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Heijne, Bas
Journalist und Schriftsteller
2 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.
Right-wing populists are not fascists
A debate is raging in the Netherlands over whether the movement led by the right-wing populist Geert Wilders can be compared with 1930s fascism. But such a comparison ignores certain key issues, writes Bas Heijne in the daily NRC Handelsblad: "The new populism is not just a reaction to the fragmentation and dilution that globalisation entails. It is also a reaction to a world in which everything is seen in purely economic and rational terms. A vision is needed that recognises the vital importance of culture and history, that doesn't recoil from the image of the Netherlands in a fragmented world and doesn't collapse into claustrophobic nationalism. Geert Wilders' vision of the Netherlands is evil and completely devoid of inspiration. But at present there is no other message. On the other hand comparisons with fascism are inappropriate. Not just because they have no basis but because they are an excuse to keep the issues of today's populism at arm's length."
» full article (external link, Dutch)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Netherlands
Bas Heijne calls for catchy language against populists
Right-wing populists are gaining ground in the US, France, the Netherlands and now in Germany, writes columnist Bas Heijne in the daily nrc.next. He sees a growing divide between uncertain, angry citizens on the one hand and a new enlightened elite on the other: "The right-wing populists' rhetoric is as predictable as the principled indignation of their opponents is dull. All we hear is noble words. ... The one group does all it can to use objective speech (the constitutional state, the principle of equality). The other takes a devil-may-care subjective ('genuine and false French people'), romantic ('Restoring Honor'), dramatic (the anti-Islam film 'Fitna') or doom-and-gloom ('Germany abolishes itself') attitude. It is not difficult to see what kind of language appeals to most people in our media culture. ... Anyone who wants to fight back must learn a new, attractive form of speech. Like that of the populists, this speech must be firmly grounded in daily life, it must be playful and challenging, catchy and aggressive. Fewer principles, please, and more passion."
» more information (external link, Dutch)
More from the press review on the subject » Migration, » Integration, » Weltanschauung, » Germany, » France, » Netherlands, » U.S.
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