When the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union in 2016, it was a desire for immigration control that propelled the result. When Donald Trump won the presidency the same year, it was because he promised the same thing. And when Geert Wilders’s Party for Freedom won a surprise victory in the Dutch general elections last year, it was for the same reason.
But the immigration issue is also stonewalling Wilders’s bid to be the next prime minister of the Netherlands. As his far-right party seeks coalition partners, Wilders is finding out just how hostile the center-right party in his country is to the idea of immigration control.
The People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, which had ruled the Netherlands for more than a decade before getting swamped by Wilders’ party last year, is one of the aspiring prime minister’s potential and necessary coalition partners to form a government. But this week, a segment of that party voted to force all municipalities in the country to accept immigrants seeking asylum.
It’s not surprising that his immediate response on X was, “My heavens.”
MIJN HEMEL
https://t.co/0ZJrVdrS4a
— Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) January 16, 2024
But two months after his party shocked the world and secured the most votes in the general election, Wilders’s party is poised to pick up even more seats if another election were to take place. And again, the reason is immigration, and the rest of the world should take note.
2024 brings with it a massive number of elections. The U.S. presidential election is of course top of mind for most people, but the U.K. general election will occur this year too, as will the European parliament elections and national elections in Belgium and Portugal.
Voters in countries all throughout the developed Western world are anxious about immigration and have shown a continued willingness to reward populist right-wing parties and politicians who promise to curb immigration.
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Instead of fretting about the return of Trump to the White House or a right-wing surge in the European Parliament, political figures on both sides of the Atlantic should ask themselves why their policies of limitless immigration are so widely unpopular.
The people of Europe and the United States know that their cities and towns are not equipped to deal with a massive influx of people, regardless of where they come from. And as long as the entrenched politicians and political parties refuse to acknowledge and address that, the voters will keep supporting other politicians and political parties that actually have a plan to fix it.