NSC loses supporters quickly, but in Zoetermeer they believe in their match: ‘no guts, no glory’

The gas fire is burning. There is coffee with apple pie. And behind a table in a cafe are Rob Wessels and Mark Baggerman. The two men want to set up a local department of New Social Contract (NSC) in Zoetermeer. While the terraces are full these sunny Saturday morning, they hold within consultation hours. There is a Member of Parliament, Willem Koops, and a regional coordinator, Mireille Louwerens. She says: « We thought in advance: is this room not too small? The last time we were here, it was a lot fuller. » Five interested parties show up.

The NSC people know that their party is in the corner where the blows fall. Their party leader Pieter Omtzigt left Politics last Tuesday. Voters walk away en masse: NSC is now in one room chair (they now have twenty). The leadership of Nicolien van Vroonhoven, the successor of Omtzigt, stands for the discussion. On Saturday, at the NSC member congress in Arnhem, a party comes together that is in great need.

But Rob Wessels, the intended local party leader, says that NSC in Zoetermeer can « make the difference » in next year’s municipal elections. « In recent months we have picked up topics that live in the Zoetermeerse society. We have been around in local politics for a while. » Rob Wessels was at the CDA before he joined Pieter Omtzigt, Mark Baggerman at the VVD.

Many NSC voters are transferring to the CDA according to voter research, but Rob Wessels remains loyal to his party. The difference between NSC and CDA? « I sometimes compare the Netherlands with a house. Over the years a nice dormer window has been set up, a balcony has been attached and a shed has been put on. But the foundation and the piles underneath have started to rot. Pieter Omtzigt also said that the foundation should first be good. »

Zoetermeer is one of the few municipalities where NSC wants to participate in the municipal elections, says Mireille Louwerens. « In February we had 119 registrations from people who wanted to become a party leader or candidate councilor. When we organized a meeting, members from 21 municipalities showed up. A month later there were nine. And now there are five left. »

Those departments have already completed an assessment program, but only later in the year a final decision will follow.

Flaw

Mireille Louwerens is active for the local party Burgerbelangen in the Hoeksche Waard. She had given Pieter Omtzigt a CD and a map at his farewell in The Hague. She is, she says, « not even a millionth of what Pieter is. » She therefore wants to remain active for NSC. « He is my great example. He was put away by the established politics, a bit as I was put away in my city council. If you are a file eater, they find you difficult. I wanted to stop in local politics, but he pulled me over to continue. »

Whether there is a need for NSC among voters in Zoetermeer, Rob Wessels and Mark Baggerman do not know. They do not have an overview of the Zoetermeerse NSC members. Due to an administrative ‘beauty error’ with the Privacy Act, the national party may not share membership files with departments. Wessels: « We are still a start-up, NSC has only been around for a year and a half. Then that can happen. »

It is already busy in the local politics of Zoetermeer. The city council (39 seats) contains nine national and four local parties, including the Hilbrand Nawijn list of the former LPF minister. Rob Wessels: “But I think there is certainly a need for a new party. We don’t want to suddenly, boomdo everything else. « 

Willem Koops finds « the old man » (Wessels) and « the Jonkie » (Baggerman) courageous because they continue their plan. He says: « No Guts, No Glory. Of course the moment is difficult. Pieter is gone. He was responsible for almost all twenty room seats on his own. But we must also remain positive. ”

Realistic

NSC wants to participate in a limited number of municipalities in the coming elections, « says National Board member Naomi Yogi-Van Loon. « We have to remain realistic when we see how things are going at a national level. We should not want too much too fast. » NSC has a concept of an ‘inspiring framework’ for local departments, which contains views and ideas from NSC that they can take over in their election program. For referenda, for example, for the principle of ‘own residents first’ in allocating homes, and for understandable language in letters from the municipality.

In some municipalities, when NSC was still popular, local initiatives were taken, which later bled to death. In March, for example, the Maastricht NSC founder Ed Philipsen stopped. « There is opposition from the party board, » he told local media, because he also did not receive a list of members. Naomi Yogi-van Loon: « Ed went very fast. And before we knew it, he had dropped out again. »

The conversation in the Zoetermeerse café with the five interested parties comes on the polls. Mireille Louwerens starts over the CDA. That was very low in the previous municipal elections, but it did surprisingly well, she says. That can also happen to NSC.

But why are the polls so low? Willem Koops: « We are the most moderate party in the coalition. That is not sexy. One half is disappointed because we don’t look more like the PVV, the other half is angry because we work with the PVV. »

Mireille Louwerens: « NSC keeps the PVV in control. »

Willem Koops: « It is also due to communication. We are not good at that, and then I say it politely. I am not of the sale either. »

Mireille Louwerens: « People sometimes ask: that party of yours, what has it achieved? What we do well, people don’t hear that. »

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