“A real breakthrough,” GroenLinks leader Jesse Klaver said on Saturday after the result of the members’ referendum on the merger of the parties in the Senate was announced. “A historic and important step,” said PvdA party leader Attje Kuiken after the vote at the party congress. There were big words about a shared future, but what’s next?
A lot is going to change now that party members have voted in favor of a joint senate faction in a large majority.
But at the same time, everything remains the same. The PvdA remains the PvdA and GroenLinks remains GroenLinks. Statutes remain unchanged and there are still two party boards, each with its own party office.
“It is a first step, but no more than a first step,” said party ideologist Joop van den Berg during the PvdA congress in Nieuwegein. He had submitted the motion about the joint Senate fraction and explained his idea on the podium.
“You have to take a step at some point to be credible outwardly about the unity of the left,” said Van den Berg. “One plus one may not be three, but it is at least two and a half.”
‘Vote for cooperation, vote against Rutte’
In the past few weeks, PvdA prominent figures had already frequently had their say in the media and did so over and over again in the conference hall in Nieuwegein.
“You have already explained a lot in the media, I am very curious about your summary in 45 seconds”, former PvdA leader Ad Melkert was told.
Melkert once again repeated why he is against merging the senate factions. “No votes will be added. We have to get them from somewhere else. From our own strength.”
European Commissioner Frans Timmermans (proponent) was given a little longer in a speech. “Together with GroenLinks, we will work on a left-wing popular movement that can be convincing to a large part of the population.”
One argument the proponents had in common: Only a united left can beat the right. “Vote for cooperation, vote against Rutte”, was the explanation of vote of a PvdA member.
No people on the list who are against further cooperation
At GroenLinks there was the same picture. During a short press moment in Utrecht, there was no members conference, you saw a very satisfied party leader and party chairman, but otherwise there was a sober view of what needs to be done next. “Now you are going to deal with the practical matters,” Klaver told party chairman Katinka Eikelenboom.
One such practical matter is finding suitable candidates for the Senate. “Collaboration is a clear wish of the members, so you can’t have people on the list who say: we’re not going to do that.”
The provincial elections are next year. GroenLinks and PvdA both still have their own list. When they elect the members of the Senate, the senators sit there for their own party. There will probably be one party chairman, that would be new. The spokespersons are divided. In debates, therefore, either a PvdA member or a GroenLinkser is present.
Members want to go further
The PvdA members wanted to go a step further with a call for a joint electoral list. That is against the advice of the party board, which does not want to take “irreversible steps”. It would also cause practical problems.
“That is a bit more complicated,” admitted GroenLinks chairman Eikelenboom. That party also did not ask the question about one electoral list in the referendum, although Eikelenboom could well imagine that the party members are also positive about this. “Where there’s a will there is a way.”
No big jumps, but ‘step by step’ was the credo for both parties on Saturday. “Step by step, but undeniably forward”, PvdA party chairman Esther Mirjam Sent characterized the process.
“A new chapter has been opened. The first sentences have been set,” said Klaver. “Which sentences will follow, remains to be seen in the near future.”
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