I just got home from a couple of election parties; the first was the official GroenLinks party, at which I managed to end up on telly by accident, while the second was a friend’s traditional-style election night party (conveniently, the parties were in different cities). The elections in question are of course for the Tweede Kamer (lower chamber) of the Netherlands. If there is one thing which has marked out the night, and which I think I’m going to remember, it is the boost in the share of the vote for the anti-Islam and far-right PVV. British readers will know its leader, Geert Wilders, for his attempts to show his film, Fitna, in the House of Lords. While I don’t think he’s quite as bad as Nick Griffin, lets just say that he doesn’t have the nicest policies.

I don’t know what the ultimate result from this election will be yet, and I never like to trust polls when the declared results are as tight as they are right now, but I really hope that, somehow, a centre-left coalition, led by PvdA (Labour) can emerge. After the last few sets of national elections in Europe producing centre-right, or just outright right, governments, please let the Netherlands be the exception.

It feels like every second conversation I hear on the radio, or see on the tv, about the UK election is focussed on immigration. Yet I’ve barely heard any discussion of the actual merits, the pros and cons of immigration. The conversation has been entirely about counting people in and, preferably in the opinion of many people it seems, out.

Being a sort of immigrant myself, and being from a family that moves around a lot, this pointless scaremongering with statistics annoys me. Right now, I’m taking advantage of the right to live in another country that is granted by the EU. I’m restricted, as is anyone working in another EU state, Polish plumbers, Greek grouters, and Romanian researchers included, from being a burden on the Dutch state. Soon, I hope to work in Brussels, paying tax to the Belgian state, and ultimately my dream is to settle in the Netherlands and take part in Dutch society, contributing my fair share, and receiving my fair share. Amongst itinerant Europeans and migrants in general, I don’t think this desire to be a contributing member of society is unusual. So why don’t we cut the repetitive statistical nonsense aimed to massage the fears of people. There are many things that immigrants do that contribute to British society, and there are many thing that British emigrants do to contribute to other countries. This isn’t where the big challenges facing society today are.

Why, oh why, is Gordon Brown trying to get a referendum on proportional representation? Is it perhaps because he wants to be seen to support a nice progressive constitutional change relating to Parliament, without any danger that he will have to implement it?

The problem with a referendum is that it doesn’t work unless the voters are accurately informed about what they are voting on. It works for issues such as devolution, where people are familiar with the question; it doesn’t work with arcane, indecipherable, and soporific matters like electoral reform.

Oh well, it was nice for a while to think we might get an ever so slightly better system.

Watching the news coverage of the aftermath of the Iranian elections, it struck me that it might be mutually beneficial for our police forces to do an exchange programme: the British could invite Iranian police over here to teach them such useful things as kettling, while we could send the York Minster police over there to learn from the religious police. Anti-social behaviour in York would certainly go right down!

Seriously though, I don’t know what to think of Iran at the moment. Ahmadinejad is certainly just a tiny bit hideous in his views, but my impression until yesterday was that what limted democracy that is present in the Iranian system was functioning legitimately. Obviously I’m not so sure now. It has been interesting to follow the goings on via Twitter though, a few of the people I’m following have tweeted directions for protests and ways to bypass the blocks put on accessing certain web-sites. Unfortunately I guess the situation will calm down again soon into the same old oppressive and intolerant ways.

So Sarah Palin sat at the “news-desk” on Saturday Night Live and nodded her head along in good humour to Amy Poehler rapping through her campaign. Why doesn’t this happen in British politics? There is a lot to dislike in Palin’s politics, but just as with McCain and Obama’s recent after-dinner speeches, she’s shown that she can see the light side of the campaign and politics.

I wouldn’t suggest that all the ‘popular’ bits of American politics should be adopted, but seeing the debates, campaigning where the candidates meet ordinary activists (and sometimes even real people), and television participation, it seems that the candidates have a higher profile. Probably the voter turnout will be less that it could be, but — so long as it is backed by actual policy positions — the degree to which the campaigns communicate with the electorate seems really positive. And yes, I know that the positions they’re running for are just a tiny bit more significant than a seat in the Commons, but there’s still scope for scaled down self-deprecation and popular communication.

Climate & Energy Package

Ok, so things didn’t look good for the climate and energy package before it went before the environment committee of the European Parliament a couple of weeks ago, but it got through just about all right. Well today the European Council managed to make time to discuss it, in between Gordon Brown saving capitalism, and it seems that, while the eastern Europeans didn’t make much of a dent on it in earlier stages, they are doing their best to water it right down now. Euractiv reports that there is co-operation, but it seems likely that the final agreement will be a shadow of what it should have been.

Canada

Brave faces and disappointment for the Greens were the result of the general election in Canada. Despite gaining 6% of the vote, the party didn’t manage to elect an MP. It looks like the same old problems as we have in the UK were partly to blame: non-proportional electoral system, other parties spouting “greenwash”, &c.

UN

The United Nations Environment Programme will be leading an initiative to develop a workable “green new deal. The proposals are separate from the New Economic Foundation’s report on the same topic which was produced by a committee including Caroline Lucas, and while seeming to be watered down slightly, should be welcomed.