2 The Vlaams Belang: Party Organization and Party Dynamics

Abstract

Right-wing populist parties are thriving throughout Europe. With few exceptions, political systems have seen such parties make significant electoral gains and shape the national political discourse across the continent. In recent years, many populist parties have undergone leadership changes and other evolutionary challenges to which they adapted well, often contrary to expectations. This timely collection is devoted to understanding how Western European right-wing populist parties organize themselves. Without understanding the role of the organizational dynamics, we fail to understand how populist parties adapt over time and thus endure. Providing a systematic and comprehensive analysis of organizational issues of populist parties over time, Understanding Populist Party Organisation explores a range of political parties in Western Europe, examining their internal dynamics and questioning whether it is possible to discern or construct a general "populist" party typology of organization and representation. The book includes chapters on the Austrian Freedom Party, the Vlaams Belang, the Swiss People's Party, the Lega Nord, the Front National, the Norwegian Progress Party, the Sweden Democrats, and the Danish People's Party. Preface; Acknowledgements; Contents; Notes on Contributors; List of Abbreviations; List of Figures ; List of Tables; Introduction; Why Study Populist Party Organization?; Research Questions and€Theoretical Approach; Case Selection and€Comparisons among Parties; References; 1: The Austrian Freedom Party: Organizational Development and€Leadership Change; Introduction: the€Main Traits; Origin and€Early Development; Electoral Stability and€Instability; The Party Organization over Time; Degree of€Organization; Centralization; Between Change and€Adaptation. Similarities and Differences within the Party System Conclusion; References; News Media; Primary Sources; 2: The Vlaams Belang: Party Organization and€Party Dynamics; Introduction: The€Main Traits; Within the€Political System: Permanent Opposition; The Party Organization over Time: Developing a€Well-Oiled Multilevel Party Structure; Degree of€Organization; Centralization; Coherence: Intra-party Dynamics and€Tensions; Between Change and€Adaptation; Similarities and Differences within the Party System; Conclusion; References; News Media; Primary Sources. 3: The Swiss People's Party: Converting and€Enhancing Organization by a€New Leadership Introduction: The€Main Traits; The Party Organization over Time; The Degree of€Organization; Centralization; Coherence; Between Change and€Adaptation; Similarities and Differences within the Party System; Conclusion; References; News Media; Primary Sources; 4: The Italian Lega Nord; Introduction: The€Main Traits; Italy's Oldest Parliamentary Party; The Party Organization over Time: a€Centralized Macro-regionalist Party; Degree of€Organization; Centralization; Coherence. Between Change and€AdaptationSimilarities and Differences within the Party System; Conclusion; References; News Media; Primary Sources; 5: The French Front National: Organizational Change and€Adaptation from€Jean-Marie to€Marine Le Pen; Introduction; An Established Populist Radical Right Party; The Party Organization Over Time; Centralization of€Power; Nationalization of€Party Structure; Party Factionalism; Membership, Involvement and€External Relations with€Society; Between Change and€Adaption; Similarities and Differences within the Party System; Conclusion; References. News MediaPrimary Sources; 6: The Norwegian Progress Party: Between a€Business Firm and€a€Mass Party; Introduction: The€Main Traits; Becoming an€Institutionalized Right-Wing Party; The Party Organization over Time; Degree of€Organization; Centralization; Coherence; Between Change and€Adaptation; Similarities and Differences within the Party System; Conclusion: Between a€Business-Firm and€a€Mass Party; References; Primary Sources; 7: The Sweden Democrats; Introduction: The€Main Traits; Ideology, Electoral Results and€Parliamentary Status; The Party Organization over Time.