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What party would you vote for?
CDA 3 (18.8%)
PvdA 5 (31.3%)
VVD 0 (0%)
D66 5 (31.3%)
GroenLinks 0 (0%)
SP 2 (12.5%)
LPF 1 (6.3%)
ChristenUnie 0 (0%)
SGP 0 (0%)
Total Votes: 16
Who would you vote for?; The Dutch edition
Topic Started: Oct 11 2004, 01:48 AM (421 Views)
Freibergen
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As promised, a wide range of choice in this poll. The listed nine parties all have seats in the Dutch "Tweede Kamer" (Second Chamber; Commons or Reps for you Anglo-Americans). Reason for this is the Dutch multi-party system.

Here follows a description of the parties so you can make a somewhat argued choice. :)

CDA - "Christian Democratic Appeal". A party with Christian ideals, on the political spectre somewhat to the right of the middle. Currently in the government coalition; the Netherlands' current Prime Minister belongs to this party.

PvdA - Democratic socialists. Currently the largest opposition party. Left to the middle.

VVD - "People's Party for Peace and Democracy". Despite the name, the VVD is not quite a "people's" party but more one for the well-off. Right-wing. Currently also in the government coalition.

D66 - The D stands for "democrats". Founded in 1966, D66 has strived all its existence for the introduction of more democracy, such as a referendum, elected mayors and an elected Prime Minister. To date, none of these have been realised, although the elected mayor is planned to be introduced within a few years from now. Third and last part that is currently in the government coalition.

GroenLinks - "GreenLeft" literally. Left-winged green party.

SP - Socialist Party. The most left-winged party in the Netherlands.

LPF - "Lijst Pim Fortuyn". Party founded by Pim Fortuyn, the right wing politician who was murdered two years ago. Pretty much since its foundation, this party has suffered numerous internal squabbles.

ChristenUnie - "Christian Union". Merger of two small-time Christian political parties.

SGP - "Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij". The SGP is the most fundamental of Christian parties in the Netherlands. One of their views is that women should be barred from the electoral process.

These, now, are the major political parties in the Netherlands. There are numerous other parties in existence, mainly around election time, but these parties rarely get a foothold in the Tweede Kamer.

Incidentally, the CDA/VVD/D66 coalition (about 77 seats in the 150 seat Tweede Kamer) decided to back the Iraq war politically, yet not militarily.
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HotRodia
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I'm the only one who has voted so far. :cowboy
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Freibergen
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Yeah, well, I only posted this this morning. :)

Incidentally, I haven't voted yet myself because I'm increasingly unsure of who to vote for. It doesn't matter for any of you, but I'm the one who has to cope with this lot in parliament. :)
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HotRodia
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Heh. I can certainly sympathize. One of two guys I wouldn't trust to run my computer is going to run my country for the next four years. And both of the guys running for congress in my district are morons.
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Palcon
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I voted for that Pvda party, they are about where I fall on the spectrum.

Also well done there Freibergen, better description than my British version
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Freibergen
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How about some more votes, folks? I'd like to compare the outcome of this poll to the results of the last elections over here. :)
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Greenspoint
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Big Tex called me a "Goofball" :)
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I selected the CDA.
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Freibergen
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Good, good, thank you very much. Keep those votes coming. :)
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Richard
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Walks in all drunk to the voting booth.
Allright a poll!
Woohoo.
man... too much to drink.
:beer :drunk

Let's see... who to vote for.
:blink:
This one will do.
:badpc
Finished!
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El Pat
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Well it came down to the wire, but in the end I decided on the Socialist Party over the Green Party because, well, I couldn't find a liberal libertarian party. Of course, being very much to the left side of the political spectrum, the two above parties are the ones that most closely align with my views.

Pat
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NewTexas
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We went for the D66, despite having the word "Democrat" in the title. Voting is better than appointing and inheriting and they are trying to get there. We really should do more research, but that is our gut-choice.
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TimDauwalter
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You're up in Indiana right Sam? Which CD are you in? The only one I've heard much about is the "bloody 8th", which is supposed to switch hands a lot and provide for some of the closest races in the country.

More choices would be nice, but the American public already has trouble figuring out differences between 2 candidates. Basically, it's tyranny of the stupid and apathetic.
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Channelview
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We have cast our vote here, for the pvda
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Palcon
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Excellent Channel view. Pvda.

More people need to vote on the BRITISH VERSION

C'mon I'm losing out here, to a better version.

Have sympathy for the little guy.

(taps desk)

C'mon you guys live nearer Britain.
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Freibergen
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Well, I voted on yours so I've done all I can. :)
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TimDauwalter
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I voted in both polls Palcon, I'm sure more people will. Although I must confess that I know very little about the Dutch system (just the little descriptions provided). We studied some political systems around the world in high school, but nothing too in depth. At least our school didn't put much emphasis on the world outside of the United States, and that's the impression I get talking to most people these days. Most of what I know about the world (besides general world history) is what I've learned from reading world newspapers and not from school.
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Freibergen
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TimDauwalter,Oct 16 2004
06:12 PM
Although I must confess that I know very little about the Dutch system...

Let's make amends for that, shall we? :)

The Dutch political system can be described as a parliamentary system, meaning that the emphasis is on parliament, and not on the president as in the US presidential system. Also, since the Netherlands is a kingdom (constitutional monarchy), its head of state is, at present, the Queen. (The Queen is also part of government, but in this the head of state role is more important.)

Parliament is comprised of the "First Chamber" (senate/lords) and the "Second Chamber" (reps/commons). Only the 150 members of the Second Chamber are directly elected by the people, every four year.

These elections are based on a system of proportional representation, meaning that if a party amasses 5% of the votes throughout the country, it gets 5% of the seats in the Second Chamber. This means that every party who gets enough votes, gets a seat in the Second Chamber.

As a result, however, no party will ever have a majority in the Second Chamber. This means that for a majority to exist, parties have to form a coalition. Negotiations for the forming of such a coalition are traditionally opened by the largest party after the elections. If and when these negotiations have been successful, the new cabinet can be formed, with the leader of that largest party usually becoming the Prime Minister. The other minister's posts are filled up by other people from the coalition parties.

A cabinet can remain in office as long as a majority of the Second Chamber has trust in it. This is an important rule, known as 'the Rule of Trust'. If at any point a minister has insufficient trust in the Second Chamber, he is expected to resign. If the entire cabinet lacks trust, it too may be expected to resign, however the Prime Minister may also disband the Second Chamber, so that new elections are to be held and the Dutch people can give their opinion (by voting) on the conflict in question. The Second Chamber may not be disbanded more than once over the same conflict.

Hopefully this clears up things. Any questions? :)
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NewTexas
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Very nice explanation President Bill! :fez

We have a couple of questions. How do people get into the First Chamber? And, what is the seperation of powers between the First and Second Chambers? And what role does the Queen play in policy making?
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Freibergen
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Thank you, Big Tex. :)

1) The members of the First Chamber are elected by the members of the twelve Provincial Councils, who in turn are elected by the people of their province every four years.

2) The Second Chamber, with its direct electoral mandate, is the primary Chamber. Bills may only be proposed in the Second Chamber, either by a member or by the government. When a bill is passed, it goes to the First Chamber, which then has the option of either rejecting the bill or passing it. It may not alter or amend it in any way, nor partially pass or reject it. Where it concerns the scrutiny of government, both Chambers have the same powers.

3) Officially, since the Queen is not elected in any way, she is not supposed to have any influence in policy making. However, she is part of government, and nothing prohibits her from exerting influence, especially during the brief weekly meetings with the PM. What real influence the Queen has is unknown, and a closely guarded secret known as "the secret of Huis Ten Bosch" (Huis Ten Bosch being the palace where she lives and where these chats with the PM take place).
This relates to the fact that the Constitution states that the King/Queen cannot be held responsible for anything. Instead, the ministers are responsible for what the Queen (and the heir apparent) do or do not do.
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HotRodia
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TimDauwalter,Oct 14 2004
05:43 PM
You're up in Indiana right Sam? Which CD are you in? The only one I've heard much about is the "bloody 8th", which is supposed to switch hands a lot and provide for some of the closest races in the country.

More choices would be nice, but the American public already has trouble figuring out differences between 2 candidates. Basically, it's tyranny of the stupid and apathetic.

I'm think I'm in the 8th district. Either that or the candidates are airing ads in the wrong district...
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