I used to be active in ALDE as individual member and I do not see VVD as a liberal party. VVD today is more of a center-right style party that could be in for example EPP. The party is business, not pro-market. Also, the party has members with nativist and culturalist views on identification which is not in accordance with liberal values and principles.
I do not see what is so liberal here in Rutte's proposals. He has a history of populist and ignorant behaviours. Also, he is proposing things that are not new nor visionary. Instead, it is about making it harder for people to migrate and get protection. If VVD really is liberal, they should make better proposals.
Thanks for reading and thanks for your comment, Vladan!
I don't see "center-right" and "liberal" as two different things, and maybe that goes to the heart of it: "liberalism" is a broad ideology. In the ALDE party, we have left-liberals, like Sweden's Center Party and the Netherlands' D66, and right-liberals, like the VVD (of which I am a member) and Germany's FDP.
I think we still have more in common with each other than we do with other parties, but one of the issues on which not all liberals agree is immigration.
You may be interested in the Manifesto Project, which compares the election programs of political parties in different countries over time:
You can zoom in there on various aspects of the left-right axis, for example: planned vs free economy, support for the welfare state, views on immigration, etc.
I used to be active in ALDE as individual member and I do not see VVD as a liberal party. VVD today is more of a center-right style party that could be in for example EPP. The party is business, not pro-market. Also, the party has members with nativist and culturalist views on identification which is not in accordance with liberal values and principles.
I do not see what is so liberal here in Rutte's proposals. He has a history of populist and ignorant behaviours. Also, he is proposing things that are not new nor visionary. Instead, it is about making it harder for people to migrate and get protection. If VVD really is liberal, they should make better proposals.
https://www.vocaleurope.eu/increased-role-and-sovereignty-for-urban-areas/
Thanks for reading and thanks for your comment, Vladan!
I don't see "center-right" and "liberal" as two different things, and maybe that goes to the heart of it: "liberalism" is a broad ideology. In the ALDE party, we have left-liberals, like Sweden's Center Party and the Netherlands' D66, and right-liberals, like the VVD (of which I am a member) and Germany's FDP.
I think we still have more in common with each other than we do with other parties, but one of the issues on which not all liberals agree is immigration.
You may be interested in the Manifesto Project, which compares the election programs of political parties in different countries over time:
https://manifesto-project.wzb.eu
You can zoom in there on various aspects of the left-right axis, for example: planned vs free economy, support for the welfare state, views on immigration, etc.