Fishing in the Same Pond? Analysing the Support Base of Radical Left and Radical Right Parties in the Netherlands

Whereas it seems logical to assume that there is a great void between ‘radical left’ and ‘radical right’ parties, these ideological labels might be somewhat misleading. In practice, both types of parties tend to be wary of processes of globalisation and European integration, and are seen to take welfare protectionist stances. In addition, parties on both fringes of the ideological spectrum often adopt a (populist) anti-establishment discourse. In this paper, we analyse the motivations and opinion structures of supporters of the radical left Socialist Party and the radical right Freedom Party in the Netherlands. This country can be seen as a crucial case in view of the substantial electoral success of both parties under consideration. By means of various data sources (Synovate bi-weekly polls, national election studies, opt-in Internet polls) we assess to what extent the parties are fishing in the same electoral pond.