The departure of Lilianne Ploumen, barely a year in power, has plunged the PvdA into misery again. Since the premature departure of Job Cohen, destined to become prime minister but found himself in an opposition role in which he did not feel at home, the Labor Party has worn out one political leader after another. Diederik Samsom was successful, but was pushed aside after one term of office by Lodewijk Asscher, who only lasted a little over four years. He tripped over the allowance affair. And now the end of Ploumen is approaching. With just over two years of leadership, she is one of the shortest-serving PvdA leaders.
–
–
Although Ploumen’s decision has been received as a valued expression of self-knowledge, her departure should not come as a surprise. She never lived up to her role as leader, never played a leading role in the debate, was verbally blown away by Jesse Klaver in the discussion about the merger with GroenLinks and lost cabinet participation. She failed to bring back the voters who abandoned the party. And the way in which she expelled Gijs van Dijk from the group because of private events, did not deserve a beauty prize either. Ploumen will soon be forgotten as a political leader.
The PvdA will choose a new party chairman next week. Attje Kuiken and Henk Nijboer are promising; this is a temporary position. The PvdA will later elect a political leader as soon as new elections are in sight. Frans Timmermans, whose European adventure will end in 2024, is interested in it. He presented himself this week by arguing in an article in NRC for a merger with GroenLinks without using the word merger. Because not everyone in the PvdA is convinced of that yet.
–
–
In a political landscape divided to the bone, with 20 parties in the House of Representatives, merging like-minded parties is certainly a solution. The merger of KVP, AR and CHU to CDA in 1980 was a good thing for Christian politics; PPR, PSP and CPN also received a new impulse as GroenLinks. A merger now of PvdA and GroenLinks, with or without the SP, would give the left a boost and possibly a significant role again. But for that you need leaders who can convince their supporters. Klaver succeeded at GroenLinks. Timmermans and Aboutaleb should be able to do that at the PvdA. But also Marjolein Moorman, the successful party leader in Amsterdam who made the PvdA the largest party in the capital again.
The traditional middle parties are going through difficult times. The CDA without an approachable leader is only a shadow of what it once was, the PvdA has been sitting in the corner where the blows fall for years. Only the VVD seems to be out of the woods. But that could just change if Mark Rutte stops. There is no natural successor, despite a search that has now gone on for twelve years.
–
–
The intended crown princes and princesses did not have the patience to wait (Edith Schippers) or disappeared from the scene for other reasons (Halbe Zijlstra, Klaas Dijkhoff). And of the current generation, of whom Sophie Hermans is Rutte’s favorite, no one has yet distinguished himself as the successor that you cannot ignore. If the VVD is not careful, it will go in the same direction as the CDA and PvdA.
The election programs of the traditional parties hardly differ from each other. Potential voters are required to do their utmost to understand the differences. How easy is it to focus on the person of the party leader. The VVD has been scoring with it for twelve years. The CDA missed that opportunity last year.
The PvdA knows what to do.
–
–
