A society that works for everyone.

A society based on equality, justice and solidarity.

That is the dream on which our party is built. A dream that many believe will never come true because we have been living the the nightmare of capitalism for generations. A system driven by the exploitation of human beings, animals, nature and our climate. A system that promotes uncertainty and inequality.

BIJ1 envisages a society that is fairer and more social. Where our differences are seen as a valuable asset. Where everyone can actually participate. A society in which the majority takes the minority into account.

BIJ1 envisages a society in which everyone is equal. In which everyone can count on compliance with Article 1 of our Constitution. In which our schools, care institutions and tax authorities do not discriminate on the basis of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion or otherwise.

A vote for BIJ1 is a vote for certainty. The certainty of being represented by people like you. People for whom the challenges of everyday life aren’t something they can turn off, but an everyday reality.

A vote for BIJ1 is a vote to have a say. You don’t enforce participation by law, but you make it possible by actually letting people think and decide what happens in this country.

A vote for BIJ1 is a vote for self-determination. We will no longer allow people to talk about us, instead of with us, on issues that concern them and often have a major impact on their lives.

That is why I am so proud of this programme. It was written by the people it concerns. Experts in youth care, sex workers, educators, young people, black people, carers, parents, trans and non-binary people, people with disabilities, Muslim women. All kinds of people who, until now, have not been given a voice sufficiently, but who have a great deal to say. BIJ1 brings these voices to the Dutch House of Representatives.

A vote for BIJ1 is giving a voice to a party that dares to challenge things. Even when it’s uncomfortable. It’s those exact challenges that set change in motion. It’s the things that are abrasive, unpleasant, painful and make people uncomfortable that need to be discussed. That’s where the possibility of real and structural change lies.

A vote for BIJ1 is a vote for new politics, in which we all share in our diversity. A vote for BIJ1 is to show our true colours.

BIJ1 envisages a society in which we show solidarity with everything that lives. In which we recognise that the unity of humans, animals and nature offers inestimable abundance.

We cannot fight for radical equality and economic justice on our own. It requires international solidarity. Solidarity is our strength in the fight for climate justice, for the self-determination of people and against racism, imperialism and hate towards the LHBTQI+ community.

Sylvana Simons