Political parties are asking a lot from citizens; Not making long-term plans: SCP

The political parties are asking a lot from citizens, the Netherlands Institute for Social Research (SCP) concluded after studying the election programs of ten parties. Almost all of them want citizens to contribute more to society, but don’t make clear how the average person is supposed to juggle the increased load. The SCP also noted that the parties take social concerns seriously, but are not making plans to address these concerns in the long term.

The SCP analyzed the election programs of BBB, CDA, D66, GroenLinks-PvdA, JA21, NSC, PvdD, PVV, SP, and VVD, looking specifically at how the plans would impact society.

Most of the parties call on people to work extra hours, volunteer, and provide informal care. They propose support for informal caregivers and leave arrangements, and acknowledge that there are limits to what people can do.

But according to the SCP, the parties don’t seem to concretely realize that people will have to fit all these extra tasks into already full days. The parties don’t discuss a “feasible weekly workload” that can combine the roles of parent, child, employee, and informal caregiver. The SCP referred to research showing that burnout complaints among workers have increased by approximately 50 percent in the past decade.

The SCP also noted that the studied parties seem to take social concerns seriously, but they are not making plans to address these concerns sustainably. For example, the parties pay a lot of attention to limiting migration, but much less to the question of how to live together in a diverse society.

The Netherlands is already a diverse country with residents from many backgrounds, SCP director Karen van Oudenhoven said. That won’t change even if the new Cabinet closes the borders the moment it takes office. A diverse society demands investment in good coexistence and combating polarization, she said.

“It is therefore important for the parties forming the coalition government to find a shared vision on how we want to live together in a diverse society,” Van Oudenhoven said. “One that also takes into account the interests of people from minority groups.”

The parties all support greater social cohesion, but their approach vary widely. The right-wing parties PVV, JA21, and VVD want to focus mainly on Dutch culture. The left-wing parties GroenLinks-PvdA, SP, and PvdD prioritize solidarity. The CDA, BBB, and NSC emphasize local community, while the D66 prioritizes individual rights and freedoms.

According to the SCP, the election programs pay a lot of attention ot crises like war, major power outages, and natural disasters. But they pay little attention to how society should prepare for them. “We see that parties pay relatively little attention to the social aspects of resilience, even though we saw how important it was during the coronavirus pandemic,” Van Oudenhoven said. “Therefore, it’s good to invest in social infrastructure - such as community centers, libraries, and social services. This is often neglected in the current programs, even though it's crucial for solidarity in support during crises.”

The parties also all express concern about the pressure on the democratic rule of law, but not all of them have proposals on how to strengthen citizens’ awareness of this and make it clear that everyone’s freedom is at stake, the SCP said.

In short, the SCP urged the parties that will soon negotiate forming a coalition government “to develop a long-term vision on things that are important to people’s quality of life, including financial security, care and support, and the climate.” They should also develop “an integrated approach for a society in which people can participate without becoming overburdened,” and invest in promoting social cohesion without excluding groups.