Tomorrow it’s election day in Holland. I have been voting since I was 18 (legal age to vote in Holland) and this is the first time in 25 years that I will not vote for the political party that I like, but I have to vote for the most likely political coalition I want and trust to be good for Holland.
What?
Yeah, that was what I was thinking too. But the reality for the 2010 elections is, that coalitions need to be formed to get a majority in parliament. And this election the voters are so divided that you know there is going to be a coalition necessary with at least 3 parties and probably even 4.
Looking at the polls and possibilities – hang on, I am not going to bore you to death – it means we either will get a centre/left wing coalition or a centre/right wing coalition. A pure left-wing or right-wing coalition is very unlikely due to the spread of votes.
So this time around people might vote for the political party they have always been voting for, but wind up with the wrong coalition. Which means that people need to rethink what they are doing, and need to start thinking about voting strategically.
And that’s a though choice. A centre/left coalition most likely means our wallets will be spared in the short-term. But the long-term consequences are sketchy at best. A centre/right coalition most likely means my wallet is going to hurt. But we might be better off in the long-term.
So the question is: are we going to live like the Americans (“Spend now, pay tomorrow”) or are we going to leave our kids with better options in the long run?
Yes my friends, it’s a though choice this year. And anything can happen.