Joost van Spanje
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joostvanspanje.bsky.social
Joost van Spanje
@joostvanspanje.bsky.social

Professor of Political Science, RH University of London

elections | new parties | cordons sanitaires | hate speech | militant democracy | political communication

Bitcoin and politics, media & public opinion

ERC Consolidator Grant | NWO Veni & Vidi .. more

Political science 64%
Sociology 12%
Pinned
The Green Deal is incomplete.

The analogy is the US New Deal.

But that deal addressed economic worries that everyone shared.

Today's EU sees the higher educated worry about climate change while others worry about immigration.

The deal addresses only the former.

We need a Green-Immigration Deal.

Reposted by Joost van Spanje

Danish, German and British Labour have repositioned on immigration.

There are 2 possibilities.

Either these politicians are wrong.

If so, they'll be defeated and replaced.

Or some of my colleagues are wrong.

This is a bold call, distilling "the right lesson" from only few studies and elections.

Today in Dutch newspaper @parool.nl:

On 27 March, a British man overpowered a man on Dam Square, who had stabbed 5 passersby.

Yesterday, the Londoner made a one-time appearance.

He asks that his last name be withheld.

"I'm not on social media either. I don't care for all that attention-seeking."

Reposted by Joost van Spanje

The ‘Danish model’ is the darling of centre-left parties like Labour. The problem is, it doesn’t even work in Denmark | Cas Mudde
The ‘Danish model’ is the darling of centre-left parties like Labour. The problem is, it doesn’t even work in Denmark | Cas Mudde
This week’s local elections are the latest reminder that when social democrats move rightwards, they’re making a mistake, says academic and author Cas Mudde
www.theguardian.com

Good morning!

Today in Dutch newspaper @parool.nl, @diederiksamsom.bsky.social:

"Europe has every opportunity to become a prosperous global leader in sustainability
(..)
a revolution greater than the invention of the wheel
(..)
What's happening in China with the growth of wind, solar and electrolysis is insane."

A better analogy?

The Dutch "1917 Pacificatie" offered something to both sides:
the socialists got universal suffrage,
the religious bloc public school funding.

The Green Deal addresses only worries of the higher educated.

It must not be weakened but expanded to also offer change to other groups.
(1/10) 🚨Preprint alert!🚨

In this article, I challenge claims of a generational rise of conservative men. In the media and recent academic publications, the so-called ‘youth gender gap’ has been interpreted as a generational phenomenon.

doi.org/10.31234/osf...
OSF
doi.org

Today in Dutch newspaper @parool.nl:

How the police handle personal data may not comply with legal requirements.

In the case of a climate activist, the police requested data 350 times, including about his parents and children.

The activist filed a complaint.

But the police refused to process it.

Today in Dutch newspaper @nrc.nl:

"Minister Paul (VVD) decided well before the elections to not implement rules to protect migrant workers, but only announced it after election day.

Because Paul's decision had not yet been announced, no one could question her party leader about it in the debates."

Many high-educated citizens worry about climate change.

Many others worry about migration.

But Dutch governments subsidised polluters.

And defended the interests of companies that exploit migrant workers - and donate to parties.

The result?

Radicalisation on both ends.

Jetten-I must do better.

Wie splitst zich het eerst af van de VVD?
We have just published the call for the Nuffield Postdoctoral Prize Research Fellowships in Politics. These are 3-year fully-funded postdocs that will allow you to focus on your research in a great academic environment. (And with excellent food)

www.nuffield.ox.ac.uk/the-college/...
Postdoctoral Prize Research Fellowships in Politics - Nuffield College Oxford University
www.nuffield.ox.ac.uk

Today in Dutch newspaper @volkskrant.nl, by @toineheijmans.bsky.social:

"death march from Eritrea
(..)
torture, rape, locked up with 1,000 others, forced to call family to extort more money while beaten so they hear the screams at home
(..)
The number of Eritreans seeking asylum doubled this year."

This week in Dutch newspaper @nrc.nl:

Contrary to what she said, VVD minister Paul maintained a migrant workers housing scheme without asking stakeholder advice.
"Abolishing it would make them less dependent on employers, as losing their job would not mean losing home."

www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2025/...
Minister Paul besloot eigenhandig plan in te trekken dat arbeidsmigranten moest beschermen
Arbeidsmigranten: Vakbonden, de uitzendbranche en SER-voorzitter Kim Putters zeggen niet met minister Mariëlle Paul van Sociale Zaken (VVD) te hebben gesproken over intrekking van een zorgvuldig voorb...
www.nrc.nl

Today in Dutch newspaper @parool.nl:

The murder of a lawyer in 2019 made judges sentence Dutch citizens of Moroccan descent 71% harsher on average in the weeks after.

The researchers who discovered it call it a salience effect - judges paying more attention to particular traits that a suspect has.

Reposted by Robbert Sanderman

Today in Dutch newspaper @volkskrant.nl:

"Almost 1,000,000 labor migrants in the country
(..)
a third of employers does not comply with housing regulations
(..)
80% of employees in greenhouses and meat packing are labor migrants
(..)
85% of the greenhouse produce and 75% of the meat is for export."

In @volkskrant.nl vandaag terechte zorg bij @kustaw.bsky.social over autoritair rechts.

Hij is pessimistisch: "migratie moet worden teruggebracht" maar hij ziet geen beleid dat GL, VVD & PVV omarmen.

Ik zeg: zelfs GL-PvdA stelt een max voor - en midden & rechts zijn het redelijk eens op migratie.

Narrator: 34 haalde hij dan ook niet.

En in een interview in Knack betwijfelde ik op 16 oktober of Wilders 30 zetels zou halen.

Geen sluitend bewijs voor een effect van isoleren en imiteren, wel weer een aanwijzing.
Wilders, reus op lemen voeten.

Door het effect van imiteren & isoleren verliest hij.

VVD, JA21, FvD & BBB bieden de kiezer grosso modo dezelfde migratierestricties.

Tegelijk wijst iedereen erop dat Wilders buitenspel staat.

In de laatste peiling staat hij op 34, lijkt me sterk dat hij dat haalt.

Ik vermoed dat links decennialang heeft besteed aan "uitleggen dat de probleemanalyse van extreemrechts niet klopt" aan een electoraat waarvan ca. 30% het al decennialang grofweg eens was met die analyse en inmiddels radicaalrechts stemt - keurig in overeenstemming met beleidsvoorkeur op immigratie.

Als je niet met logica wint, waarmee wel?

En wat is onlogisch aan de opkomst van extreem-/radicaal-rechts?

Inderdaad ongure types, maar veel kiezers zien problemen met immigratiebeleid en zouden "zelfs op de duivel stemmen om die problemen opgelost te krijgen."

Zie bv:
sargasso.nl/kroniek-aang...
Kroniek van een aangekondigde zelfmoord - Sargasso
Ondanks alle waarschuwingen koos de Duitse bondskanselier Angela Merkel niet voor de strategie van isoleren en imiteren tegen Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), in tegenstelling tot al haar voorganger...
sargasso.nl

Niet logisch.

Jetten heeft juist een draai gemaakt op immigratie (sinds juni) en heeft vaderlandsliefde geclaimd (zie vlaggen).

De kiezers die hij trok zijn dan ook diverser dan die van Kaag, o.a. meer immigratiekritische.

Zij willen dat D66 immigratie-problemen aanpakt.

Kaag past daar niet bij.

Yesterday, Rob Jetten received many votes from citizens critical of current immigration policy.

Not surprising, given his right turn last June.

As the likely next PM, he must somehow address the problems these citizens see.

Otherwise he'll be replaced by the next politician who promises to do so.

Hoe weten ze op de dag van het stemmen wie de winnaar gaat worden? Of bedoel je de relatieve winnaar? Dan hadden ze gister beter bijvoorbeeld CDA kunnen stemmen!

Strategische anti-Timmermans stemmers?

Of kiezers met grote zorgen over immigratie:

In 2023 gaven ze een signaal af via een PVV-stem.

Maar PVV loste niks op.

Nu maakte D66 een draai en beloofde problemen die ze zien aan te pakken.

Als 't de 2e optie is, is dit geen ruis, maar een sterk signaal.

So how did Geert Wilders do in Amsterdam?

As usual, the PVV underperformed.

However, the growing gap has ceased to widen.

gen. election 2006:
4% in Amsterdam versus 5.9% countrywide

2010:
9 v 15.4%

2012:
6% v 10.1%

2017:
7 v 13.1%

2021:
5 v 10.8%

2023:
9.6 v 23.6%

2025 (prelim):
6.9 v 16.7%

Seen this before.

Geert Wilders isolated again.

A rival, JA21, has gained a foothold.

More econ right profile, but similarly tough on migration.

In 2017-18, PVV voters massively went to FvD.

In 2022-23, PVV lost many votes to BBB.

Will many more switch to JA21 now?

sargasso.nl/geerts-achil...
Geerts achilleshiel: isolement electoraal risico voor PVV - Sargasso
De geïsoleerde positie van de PVV maakt deze partij kwetsbaar zodra een geloofwaardig alternatief zich aandient.
sargasso.nl

Likely next Dutch PM Jetten shares commonalities with French President Macron in 2017.

Young, from a progressive party and having unexpectedly risen to power, he will have to cooperate with the right, fighting off left and far right blocs.

Just as Macron, he may have to take a right turn to do so.