch right-wing political party. Founded in 2005 as the successor to Geert Wilders' one-man party in the House of Representatives, it won nine seats in the 2006 general election, making it the fifth largest party in parliament, and third largest opposition party. It...
and SP
Socialist Party (Netherlands)
The Socialist Party is a democratic socialist political party in the Netherlands. After the 2006 general election, the Socialist Party became one of the major parties of the Netherlands with 25 seats of 150, an increase of 16 seats. The party was in opposition against the fourth Balkenende cabinet...
. Polls by TNS-Nipo
Taylor Nelson Sofres
Taylor Nelson Sofres is a leading market research and market information group. Formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange and a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index, the firm was acquired by WPP Group in October 2008 for 1.6 billion pounds.-History:...
and Maurice de Hond
Maurice de Hond
Maurice de Hond is a Dutch pollster and entrepreneur.-Career:De Hond studied social geography at the University of Amsterdam, obtaining a degree in 1971. He worked for the university, as assistant with the Sociaal Geografisch Instituut, but became a project leader for Interview-NSS in 1973...
(Peil.nl) even indicated that the party would take second place.
On 3 April 2008, Verdonk officially launched the party. A subsequent poll by Maurice De Hond indicated that Proud of the Netherlands and the PvdA
Labour Party (Netherlands)
The Labour Party , is a social-democratic political party in the Netherlands. Since the 2003 Dutch General Election, the PvdA has been the second largest political party in the Netherlands. The PvdA was a coalition member in the fourth Balkenende cabinet following 22 February 2007...
would be tied for second place with 22 seats each in the Dutch Parliament which counts 150 seats.
Since the party's launch its popularity has gradually dwindled. Starting from the middle of 2009 polls showed the party winning at most one seat.
On March 3, 2010 the party participated for the first time in Dutch municipal elections. The party had a reasonable showing for a new party capturing nearly fifty seats in thirty different local councils. In Den Helder
Den Helder
Den Helder is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Den Helder occupies the northernmost point of the North Holland peninsula...
it was the second largest party.
In the general elections
Dutch general election, 2010
The 2010 Dutch general election was held on Wednesday, 9 June 2010. After the fall of the cabinet Balkenende IV on 20 February, Queen Beatrix accepted the resignation of the Labour Party ministers on 23 February...
on June 9, 2010 Verdonk did not receive enough votes to secure a seat in the House of Representatives. As a result, she decided to drop out of national politics.