Why I am glad the Dutch Liberal VVD's lost seats

10.37.47am GMT Tue 28th Nov 2006

Last week the Dutch election took place, both 'Liberal' parties lost seats. We have two Dutch sister parties D66 and VVD, as with the European and global Liberal families there are sometimes tensions.

Both the VVD and D66 lost seats in the election, which by any standard was odd and we are still no clearer as to who will form the Government. I am very sad that D66 lost out, their Liberalism is similar to mine and at the last ELDR Congress the Liberal Democrats and D66 voted almost identically, indeed the one vote where I dissented from the Liberal Democrat line (with permission!) was to vote with D66.

I am glad that the VVD lost seats in the election, this may sound like an odd thing to say, but the VVD in my opinion have taken some rather dodgy stances recently. D66 and the VVD were both part of the Government but D66 withdrew about six months ago over the Government's policy on immigration, VVD stayed. A VVD representative at the ELDR Congress made a speech about Turkey which I thought was edging towards being anti-Islam and you may have read the Dutch Government are looking to make wearing the Burqa in public illegal, this legislation was to be piloted by a VVD Minister. If the VVD want to take this positions then fine, but don't expect me to be sad that they lost seats.