Let’s put an end to ‘Diversity’

Speech to the Home Affairs Commitee of the Dutch Parliament, 24 April.

Today, we are discussing the functioning of the civil service. I would like to use my speaking time in this debate to criticise the so-called ‘Diversity Policy’ which, according to reports in De Telegraaf, among others, is being continued, and even stepped up, by this government. 

When I asked oral questions about this a few weeks back, the minister confirmed that this is indeed happening.  He said he did not see any conflict with Article 1 of our Constitution, which states precisely that everyone has equal rights. 

However, that is my main objection to this policy: favouring one group, say ‘women’, automatically and inevitably means disadvantaging the other group - in this example, men. 

Any form of ‘positive’ discrimination against one, always and everywhere means ‘negative’ discrimination against the other.

That is unjust and fundamentally wrong. In the United States, we see that President Donald Trump has put and end to this.  I am going to table a motion calling on the government to do the same in the Netherlands. 

But there is a bit more to say about it. 

This whole diversity discourse is not really about real diversity - diversity of ideas, of characters, of personalities. You never hear anyone say that there are too few climate sceptics working at the Dutch public broadcasting corporation, or too few supporters of Geert Wilder’s Freedom Party or Forum for Democracy in the judiciary. You never once hear anyone complain about the decidedly left-wing orientation of our universities. 

No, apparently people don't think ‘real’ diversity is that important at all. Could it secretly be about something else? 

The civil service is also predominantly left-wing, according to numerous surveys. Certainly the Civil Service, the carousel of Directors-General. I don't think any of those people are in favour of a the Netherlands leaving the European Union, for instance, shall we say. Or unvaccinated. Or against the war in Ukraine. 

But nowhere do we see a word about that kind of diversity. 

No, the ‘diversity policy’ is always about LGBTQI+ people, about immigrants, about Muslims, about women, and so on. 

In the plans now before us, even 50 per cent of top managers must be women, and at least 13.8 percent of employees of foreign origin, and the quotas are undoubtedly going to be expanded further. 

Chairman, what do all these groups actually have in common? 

What they have in common, according to all statistics, is that they are on average significantly more left-wing than the one group against which discrimination is practised: the heterosexual white male. 

Seen this way, so-called ‘diversity policy’ - and here it comes - is actually about uniformity. 

It is about making the agencies it affects even more leftist. 

That is the actual agenda. 

And all kinds of so-called ‘minority groups’ are to further push away the heterosexual, white man, the ‘authoritarian personality’ as Theodor Adorno called him, the hard core of right-wing Holland. 

That's what it's all about. 

And I was actually wondering if the minister is aware of that.