Following similar moves in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the Netherlands on Satuday barred a plane carrying Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu from entering the country, citing security concerns.

Cavusoglu sought to address expats in support of the Turkish referendum. The Dutch also stopped Turkey's family affairs minister from entering the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam.


Protestors wave Turkish flags outside the Dutch consulate in Istanbul, March 11.

 

Dutch election...........

Geert Wilders and his far-Right Party for Freedom (PVV) have surged in popularity in recent years, and this has led to fears that the Netherlands could be the next western country to see an anti-establishment movement overturn the status quo.

In the Netherlands, far-right politician Geert Wilders praised the decision to bar the Turkish minister from entering the country and credited his own party for the decision.

The Netherlands is heading for a nationwide vote Wednesday, with concerns about Muslim immigration a central issue.
Riding a populist wave that ushered Donald Trump into the Oval Office the UK out of Europe, Wilders' Party of Freedom, or PVV, had been poised to win more House of Representatives seats than Prime Minister Mark Rutte's People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, or VVD.

Polls have changed in recent weeks, but they still predict a tight race.

 

@thinskin

did you miss this fun or where you there...

 

Waste of water in my opinion. No amount of soaking will wash off that pungent camel-crap funk. Just kick them out. Send them to some desert where they can be happy in their natural habitat.

 

It was in Rotterdam and was a few empty heads stirred up by Erdogan!

Basically Erdogan wants to be president of Turkey forever and there is a referendum on extending his powers and all Turks including expats can vote........................Some very nasty things have been said in the last few days and the only one that benefits is Wilders, another complete lunatic.

Of the Turks I know.........mostly educated and moderate............they left Turkey because it was not a nice place to live!

Imagine how such a protest would be dealt with in Turkey!

Now the weather is getting warmer the water cannon is appropriate!

Thinskin

 

I thought the Netherlands was some sort of utopia, where this type of discord didn't occur.

 

I am not sure what you mean by utopia.....................the trains all run on time if that is what you mean!!

It is a storm in a tea-cup but as we have a general election today then the media is focussed here and Erdogan knows this!!

thinskin

 

I have read a little about it....

28 parties---do all them have someone running in the main race..?

 

The Netherlands is a parliamentary democracy so a prime minister not a president. Voting is by proportional representation (list system) and if you secure about o.7% of the vote then you get a seat in the parliament. 150 seats and the government is always a 2, 3, or 4 party coalition!

So there is no main race as you put it..........it usually takes about three months of negotiations to form the government after the election!

Thinskin

 

Imagine that. 28 parties.

I reflect on the frequent apparent dysfunction of our "division of powers" in the United States and think to myself that it might be better to have a "modern" parliamentary system. At least Euro-style parliaments can fire the Prime Ministers, right? And in the Obama days, boy would that have been handy.

But then I look at this. 28 parties!

We waste two years on campaigns for our general elections, and it looks like dysfunction.

They elect their Prime Ministers in weeks, but then those PM's spend two years horse-trading with 28 parties and give away the store to construct a governing "coalition" that won't fire them on their first attempt at a vacation.

Which is the more dysfunctional?

Our system has lasted for more than 250 years and survived a major test (the US Civil War). How many times has France burned and rewritten its constitution in the past 250 years? (Without looking it up on Wiki, I want to say at least three times, not counting being conquered in the 1940's.)

 

guess I need to read more on it......

so only parliament votes on the prime minster not the people...

 

It is a little more complicated than that but usually the prime minister comes from the party to get the most votes but not always!!

The power resides with parliament not the prime minister!!

Thinskin

 

so what is it that the prime minster have control of...?

 

looks like incumbent won.......the right wing guy a distant second....

 

One needs their head examined to live below sea level...but most certainly, the Dutch
do a superior job of living below sea level compared to our coon asses...

 

Biggest winner in the Dutch election was the GreenLeft (GroenLinks) which benefitted from a young charismatic leader securing the youth vote!

The most likely coalition will be the VVD, CDA, D66 and one other party........it remains to be seen if GroenLinks will be invited in but if so it would represent over 60% of the popular vote forming the goverment!

Wilders will stay outside shitting in!

Thinskin

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...r-netherlands-poll-pro-refugee-coalition-deal