Political scientist Nicola Botica: “I won’t get hysterical if the sanitary cordon is broken”

Although political scientist Nicholas Botica says he is not against cordon health, he would not become “hysterical” if it was broken. He said this in an interview with the weekly magazine ‘t Pallieterke.

A few weeks ago, Jong Groen co-chair Kilian Vandenhirtz called on “De Appointment on Friday” for a medical collar around both Vlaams Belang and PVDA-PTB. Political scientist Nicholas Botica (UGent) is not against cordoning off. “But I wouldn’t be hysterical if it was broken,” it would seem.

Butica believes that the political parties themselves should be able to choose not to govern with the PVDA or Vlaams Belang. “I would find it very undemocratic if political parties had to form a coalition with them,” he explains.

Virgins of Flanders

If the ambition is to make PVDA and Vlaams Belang small, according to Botica, other parties have no choice but to rule with them. “Comparative voter research shows that governance costs voters,” he says. “Either those extreme parties may be cursed by internal scandals, or because they have to share the burden of responsibility. The PVDA and Vlaams Belang are the only ‘maidens of Flanders’, because they never rule. Their great electoral power lies in the girth.”