The Hated and the Dead

Kissinger said that ninety percent of politicians give the other ten percent a bad name. Each week, a guest and I discuss the life and legacy of one politician from recent times. Some are well-known, others obscure; all have left an indelible mark on our world, and often for the worse. Join me, Tom Leeman, in a journey through the corruptible and the controversial.

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The Hated and the Dead

EP111: Geert Wilders

December 17, 2023 • Tom Leeman • Season 10

Geert Wilders is a Dutch politician and longtime leader of the Party for Freedom (PVV), now the Netherlands' largest political party, following a surprise victory in the country's November election.

Wilders has made a name for himself across Europe as the continent’s most outspoken anti-Islam politician. Marine Le Pen might be more powerful and more widely known, but her rhetoric pails in comparison to that of Wilders, who has faced charges in court on incitement against Muslims, and who has lived under permanent police protection since 2004.

When right wing populist insurgencies succeed in troubled countries- Argentina, Israel, or Italy- most people aren’t surprised. But the Netherlands? Really? The Netherlands is about as similar to the UK as you can get. Whether you’re uplifted or deflated by Wilders’ success, you can’t discount it as insignificant.

My guest today is a return guest to the podcast; he is Guus Valk. Guus is the political editor of Dutch newspaper NRC, and was also my guest for an episode we recorded in August last year, about Pim Fortuyn, a figure who shares much in common with Wilders.

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