By Ron Blom in Amsterdam ELECTION results in the Netherlands show a decline in support for the right-wing government parties the Social Democratic (PVDA) and the Christian Democrats (CDA).
Opposition parties, the openly racist conservative-liberals (VVD) and postmodernist liberals (D66), were the main beneficiaries.
All four main parties now have similar numbers of seats. Against this right wing coalition, the Workers' Socialist Party (SAP), Dutch section of the Fourth International, and the revolutionary youth organisation Rebel, fought on a clear left programme of open borders and welfare rights.
All four of the main parties have similar right wing politics. The Social Democrats campaigned on an austerity programme of attacks on the welfare state that included cutting sickness benefits. Not to be outdone the Christian Democrats called for cuts in pensions.
The government has attacked migrants and increased immigration controls. This fits with the racist policies of the VVD, who called on children of migrant workers to be barred from state education. trols.
In seeking to destroy the welfare state, the establishment parties seek to benefit the capitalist road builders and transport companies - - through a massive programme of road and airport building to create Netherlands - the distribution country'.
The Green Left (a fusion of former Communists and paciblamed for deaths of Indian workers fists), made no gains, with ambivalent policies on migration that included proposing a coalition against racism with the VVD.
An anti-establishment ticket in the form of the Socialist Party nonetheless echoed the main parties in calling for migrants to be spread equally around cities -with no more than ten per cent in any one area!
So it was the Workers' Socialist Party and Rebel which campaigned on a clear anti-racist stand against immigration conThis campaign involved thousands of young people, including migrant youth, many of whom are too young to vote or who have not been given Dutch nationality. Defence against racist attacks became an element of the campaign, and SAP and Rebel were prominent in building the fightback.
Sheffield United boss Reginald Brealey Eat the rich' Anti-capitalist propaganda from Dutch radical youth organisation, Rebel. EB The campaign also called for a reduction of the working week while maintaining wage levels.
As such SAP and Rebel were clearly striking against the right wing government consensus and gained small, but significant support from the communities in which they were working and campaigning.
This is an important step in building an a truly left wing alternative to the austerity and racism of the right.