Response DWARS to campaign evaluation GroenLinks

This week, the Scientific Bureau of GroenLinks published its campaign assessment on the 2021 general election. As DWARS, we would like to respond to this and add a few points.

First, we would like to express our concern that the campaign evaluation does little to address the fact that much of the campaign is run by a small, select group of trusted staff. We feel there is little influence possible from outside that shell of close associates. DWARS has encountered this many times over the past year and has tried to raise this issue. Ultimately, DWARS in its statement after the March 2021 election results also addressed this to the outside world. We should now note that these wake-up call has not yet been adequately addressed by GroenLinks, and we are concerned that the Science Office has not included this in its evaluation.

In our view, the Scientific Bureau rightly writes that the positioning of Jesse Klaver's leadership could have been clearer. We would add that Klaver's 'serious' list leadership this year was too different from his innovative and more critical narrative in 2017. By presenting himself as serious, willing to compromise and 'board-worthy', the differences between GroenLinks and D66 blurred. D66 then came across as stronger on almost all fronts with Sigrid Kaag, overpowering GroenLinks. By positioning ourselves close to D66, GroenLinks practically relinquished ownership of major issues, such as climate and social issues.

DWARS shares most of the Scientific Bureau's recommendations. We think the call to link 'red' and 'green' more and give more visibility to the 'red' issues is right. These have been left too much out of the campaign. To this we would add that the so-called 'purple' themes, such as anti-racism, should not be allowed to get snowed under.

We do want to urge GroenLinks to be very careful about the advice to raise its profile on its governance experience. We notice a desire among our members not to be part of the toxic political climate of recent years. It would be nice if GroenLinks shows that it is still able to stand up to that, and that we dare to break with Hague traditions and the culture of governance that now makes our politics so stuck.

Also because of the above points, we have decided to join the manifesto of New Critical GroenLinks, which was also published today. This document contains concrete points for improvement that would make GroenLinks more democratic, accessible and transparent. We do not see this manifesto as an attack on the party, but as an outreach to the party leadership and the Lower House faction to actively make proposals and contribute ideas to get GroenLinks back on track. We therefore welcome GroenLinks's constructive response to the campaign review. We trust GroenLinks to flip the switch after the evaluation and the New Critical GroenLinks manifesto and get the party back on the right track.

Scholtens administration, 2021-2022