There is something intensely political about Americans. They identify more deeply with their political structures than any European people does. They refer constantly to the Founding Fathers, to the various articles and amendments of the US constitution, to the powers of the states. Maybe the ancient Athenians were like that too. The youth wing of FVD recently welcomed to Amsterdam a three-man delegation from the New York Young Republicans Club: they were interviewed by Iem al Biyati, Frederik Jansen and Massimo Ettale for the ‘Feverdream Café’. What shone through from the three besuited young men was a very Trumpian determination to make once-in-a-generation radical changes to the US political system. They did thzis with a striking knowledge of recent American history including, surprisingly, severe criticisms of supposedly conservative luminaries like Ronald Reagan.&nbsp; Their verve and lucidity recalled the same qualities which Thierry Baudet, John Laughland and Frederik Jansen had noticed on their recent trip to Washington DC, where there is a palpable energy and drive of which Europe, for the time being, can only dream.<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7G5YZr5ts0">Watch the Feverdream Café interview here</a><img src="/uploads/image_1ff05862a2.png">So let’s dream!&nbsp; Verve and drive are the very things FVD is determined to insert into Dutch and European political life. This shines through every line in the party manifesto, published on 31 August.&nbsp; Cutting taxes, promoting remigration, leaving the EU, stopping the war in Ukraine, putting an end to climate madness, affordable housing, referenda, cutting red tape, economic dynamism – you name it, it’s in the party programme. Frankly, every party should adopt it – and the Trumpian experience shows that these things can be done, if there is a will. Determination is FVD’s guiding principle – the determination not just to change politics but to change the whole of society for the better too.<a href="https://fvdinternational.com/article/introduction-to-the-forum-for-democracy-party-manifesto">Read a summary of the FVD manifesto here</a><img src="/uploads/image_afa1540bba.png">The electoral list for the Dutch parliamentary elections to be held on 29 October will not be led by Thierry Baudet, the founder and leader of the party, but instead by Lidewij de Vos, a 28 year-old neuroscientist and violinist who embodies the youth and high IQ which are FVD’s strengths. Her appointment shows that the party is bigger than its leader - something one can say of very few other parties in Europe - and that FVD is the future, having an especially high degree of support among Gen Z. Exhilarated by the decision, Thierry and Lidewij both made statements when it was announced:&nbsp; read them below.<a href="https://fvdinternational.com/article/lidewij-de-vos-to-become-the-new-lead-candidate-for-forum-for-democracy">Read about Lidewij here</a>

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The Weekly Forum - 4 September

As Honduras approaches a crucial election season, one of the most prominent candidates for mayor of Tegucigalpa is Juan Diego Zelaya. With over 20 years of political experience, including time as deputy mayor, congressman, and party secretary, Zelaya is now stepping forward with a platform focused on security, jobs, traffic solutions, water access, and public spaces.In this exclusive interview, Zelaya shares his background, priorities, and vision for the capital city.Interview with Juan Diego ZelayaMarco van den Boomgaard: Nice to meet you, Juan Diego. You’re running for mayor of the capital of Honduras, correct?Juan Diego Zelaya: Yes, I’m running for mayor of Tegucigalpa. The elections will take place on November 30th—just 86 days away.Marco van den Boomgaard: Tell me more about you. Who is Juan Diego Zelaya?Juan Diego Zelaya: I’m the son of two artists. My mother is a sculptor, and my father was a jazz musician who unfortunately passed away during COVID. I guess you could say I rebelled against my parents by becoming a politician—maybe the most unexpected rebellion of all!I’ve been involved in politics for more than 20 years. I’ve served as deputy mayor, twice as a congressman, and as party secretary. Today, I’m the vice president of my party and now a candidate for mayor of the capital.Marco van den Boomgaard: What are your main priorities if elected?Juan Diego Zelaya: We’ve built our platform by listening to the people. Through polling and research, five priorities stand out:1. Security and safety – Citizens consistently rank this as the top issue. While mayors don’t directly control security, we plan to act by establishing a municipal 911-style system, installing cameras, improving lighting in public spaces, and strengthening the municipal police in key areas such as parks and transportation hubs. Education also plays a role in creating a culture of respect and safety.2. Jobs and employment opportunities – Expanding opportunities is essential to reducing inequality and building a better city.3. Traffic and mobility – For the first time in 20 years, traffic is among the top concerns. We need sustainable, modern solutions to improve daily life.4. Water access – Many communities lack reliable, affordable water. Our goal is for every resident to have water, all the time, at a fair price.5. Environment and public spaces – Citizens need parks, green areas, and community spaces to live well. These spaces help build a sense of citizenship and improve social behavior.All of these priorities are supported by three cross-cutting principles: transparency, technology, and community participation.Marco van den Boomgaard: Let’s return to safety. How do you plan to make progress if security is mainly the responsibility of the national government?Juan Diego Zelaya: That’s true, but as mayor I must respond to citizens’ concerns. We’ll focus on prevention and public order. This includes technology like cameras and lighting, municipal policing in critical areas, and most importantly, education. Teaching respect, civic values, and coexistence can transform public safety in the long run.Marco van den Boomgaard: Education is something people in Honduras often mention as crucial. Can a mayor really make an impact in this area?Juan Diego Zelaya: I would like education, safety, and health to be decentralized to the municipal level. That would require congressional reform. Until then, we’ll do what we can—supporting schools, promoting civic education, and integrating educational programs into all our initiatives. Even if the mayor can’t replace national policy, we can contribute solutions and make a difference.Marco van den Boomgaard: Thank you very much for this short interview. I hope to see you again soon.<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/Afbeelding_van_Whats_App_op_2025_09_06_om_22_15_25_7d2ad848_46464935d6.jpg"></figure>A Leader with a VisionJuan Diego Zelaya is widely regarded as a dynamic, innovative, and approachable leader. His background—shaped by a family of artists—gives him a unique sensitivity toward culture and community life. In politics, his two decades of service have shown his commitment to tackling the country’s most pressing challenges with integrity and vision.Zelaya emphasizes transparency, technology, and citizen participation as the foundation for progress. His leadership style is defined by listening to people, building inclusive policies, and fostering hope for the next generation.As Tegucigalpa faces challenges of security, mobility, and basic services, Zelaya presents himself not only as a candidate, but as a leader prepared to transform the city into a safer, greener, and more inclusive capital.

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Juan Diego Zelaya: A Vision for a Safer, More Transparent, and Democratic Tegucigalpa

THE NETHERLANDS FREE AGAIN, PROUD &amp; VIBRANTIntroduction to the Forum for Democracy party manifesto, September 2025The Netherlands is the most beautiful country in the world. From this small piece of earth, we have for centuries shown what is possible. Our people turn the smallest ideas into the greatest realities. We lead the way in the arts, science, entrepreneurship, innovation and technology. Yes, we literally pulled our land out of the water! The free, resilient Dutchman continues to surprise and inspire the world time and again. Moreover, he belongs to the kindest, most open, tolerant, honest and peace-loving people there are. It is no coincidence that “gezellig” is a typical Dutch word – it connotes friendliness, warmth and socialibility. Everywhere you go, the Netherlands – and the Dutch – are held in high esteem. Our infrastructure, our education, our social system; our urban planning, our agricultural sector, our economy: it all still belongs at the top international internationally.In short, we have an enormous amount to be proud of and to cherish.At the same time, we face a huge, almost all-encompassing problem: we are not being governed well. This home, this land of our ancestors and our children, this beacon of freedom, is declining slowly but surely. Our governing class has fallen under the spell of a “down-with-us” mentality. We no longer dare to defend our borders and our identity. An endless stream of immigrants threatens our security, our housing supply and our social safety net. Our farmers and factories are being strangled by absurd nitrogen regulations. An overblown climate policy makes energy unaffordable and pollutes the landscape with hideous and extremely costly wind turbines. Taxes have become far too high, stifling innovation and economic growth. The government apparatus has thrown a suffocating blanket of rules, control mechanisms and procedures over society, smothering creativity, ambition and entrepreneurship. Meanwhile, our democratic system seems completely stuck: the renewal and fresh thinking that is so badly needed is not sufficiently breaking through in politics.That is why it is necessary to present an agenda of change. Forum for Democracy is first and foremost a movement for democratic renewal. We believe that the great trends we have described above, which have been going on for decades, are not in line with the wishes and interests of the Dutch people. We want binding referendums, directly elected mayors, and a strengthening of the free, uncensored public debate to counter this.Our ultimate goal can therefore be summarised in three main points:<ul><li>We want to stop mass immigration and bring about remigration so that our people can continue to exist as such for decades and centuries to come. &nbsp;</li><li>We want to stop climate and nitrogen policies, give farmers and industry breathing space again, and by resuming gas extraction in Groningen bring back affordable energy for everyone. &nbsp;</li><li>We want to stop the excessive expansion of the government apparatus, the tangle of rules, levies and benefits, break free from European overregulation and create a society in which self-reliance, freedom and dynamism once again take centre stage. &nbsp;</li></ul>The hundreds of billions that will be freed up by these three major policy changes will go directly to the benefit of the hard-working Dutch people. We aim for a radical reduction and simplification of the tax system. We will invest in affordable housing and quality education. We will tackle the suffocating bureaucracy of government – inspired by DOGE of Elon Musk in the United States.We envision a Netherlands once again proud of its own identity, culture, language, industry, entrepreneurs, and so forth – and thus also a Netherlands which (quite naturally) restores its sovereignty. A country with confidence and as much individual autonomy as possible. A much smaller government which interferes far less with people’s everyday choices, so that the Netherlands can grow again and so that our children and grandchildren can enjoy a safe and prosperous future.For us, human beings are by nature self-reliant. We are optimistic about the ability of the vast majority to make something of their lives, to stand up for their own interests and to realise their dreams. So our motto is: give people much more freedom. Allow farmers and fishermen to look after their surroundings according to their own insight. Give schools and teachers back control over the curriculum. Doctors and patients must be able to make arrangements between themselves without the minute interference of health insurers. Open up the rental market, stop forcing small and medium enterprises to build entire HR departments. The obsessive drive to cover every risk, the constant focus on the unlucky few, has made the government bloated and sluggish and society moody and complaining.The dynamism must return, the courage, the decisiveness. Without ‘woke’ madness, without self-hatred. That is how we, as Forum for Democracy, see a completely different Netherlands – as a country brimming with ambition and fully committed to innovation, where you can become rich through hard work and where success does not provoke resentment but congratulations. A country that honours its historical heroes and asks newcomers to adapt to our national customs and way of life. A country where safety and privacy go hand in hand, where you can pay in cash everywhere and open a bank account or sign off a permit in a day. Where ultra-fast train connections (hyperloops) are developed, where a new, grand airport in the North Sea is realised - yes, where the Caribbean territories are no longer seen as a burden but as a springboard for Dutch entrepreneurs to conquer the vast markets of Latin America.We could go on and on – the possibilities are endless for the self-aware, proud nation we believe in – small in population and surface area, but a world player in everything we do.Wednesday 29 October 2025 offers a new chance for the Netherlands. A chance to put an end to the dominant trends of the past decades. A chance to break with victimhood, oikophobia, overregulation; with uncontrolled immigration and unaffordable climate schemes.It is a chance to return to the values that made our country great. To bring back the dreams of our ancestors – and pass them on to our children and grandchildren. Let’s go for it!

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Introduction to the Forum for Democracy party manifesto

Lidewij de Vos to become the new lead candidate for Forum for Democracy in the 29 October general election.&nbsp;FVD founder Thierry Baudet moves to second place.Thierry Baudet has said,&nbsp;&nbsp;"I am enthusiastic and full of confidence. With all my heart and soul I remain involved in FVD, and I will also once again enter the House of Representatives with full commitment. I will continue to dedicate myself 100% to the party, but because of polarised opinions about me and a media blockade that has lasted for five years, I am at this moment mainly standing in the way of new growth. That is partly my own fault – I’m too much of a free-thinker, too outspoken – but also partly the result of framing and being denied any goodwill. Even though we were often proven right on substance – in our criticism of the Covid policy, in our analysis of the sabotage of Nord Stream, the costs of climate policy, the absurdity of nitrogen policy and the dramatic effects of immigration – since the Covid period we have never again been given a real platform. Then you notice that you are no longer effective as the face of the party. The movement is far more important than my ego or personal position. I never built Forum for Democracy because I myself wanted to be in the spotlight; it was and is about the Netherlands. And Lidewij is an excellent successor, with composure, her own style, a great deal of expertise and surprising debating skills. With her at the helm I expect Forum for Democracy to achieve a fantastic result in the election and to accomplish a great deal for our voters and for the Netherlands!"Lidewij de Vos (1997) is a chemist, neuroscientist and violinist. While doing her master’s degree she worked at the research department of the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam. She has been involved with Forum for Democracy since its very beginning and has worked for the FVD parliamentary group in the House of Representatives since 2021. Together with Thierry Baudet she co-authored the book&nbsp;No One in the Cockpit (2023), in which the Netherlands’ nitrogen policy is dismantled on scientific grounds. In 2025 she replaced Thierry Baudet during his paternity leave: as an MP she campaigned for the abolition of climate and nitrogen regulations, for an end to mass immigration and for the restoration of rationality in politics.Lidewij de Vos has said,&nbsp;“It is a particularly great honour and a task of magnitude to be the lead candidate of the largest membership party in the Netherlands. I will take on this role as a team player and, together with Thierry, Frederik Jansen, Gideon van Meijeren, Pepijn van Houwelingen, Ralf Dekker and the many others in our party, advance our agenda of political renewal. As a woman I am daily aware of the insecurity that is partly the result of mass immigration. As a chemist I know how nonsensical the climate and nitrogen policy is. And as a violinist I feel deeply connected with the unparalleled European civilisation we want to preserve and strengthen. I am bursting with energy and hugely looking forward to the campaign. On to 29 October!”

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Lidewij de Vos to become the new lead candidate for Forum for Democracy in the 29 October general election

Thierry Baudet, Frederik Jansen and John Laughland travelled to Washington DC last week to attend the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity’s annual conference, this year entitled ‘Blueprint for Peace’. Thierry was one of the speakers, alongside Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Colonel Douglas MacGregor, Judge Napolitano and Max Blumenthal. Prior to the conference, which was superb, they were honoured to have a private meeting with the US Secretary of Health, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who told them about his plans to Make America Healthy Again and much else besides. (Amsterdam Books has&nbsp;<a href="https://amsterdambooks.nl/products/robert-kennedy-jr-de-gevaarlijkste-dr-op-aarde?variant=44210666569959">published</a> a Dutch translation of R. F. Kennedy’s book about Dr Anthony Fauci, whence the connection.) There is a genuine wind of change in D.C., so unlike sclerotic Europe where nothing seems ever to change.<a href="https://x.com/FVD_Intl/status/1956346322119709009">Watch Thierry’s video here</a><img src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXdnV6jtIedpt9uHXtdMwc8xOy93AilyWlKOzWV46t6s6m72IbmeVpkc8Q-Sz33UeG3fzo-YBdO_JqPUfGlkU4wN0RDpZjdSxlIqX438loyNTkclObFqoRqqjcUWFkYwYc-iDigUbw?key=yavqesIum1jmsDiNM19PHw">Mr Baudet goes to Washington – why? Not only because FVD has always wanted to have an international reach but also because such trips lead to immensely fruitful exchanges. Among other private meetings, Thierry, Freek and John also had dinner with Pete Marocco, Elon Musk’s right-hand man at DOGE. Pete is the person who shut down USAID, a state within a state and a cornerstone of the deep state and what ought to be known as the politico-corruption complex. It was an immense privilege to be so close to people who are making real changes – the sort of real changes we urgently need in Europe.<a href="https://x.com/thierrybaudet/status/1957718517278495174">Watch Thierry’s video here</a><img src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXdlYHxurJVMq389p4DR776CCsP0wvoYjXOW23M9rfvjShYmQbXxS33PCdivutD47UqC1-lC8jLVX_f8Vo7WrQWS5mgAXnqkYu5LWnS0GuL4Bul2cI7oTGLL5do5b3KFWqZrGej66w?key=yavqesIum1jmsDiNM19PHw">While FVD was in Washington, Presidents Trump and Putin were meeting in Alaska. This was followed by a strange euro-summit in the White House on Monday – strange because the Europeans travelled to Washington to be humiliated by Trump. Personally humiliated – ‘Keir Starmer, you are doing so well, everybody likes you’ (his approval rating is 13%); ‘Ursula, you have more power than any of these guys’ (she does); ‘Where is the president of Finland?’ (he was sitting opposite Trump) – and politically humiliated, as Trump trashed all of Europe’s red lines in Ukraine by proposing the cession of territory and negotiations without a ceasefire. The Europeans responded with rare obsequiousness and servility, an illustration of how far Europe has sunk and how far it will sink yet if there is no real change. FVD International director gave RT an interview about all this.<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlGzXsMuX5s&amp;t=56s">Watch John Laughland’s interview here</a><img src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXdOas0WXPENRAX3hCumxWT9Up-Cag_VJKDm3QetLdb-uaAxsUFEakBwcLdpXn2MXKqmhd7ASZDTHK51kdAa5IBo4Ux56D2FWNQVCROno7yt3sKFhePyAvNVNOozbZ-0sCgZjobE4w?key=yavqesIum1jmsDiNM19PHw">We discussed ‘Ukraine – what next?’ on The Forum this week, with Mark Sleboda and George Szamuely. The consensus was that the summitry is theatre and that the war will continue indefinitely. Afghanistan lasted 20 years. Why should the Ukraine war not last just as long?<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMPGwKmwjCo&amp;ab_channel=FVDInternational">Watch The Forum here</a>

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The Weekly Forum - 21 August

The Dutch parliament was recalled from its summer recess this week but not to discuss anything to do with the Netherlands or Europe.&nbsp; Instead, the subject was Gaza - something over which European MPs have little or no control.&nbsp; Unlike the governing Freedom Party of Geert Wilders - which supports Israel “100%”, to quote one of Wilders’ X-posts - Forum for Democracy initially tried to stay neutral in the latest war.&nbsp; However the excesses (to put it mildly) of the Israeli regime have made even instinctive Israel supporters recoil in horror. Thierry Baudet told Parliament that he thought that Israel has gone too far and that the mass killing in Gaza is both inhumane and counter-productive.&nbsp; Not only will it breed future generations of Palestinian fighters - and thus prolong the cycle of revenge indefinitely, without apparently any victory yet in sight - it is also jeopardising the plight of Jews around the world who get the blame.<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLIJ7-oM8OI&amp;ab_channel=FVDInternational">Watch Thierry’s speech here (translated by AI)</a><img src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXfiaXDsE8K3rgCVc96NeobOjItZooGp9Aeb5XOmG3t1vMs5uNKTDJg6S6rMnlIMSXDQBgBVk6ttJvqOQDVzPLku3rJImm8X3H4fxhBO37_N8wRdRsuUwz3O7gOlb25xfQqbfooCpg?key=TOhF_6hClxX1hPXDAlZ2PA">Thierry gave a long interview (in Dutch) to the podcaster Benjamin Wortman this week. They discussed politics, nationalism, Christianity and how to think independently. We have extracted a section where Thierry tackles the last of these.&nbsp; Quoting Alexis de Tocqueville, who foresaw that democracy would lead to an increase in the power of the state – a new form of despotism – Thierry explained that it is exceptionally difficult to think independently. Politics suffers greatly from the phenomenon of the crowd – from the tendency of people to go with the flow, or to vote for parties simply because they are high in the polls, however weak their actual record while in office. This means that the liberal paradigm of democracy – that each individual rationally pursues his own self-interest and reflects on it before entering the polling booth – is anthropologically false. As Gustave Le Bon wrote over a century ago, crowds accumulate not intelligence but mediocrity.<a href="https://x.com/FVD_Intl/status/1955936346993766885">Watch the clip of Thierry’s interview here (translated by AI)</a><img src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXefW_W9_rFhfJuXtMt6DeL6HV8ivkg2rw_LqP_1ZEyFHirFYz1d5megiK3nl5rpMpaRtMGM7wgeluoCzMffdqE8AgwntTeU_JBmIvbObN4OSkzxh9UbibBFbpXR1PbIfMFNb_SO?key=TOhF_6hClxX1hPXDAlZ2PA">FVD International’s director, John Laughland, gave a lecture at the Young FVD summer camp in Burgundy last month, on Western nihilism.&nbsp; The noted French demographer, Emmanuel Todd, used the concept in his latest book,&nbsp;The Defeat of the West, and John developed the idea claiming that it explains a range of phenomena which dominate modern politics – ideology and the obsession with controlling the narrative; the obsession with fictitious political constructs like the EU, Bosnia, Kosovo or even Ukraine; globalism, which ultimately stems from a belief in the essential one-ness of reality and from a hatred of multiplicity; an exaggerated belief in ‘science’; the obsession with trans ideology and the cult of indeterminacy; and of course violence.&nbsp; This last point is perhaps the most obvious and was well characterised by Turgenev in&nbsp;Fathers and Sons where one character accuses the nihilist Bazarov of wanting to destroy everything, whereas “one must construct, too, you know” - to which Bazarov replies, “That is not our business . . . we must first clear the ground.”<img src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXdgrYxzXh4-as0RhHudE7yBhxWf034gQDUpbW59dOY0SmJ4yTzzfCqLoGbjgfkEEjcXXT99pJDQF-l_jUXD3KkD8Mkv_MVj_rqH5xxm7sKKj_ILcVDNdvdZ7upISGCb6iI7afYMSw?key=TOhF_6hClxX1hPXDAlZ2PA">Patrick Wood, who has just completed his third book on technocracy, was our wonderful guest on The Forum this week.&nbsp; Technocracy is the hallmark of globalism and the true scourge of our era.<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-75w47Gni1o&amp;t=14s&amp;ab_channel=FVDInternational">Listen back to The Forum here</a>

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The Weekly Forum - 14 August

It often happens in summer that politicians break off their holidays because of some crisis or other.&nbsp; The long break Parliaments typically take indeed does not mean that the world stops.&nbsp; Often, too, these decisions are taken for reasons of P.R. – to give the impression of doing something. Thus, the Dutch Parliament reconvened this week to debate the humanitarian situation in Gaza, also known as genocide. Emotions ran high on both sides of the argument, as they typically do whenever the intractable Middle East conflict is discussed, and higher even than when European or national issues are discussed. By contrast, the same Dutch Parliament refused Thierry Baudet’s request to convene during the summer recess to discuss the EU-US trade deal shoved down Ursula von der Leyen’s throat at Donald Trump’s golf course in Scotland. The other Dutch political parties all prefered to discuss something over which they have no power – Israel – instead of something which concerns them directly and over which they should have power, and would have if they left the EU.<a href="https://fvdinternational.com/article/thierry-baudet-calls-on-parliament-to-return-to-debate-the-eu-trump-trade-deal">Read Thierry’s letter to the party leaders here</a> <img src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXea65AEtrjZnx0rdekn_xsVASjoMpq42oRGUhpIuycKrj4YO5Ur92pVFq6433kwxW2lAgWNbZS0gf2XguOC7wpHeATIVUccaSZEoUlTwNnPWqdgEY4twAS7O66uFs9MS5oNQI4j2A?key=lGgjgDacy0-sHsecuen2FA">FVD International’s director, John Laughland, was interviewed at length by Jeremy Nell for UK column recently. The video has just been published.&nbsp; Jeremy Nell is one of John’s two co-hosts, both professional broadcasters, for FVD International’s weekly video podcast,&nbsp;<a href="https://email.email.fvd.nl/c/eJwUzEuKLCEQQNHV6FDSiFDTgYMHhfsw_LwqSNvG_FG7b3J2uYNTgnaYs6xBO0NmBTRGvgPaltcChb1xrVoAzWn1jiyTI3ZafgL6imB18p5sq2C9Y9RU2sKo2dgkaGlXUT-b3ML7OH53gf8ERAHxvm_1HedxclV59GfSEsc8exvzVfvIM-WvgLgfs6a-C4yzbiMVgS8vwGaeT2o5Q1KXYnWN3TtBy_-ePttDyivAXwAAAP__e1xBGw">The Forum</a>. On the UK column show, they discussed immigration – or rather the industrially organised process of mass population transfer which has been underway for decades into Europe and which shows no sign of abating. John insisted that this mass migration is being driven by economics, ideology and criminality. Only very significant sums of money can explain this huge logistical exercise which consists in transporting people thousands of kilometres into another country, often illegally and at great danger to their lives.<a href="https://www.ukcolumn.org/video/mass-immigration-and-the-death-of-europe">Watch John’s interview here</a><img src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXfF9HCQ2kiAUuvkziqOXi5M3RsEumvO4jz7NE_qtAajDQe1TTm2giA5JT4T_7eSMd7uPrgAq38Elqe5Lwjwd3yy0kETPyqTcI_71FTyeXF2oIZ0ivCowBBuVCQ228QrKBnAIkG--Q?key=lGgjgDacy0-sHsecuen2FA">Meanwhile, what makes ideas work? Is it their intrinsic worth or are social factors involved? Sid Lukkassen is convinced that anthropology is the key to success. People will admire and follow a person and his ideas if the setting and the perspective are right – if there is the right sort of show or stage. By contrast, they will ignore or miss even great ideas and talents if the anthropological mechanisms are not in place. The key to success, he says, is decorum. The way you present yourself, and the way you think about yourself, is undoubtedly the key to the way others will see and appreciate you.<a href="https://fvdinternational.com/article/from-rowling-to-ronaldo-the-all-determining-power-of-decorum">Read Sid Lukkassen’s article here</a> &nbsp;

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The Weekly Forum - 7 August

This interesting message just came across, from J.K. Rowling, the author of Harry Potter.“I promise you this: in ten years' time, a lot of women who are now pushing the gender identity agenda will claim they were always TERFs - just like people who pretend they survived terrorist attacks when they were never even close to them.”FeminismTERF stands for Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist. Rowling claims that those who are now opportunistically going along with gender ideology in order to preserve their careers, status, and/or “ally” points will claim in the future that they were always critical of it. A bit like how, after World War II, almost everyone suddenly claimed to have been in the resistance.As for the truth of Rowling's claim, I strongly doubt it. There is a good chance that feminism will soon cease to exist altogether. Simply because Muslims, closely followed by orthodox Christians, are demographically overtaking the left-wing progressives: a group that is already reluctant to have children because of their ‘ecological footprint’ and ‘impact on the climate’.DocilityBut that's not what I want to talk to you about. I want to talk to you about decorum. Because what Rowling is getting at is that people are not very steadfast. They just make things up and opportunistically adopt opinions. They look around and try to imitate what they see. If an ideology is in vogue, they copy that ideology in order to ‘fit in’ and ‘not be left out’.That's a hugely important point, and I want to dwell on it with you. Just think of the experiment involving a group of people who had to estimate how long a meter is. Most of the people in the room were paid actors who deliberately exaggerated: they took a length of two meters and called it a meter. The people who were not acting went along with it and chose larger sizes, even though they knew better. The urge to conform socially proved stronger than individual judgment. &nbsp;When people are docile and copy each other just a little, widely held views are little more than echoes and mirror images. Pro-trans today, anti-trans tomorrow: it just depends on which way the wind blows, which is exactly what Rowling is pointing out. Now the question is where originality comes from. What is the source of new ideas? &nbsp;The original source of originalityHere we must refer to The Fountainhead (1943) by philosopher Ayn Rand. Literally: the eternal source, that source representing the primal point from which new insights and ideas are unlocked. Geniuses and visionaries are rare and lonely—their ideas trickle down to the masses only in small doses. Rand describes how the history of ideas is actually a war between artistic elites for the soul of the masses, who are incapable of original thinking themselves.To illustrate this, the book tells the life story of the brilliant architect Howard Roark. Through this character's struggles, the author shows how an idea, however valuable, cannot simply enjoy social interest. There is a whole power structure surrounding this, because ideas have to pass through a tollgate of social gatekeepers. Decorum: the pivotal point&nbsp;Now we have come to the point I want to discuss with you: decorum. Because, as just described, those ideas are either made important and visible, or they are ignored and pushed to the margins. It does not matter how talented the artist is. Roark is surrounded by mediocre architects who win all kinds of awards, while he is overlooked.Most people have little internal baggage, and when they hear a piece of music or analyze architecture, for example, they have no idea on what basis to judge it. They have no feeling for the internal qualities that elevate a work above mediocrity. So they think: the musician performed on a talk show, stood on a stage, I'm sure I won't make a fool of myself if I affiliate myself with this.This situation is very similar to what Paul Cliteur observed about the policy of bookstores in the Netherlands: books expressing the views of Jesse Klaver and Femke Halsema are displayed next to the cash register, while right-wing books are tucked away in a corner at the back of the store. This is all a deliberate tactic to establish normality through the decorum of placement. &nbsp;Cristiano Ronaldo &amp; Joshua BellTwo more examples to underscore this point. World-famous soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo disguised himself as a random guy and started playing soccer with people on the street. He did all his famous tricks, but at most attracted the attention of a child, while the rest walked by unsuspectingly. When he revealed himself, many wanted to take a picture with him...World-famous violinist Joshua Bell played in the subway and barely attracted any attention from passers-by. They did not notice his exceptional talent, even though he had sold out a theatre in Boston the day before, where attendees paid a hundred dollars for a seat.These two examples prove that it is the setting, the stage—whether it be the soccer field of professional soccer or the theatre—that allows the masses to recognize and appreciate talent as talent. Whoever possesses the setting possesses the power to determine the future of culture.&nbsp;Relationship marketIt is no coincidence that Rowling is talking about women. Renzo Verwer wrote about the love market and noted that musicians have a lot of sex, simply because the musician is on stage and, by virtue of his profession, is the centre of attention. This automatically means validation and appreciation from the group. Verwer wrote something like: “Pick up that instrument, step onto the stage, and start playing; you'll see how the breasts and buttocks sway your way as if by magic.”&nbsp;And if I have to translate this into my own context, I can only confirm it. Where did I meet my girlfriends? I once spoke about my book at the FVD’s youth wing, I presented a book at FVD itself, and I spoke in the Provincial Council chamber. Relationships arose from this, and it is certainly no coincidence that all those contacts started from an unequal relationship. I was the ‘expert’, the writer, the speaker, and the women in question were organisers or visitors.&nbsp;Evolution and social approvalAfterwards, the ladies naturally deny that it had anything to do with decorum, but it's all too coincidental for that. I would even dare to say that many of them have more of a relationship with decorum than with the man in question.If we look at evolution, men can survive outside the group a little more easily than women: it is also the men who break away from groups and find new ones, thus ensuring an influx of fresh genes. So it is not surprising that women are even more dependent on group consensus and group validation than men in terms of their actions and thinking. Their default mode is often to first gauge what the group thinks about something and only then come to an individual judgment. &nbsp;Destroy the enemy's decorumNo matter how brilliant or talented you are, Cristiano Ronaldo and Joshua Bell prove that it will not be noticed unless you start with decorum. That is the only starting point for building something with a chance of success. The same applies to relationships, because women still long for a man they can admire. And that admiration is often not something that comes from their own “inner source,” their inner “fountainhead,” but something they copy from what they see manifested as social consensus.The lesson here is that you don't win the debate by presenting better arguments and facts. The audience has little idea what you're talking about. They judge based on superficialities: “Gosh, that cute blonde lady in the audience looks happy (or unhappy) when he speaks.” If you want to win the battle, you have to destroy your opponent's decorum. &nbsp;

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From Rowling to Ronaldo: the all-determining power of decorum

Thierry Baudet has requested that the House of Representatives return from recess to hold an emergency debate on the trade deal concluded between Ursula von der Leyen for the EU and President Trump. This deal, which includes 15% tariffs on Dutch exports to the US, and an obligation for Europe to purchase $750 billion worth of American energy, is disastrous for the Dutch economy and sovereignty.The House must take action on this as soon as possible. FVD is counting on the support of all other political parties.&nbsp;See below for the letter sent by Baudet.<hr>&nbsp;Dear Party Leaders,On behalf of the Forum for Democracy party, I urgently call on you and your parties to support a request for an emergency debate in the House of Representatives, before the end of the current recess. The reason for this is the recent trade deal which Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, concluded with US President Donald Trump on July 27, 2025. This deal, which includes 15% tariffs on EU exports to the United States and an obligation for the EU to purchase $750 billion worth of American energy, poses a direct threat to the Dutch economy, sovereignty, and interests. Given the urgency of this matter, which cannot wait until after the recess, I ask you to submit this request jointly to the Speaker of the House of Representatives.The urgency of this emergency debate cannot be underestimated. The deal was concluded while the House of Representatives was in recess, without any prior consultation with national parliaments or a democratic mandate from the member states. With a deadline of August 1 for further implementation, the Netherlands is at risk of facing irreversible economic damage in the short term. If we do not take action now, the government will be forced to accept this agreement, leading to higher costs for Dutch citizens and businesses. This emergency debate is essential to hold the government accountable and discuss possible countermeasures before the deal is finally ratified and the damage is irreparable.The disadvantages for the Netherlands are numerous and far-reaching. Firstly, the 15% tariffs on EU exports will deal a severe blow to our export-oriented economy. As one of the largest exporters within the EU, the Netherlands will suffer disproportionately from these barriers: sectors such as agriculture, chemicals, technology, and mechanical engineering—accounting for billions of euros in annual exports to the US—will see their competitive position seriously weakened. This will lead to job losses, higher prices for consumers, and a contraction of the Dutch economy, which is already under pressure from inflation and energy crises.In addition, the deal forces the EU to make massive purchases of American energy, which makes the Netherlands dependent on foreign suppliers and undermines our energy independence. Instead of investing in our own energy sources, such as our own Groningen gas field and the construction of nuclear power plants, we are forced to spend billions on American fossil fuels. The Netherlands has sufficient fossil reserves and potential for nuclear energy to be self-sufficient, but this deal blocks those possibilities and keeps us trapped in dependence on imports. This will lead to higher energy prices for Dutch households and industry, and increase our vulnerability to geopolitical fluctuations.Moreover, this deal underscores the fundamental problems of the EU: von der Leyen acts as an unelected bureaucrat without taking national interests into account, further eroding Dutch sovereignty. The Netherlands is paying the price for a compromise that mainly benefits larger EU countries, while we, as a smaller nation, are disproportionately affected. This is a wake-up call: we must reclaim our own trade policy and no longer allow Brussels to make deals that harm us.In order to force this urgent debate, we need at least 30 signatures from members of parliament, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure. Forum for Democracy will submit this request to the Speaker and calls on you to participate by signing and encouraging your fellow party members to do the same. Let us act together to protect the interests of the Netherlands. I propose that this urgent debate be scheduled as soon as possible.Yours sincerely,&nbsp;Thierry Baudet &nbsp;

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Thierry Baudet calls on Parliament to return to debate the EU-Trump trade deal 

Forum for Democracy International

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FVD is a anti-globalist political party in the Netherlands founded and led by Thierry Baudet. John Laughland (right) is director of FVD International.

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