HISTORY OF THE DUTCH PARTY FOR ANIMALS
The Dutch cabinet fell in October 2002 as a result of all the in-fighting and political disasters with the List Pim Fortuyn. Two ladies from the animal protection organisation 'Fur for Animals' decided then that something had to be done.
They established a political 'Party for the Animals,' and Marianne Thieme (lawyer and animal protection policy coordinator) became its leader. They felt there was an opportunity to show that there was a viable alternative to the anti-animal welfare politics, and they announced that the Party for the Animals would participate in the elections of January 2003.
Many people laughed at this idea, and hardly anyone took them seriously. With minimal budget, staff, experience and full-time external jobs, they started their political campaign. Because the Party appeared so 'out of place' in the political arena, they received a lot of (free) media attention, and consequently, within two to three months enough people had been mobilised to ensure that all but one of approximately 19 electoral districts were allowed to participate in the elections. Philosophers, lawyers and numerous artists, including top authors, lent their support for the Party, which was instrumental in its subsequent political success.
The new initiative had an important role to play. A vote for the Party for the Animals was, in fact, a strong signal that all other parties had failed to address animal issues adequately, and that animals deserve to be at the top of the political agenda.
It was not just a protest vote; it meant that what the Green Party could achieve for the environment, the 'Party for the Animals' could do for animals.
Putting the 'Party for the Animals' on the map
The electoral result was astounding; the new animal Party
received more than 49,000 votes, and was just 500 votes short of
a seat in parliament! This result was very encouraging. The
advantage of Dutch proportional representation is that small
parties have a real chance of getting into Parliament. The two
winners were the Christian Democrats and 'Labour' (while the List
Pim Fortuyn was drastically reduced). However, after months of
negotiation, the two could not come together in a coalition, and
so the Christian Democrats invited the Liberal Democrats and the
Democrats (D66) to join and form a (centre-) right coalition.
Again, this was bad news for the animals. But the Party for the Animals concept proved not to be a passing fad. The Party remained active on the sidelines, commenting on political decisions that had a negative impact on animals, and the Party still received plenty of media attention.
European Parliament elections: June 2004
The Party for the Animals decided to participate in the European
Parliament elections in June 2004. Although it seemed to be
aiming high, the Party felt that since many animal issues are
dealt with in 'Brussels', it was an important place for them to
be.
Jasmijn de Boo was actively involved with the Dutch political 'Party for the Animals' from September 2003 to October 2004. She started with general outreach, and then became coordinator of a working group ('chapter') in the southern province 'Noord-Brabant.' She represented the Party for the Animals at Biotechnology hearings at the Ministry of Agriculture, where citizens and NGOs have the opportunity to ask questions to scientists and submit objection letters to biotechnological proposals, after which the Ministry decides whether the proposals are accepted or rejected.
She wrote a chapter on animal experimentation and alternatives for the electoral programme, and became an electoral candidate for the MEP elections in June 2004. She was number 5 on the list of 20 candidates, and the youngest overall.
In 2004 outreach was extensive and public awareness of the Party for the Animals rapidly increased, resulting in many more active recruits to the Party for the Animals and its political campaign. Political commentators predicted that the Party for the Animals might gain one or two seats in the new European Parliament.
As a consequence, other (social) parties became nervous. They added animal issues to their campaign agenda, and two parties (D66 and SP) actually used an animal rather than a human candidate on their campaign posters!
On Election Day on the 10th of June, the Party for the Animals received over 153,000 votes (more than triple our January 2003 total), which was 3.2% of the overall total. 3.7% was the minimum necessary to gain a seat.
This was disappointing, but amazing at the same time, because achieving 3.2% of the vote would have resulted in 5 seats had this occurred during the Dutch parliamentary elections! The most important result, however, was the positive influence on the other parties.
The Party for the Animals decided to become a watchdog party, seeking to ensure that those who had added animal welfare to their agenda lived up to their promises.
An interesting observation was that about 1/3 of the votes came from people who had previously voted for CDA or the Christian Union-from those who felt that Christian values of stewardship were lacking in these political parties (although the Christian Union, at least, has an animal welfare agenda). The votes came from the entire political spectrum, demonstrating that animal advocacy does not necessitate a certain political 'colour'.
The profile of the Party for the Animals remained very high in The Netherlands, and although the Members and Board decided in October 2005 not to take part in the local elections of May 2006, the recent Dutch National Elections on 22 November 2006 have finally proven to reward the relentless efforts for the animals.