Introduction to the Forum for Democracy party manifesto

THE NETHERLANDS FREE AGAIN, PROUD & VIBRANT

Introduction to the Forum for Democracy party manifesto, September 2025

The 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:

• 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.
  
   
• 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.
  
   
• 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.
  
   

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!