Too many parties can spoil politics

TO ENTER parliament, a Dutch political party need only win enough votes for one seat. With no minimum threshold, there are lots of parties. Eleven succeeded in 2012, including two liberal parties, three Christian ones and one that cares about animal rights. In the next election, this March, polls suggest the total could rise to 13, with the addition of a pro-immigrant party and an anti-immigrant one (the country's second). As small parties multiply, the large ones are shrinking. In the 1980s governing parties often held 50 seats in the 150-seat parliament; today they are lucky to reach 40.As with the Netherlands, so with Europe. The ideologies that held together the big political groupings of the 20th century are fraying, and the internet has lowered the barriers to forming new groups. So parties are multiplying (see article). Some see this as cause for celebration. A longer menu means that citizens can vote for parties that more closely match their beliefs. This is good in...Continue reading
Click here to read full news..