Dutch voters have been seduced by positivity liberals elsewhere, take note | Simon van Teutem

"Progressives often treat patriotism as radioactive. Flags and anthems are left to the populist right. But the centrist D66 party, which almost tripled its seats in this week's Dutch election and looks set to form the next government in the Netherlands, has shown that another approach is possible. Under the leadership of Rob Jetten, it used what we might call progressive patriotism and voters responded."

"For years, the Dutch left has often sounded like a nagging parent can't do, won't do, impossible. Jetten flipped the script. His message wasn't: The world is doomed, so we must stop everything from flying to eating meatballs or even having children. Instead he told people: This country can do so much better, so why not get going? Jetten's borrowed slogan, het kan wel, was a clumsy Dutch translation of Barack Obama's yes, we can."

"D66 broke with that misplaced self-flagellation. It showed that one can take pride in a country ranked among the happiest in the world without excluding minorities or vilifying outsiders. At the D66 party congress, Jetten stood beaming beneath a billowing Dutch tricolour. In debates he cornered PVV leader Geert Wilders by owning a new kind of pride: progressive patriotism. Not: You defend the Netherlands while I defend the EU, the UN or international law but rather: We defend the Netherlands on our terms."

A centrist Dutch party adopted an optimistic, action-oriented message labelled progressive patriotism and significantly increased electoral support. The campaign replaced doom-laden rhetoric with a constructive "het kan wel" approach that encouraged measurable improvement rather than endless restriction. The strategy reclaimed national pride while remaining inclusive, visibly embracing flags and patriotic symbolism without vilifying outsiders. The campaign framed defense of national interests on progressive terms and used visible optimism to counter populist right narratives. Similar inclusive, forward-looking patriotism could broaden appeal for centre-left parties across Europe.

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