Waiting in the Wings: A Comparative Study of New Political Parties in Canada and the Netherlands in the Nineties

Success sells better than failure; hence new parties receive very little attention from political scientists as long as they remain marginal and fail to win seats in parliament. Yet in the margins of the party system they may maintain the pristine purity of political principles and ideas better than parties in parliament, let alone parties in power. This is one reason why I like to study new parties. Yet there are other, perhaps more compelling reasons.
As traditional parties fragment in the era of 'postmodern' politics, new parties have the potential to play a more significant role, in opposition or even in government. If established parties fail to integrate discontented groups, alternative or immigrant subcultures, new parties may mobilize and socialize these groups. In trying to articulate latent interests and ideologies, new parties will show us the range of available political options in a system and throw a fresh light on its political culture. Even if the new parties do not win power, their ideas might be borrowed by parties in government once they have been tested in public debate and gained some popular support. Like the canary in a coalmine, a new party may serve as an early warning device that provides clues about coming changes in the political system. Finally, studying new parties can help us to understand the formation process and subsequent evolution of parties in general, and their relation to society.

	A Comparative Study of New Political Parties in Canada and the Netherlands in the Nineties