Dansen met de Duivel
Peter Rensen
167 pages
published in 1994

Geert Wilders is far from the first racial demagogue to appear in Dutch politics; he's just more succesful than most. His most recent predecessor was Hans Janmaat, who at his best only managed to get three seats in parliament with his party, the socalled Centrumdemocraten. In constrast, Wilders managed to get nine seats in his first election and is currently polling anywhere from fifteen to twenty seats. Of course, Wilders is operating at a time when rightwing radicalism and Islamophobia have almost become respectable and opinions that would've gotten him ostracised twenty years ago are now applauded. But, as Dansen met de Duivel ("Dancing with the Devil") shows, there are other reasons why the Centrumdemocraten never grew very far beyond the real hardcore racist vote of about two percent or so.

Dansen met de Duivel is the story of how its author, Peter Rensen, infiltrated the party and his experiences working for them. Inbetween his personal experiences he also sketches a quick history of Janmaat and his party. What comes across is a party that's content to stay relatively small, doesn't really want to move beyond the comfortable limits of the protest pary, as that might entail losing control. Janmaat himself was kicked out of the first racist group he was involved with and got elected for, the Centrumpartij, who remained first competitors and were more openly racists than Janmaat's party. He wasn't about to let that happen again.

Another reason why the Centrumdemocraten never made it really big, is the sheer amateurism and disinterest Rensen encounters while infiltrating the party. It takes considerable effort even becoming a member, not because they're so paranoid, but just because they can't be bothered too much. Nor does party engage much in outreach, other than through the state subsidised political broadcasts on radio and tv. As Rensen quickly finds out himself, doing something as normal as leafletting is not very pleasant if every second person you meet hates your guts. Not that there are many real activists in the party anyway; most of them are content just to hang around party headquarters and chat, or go to a skinhead pub or shooting range and have some fun. Janmaat himself comes across as somebody not too interested in the usual party organisational questions like vetting potential candidates, but more in getting as much money as possible out of the subsidies he gets for his party's presence in parliament. When he does take an interest, it's to assure no potential rivals can arise.

In all, the party comes across as barely competent, underscored by the fact that Rensen is not the only journalist inflitrating the Centrumdemocraten, when he himself discovers a recent journalism graduate doing the same, not to mention that shortly after Rensen has left the party, a third journalist reveals himself...

But that doesn't make the Centrumdemocraten harmless. Throughout the book Rensen emphasises that there ar quite a few Centrumdemocraten members and sympathisers who are violent nutters, including the person responsible for the most notorious racist murder in the Netherlands, that of Kerwin Duinmeijer. Rensen makes it clear he's actually quite scared of these people, especially once his article appears in Nieuwe Revu.

Dansen met de Duivel is not a proper history of the Centrumdemocraten, but more of a slightly snesationalist portrait of the party at a particular time. Interesting if you're interested in the Dutch radical right, but somewhat on the slight side.