THE SPECIFICS OF DUTCH POLITICAL-PARTIES

This article is a contribution to the international debate on the alleged 'decline of parties'. The author puts forward the argument that Dutch parties have changed, but have not turned into the new type of parties characterized by the decreasing importance of party members and a lack of commitment to internal party democracy. Dutch parties still manage to play an intermediary role in the political system, although this role is now under pressure and the parties have become vulnerable. The changes in how Dutch parties are organized are described as a development towards modem cadre parties, without claiming that a totally new type of parties has come into existence. The emphasis on modern is important, since it distinguishes this type of party from the nineteenth-century cadre party. Nevertheless, it is called a cadre party, mainly because the low number of members renders the term 'mass party' less appropriate and makes the party a vehicle for the active members only (the 'cadre'), rather than a device to encapsulate the masses. One of the most important differences between the modern cadre party and the old cadre party, the catch-all or electroral-professional parties, is the strong emphasis within the modern cadre party on formal internal democracy. Although the permanent tension between internal party demoocracy and electoral political effectiveness does add to the vulnerability of the modern cadre party, it can enhance the functioning of modern parlimentary democracy, because it makes parties susceptible to developments in society on penalty of electoral defeat, and prevents parties from turning into mere electoral machines only interested in citizens because of their votes.