Unlike cities such as Utrecht and Delft, Leiden has no tradition of student parties in municipal politics. That should change this year, says Mitchell Wiegand Bruss.
Two years ago, the 22-year-old history student was still a member of the Young Democrats, the youth wing of D66. He became deeply frustrated about the strict policy of the city council (with D66) in 2019 against ‘decommissioning’, the prevention of proliferation of student houses. Wiegand Bruss decided to start his own party with a number of college friends.
They thought the first suggestion for a resounding name – Political Initiative Leiden Students (PILS) – was a bit too cheerful. It became SVL: Students for Leiden. “We want to be taken seriously straight away,” says Wiegand Bruss over a beer with a bitterbal.
With 33 candidates, SVL is a serious participant in the municipal elections. Most of them are at the end of their bachelor studies and have previously been members of youth sections of other political parties.
In addition to the housing shortage among students, SVL wants to work on wider opening hours for the catering industry, more participation for young people and to ban all bus lines from the Breestraat that runs right through the center.
With the large voter potential – students make up about 20 percent of the electorate – Party leader Wiegand Bruss is counting on at least one seat.
At a student debate last Thursday at the Minerva society, the SVL candidate emerged as the winner with no less than 43 percent of the votes among the more than two hundred dining attendees. Matthias Knijnenberg, the number 4 of SVL, played a home game, because like twelve of his fellow candidates, he is also a member of this student association.
Party leader Wiegand Bruss notices that SVL has hurt two established parties quite a bit. He managed to get rid of former alderman Pieter van Woensel from the VVD as a list pusher. Van Woensel has sympathy for SVL because he once set up a student party in Groningen. If SVL will soon join the council negotiations, Van Woensel will be the alderman’s candidate.
And then D66. The party that has been governing in Leiden for years first saw many student members leave for SVL. D66 party leader Fleur Spijker, who as alderman is responsible for the strict housing policy for students, made a striking turn in the university newspaper last month. mare suddenly plead for relaxation of its own chambering policy† Wiegand Bruss sees a connection with the popularity of SVL: “D66 has become very nervous.”
A version of this article also appeared in NRC on the morning of March 8, 2022
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