Dutch Populist Party's Collapse Brings Down Government
 Dutch populist and occasional right-winger Pim Fortuyn managed to build up a political party in record time, challenging the established parties which had been damaged by scandals. When Fortuyn was assassinated, sympathy soared the Pim Fortuyn List (LPF) to power.
The government was not sworn in before the party members started their public bickering, and a number of scandals followed. Subsequent party leaders were forced to resign, and leading figures in the ad hoc party were not even on speaking terms with each other. In the end, their coaltion partners lost confidence in the populist party entirely and decided to pull the plug on the new government. Opinion polls do not bide well for the reelection of Fortuyn's wanna be heirs.
My comment: Populist parties often gain public support by concentrating on what they fight against. It is always worse for them to actually govern themselves, as it requires them to actually have some policies of themselves. And the real decisions they make, are likely to alienate those who elected them to power. Not to mention that populism is often an ego-driven thing, and requires a strong leader. With the leader gone, there were only followers left, and none of them were able to get the necessary support.
10:26:16 PM 
|
Here in Norway, 440 brewery employees went on 