‘It pains me to say that the Netherlands, like much of Western Europe, is rapidly dismantling what was built over centuries. Uncontrolled mass migration, an aggressive focus on “net zero” climate policies, and the erosion of national sovereignty…all contribute to this process. Some Dutch citizens have tried to resist this trend.’

‘…without intellectual and political leaders who are able and daring enough to go beyond the surface-level symptoms of the infocracy, our capacity to reform society and adapt to a post-infocratic world becomes increasingly limited. It would be like fighting the weather: we might cool our houses with air conditioning, but we cannot stop the heat from entering in the first place.’

‘As conservatives, we understand that the world is a broken and imperfect historical place. We cannot go back in time, but we can focus on building a future that is more conscious of the dangers posed by the neo-Durkheimian order to local conservatism. To protect local conservatism and nourish its telos, we must argue for the restoration of national sovereignty…’

‘New elections are expected later this year, and the Dutch right faces a painful dilemma. On one hand, there is a clear need for change: uncontrolled immigration, extreme climate policies, and growing EU interference are major concerns. On the other hand, the right still lacks the organization, leadership, and infrastructure to deliver that change.’

‘Whereas in pre-modern Western culture pride and self-respect were derived from involvement in family, community, work and religion, individuals are nowadays left with nothing but their individualism and inner experiences…When this is insufficient, many people attempt to find their salvation…in materialism and consumption, which have become the primary culturally accepted forms of meaning.’

‘As modern consumer society has made consumption the root of identity, man has become a prisoner of the constant renewal of consumer demands…Contrary to early capitalist societies, people have completely reduced themselves to the self-as-consumer. The short excitement that accompanies consumption is all that modern man has left.’

‘To maintain social order, legitimate authority needs to be guarded so that popular sovereignty cannot derail in a popularity contest, which we witness today, for example in the American elections. It means that our leaders need to be honest about the human condition as well as provide a stability in which each person, in line with their talents and destiny, can thrive.‘

‘To invite Gen Z to take responsibility over their own lives, is to be able to transcend our own shadow. Providing Gen Z with a meaningful life means living one ourselves. To invest in family and community. To have transcendence in abundance, instead of merely material goods. Where there is hope, instead of simple bashing those who are aimless or confused, Gen Z, like previous generations, can rise like a phoenix from its post-romantic ashes.’

‘It might not be as explicitly visible as substance abuse, but below the surface, we are all struggling with our own imperfection and “sinfulness”. We all let our subjective anxiety overwhelm us and tempt us into a destructive state. Kierkegaard perfectly described how we fall for this anxiety: “Anxiety may be compared with dizziness. He whose eye happens to look down into the yawning abyss becomes dizzy.”’

‘In today’s culture, one has to explain how the modern existential paradigm does not hold the truth to sustain a prosperous life or society. With radical and individualistic generations being raised, nothing is more effective than to point out how existential nihilism does not bring happiness, meaning or prosperity. Cheap surface moralism should therefore be replaced by a transcendental framework of meaning and purpose.’