Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders has come in second in two polls for politician of the year. A panel of Dutch television viewers said he is the second best politician this year, while Mr Wilders' colleagues in parliament named him the second worst.
Quite a discrepancy. But, actually, not so surprising. It is yet more evidence of the gap between the public and the elite.

Amsterdam - The rightist Freedom Party PVV said Monday it would ask the Dutch government to hold a referendum on banning the construction of minarets, following a similar vote in Switzerland. On Sunday, a large majority of Swiss voters cast ballots in favour of banning construction of the slender towers attached to mosques, despite opposition to such a move by the government.

The Turkish government fears a scheduled visit by Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders, saying it could dent Turkish relations with the Netherlands and Europe. But many secular and religious Turks say they would welcome a debate with the polemic politician.

Prague - Anti-Islamic Dutch politician Geert Wilders cancelled his planned visit to Prague after his hosts had problems booking a venue for his speech, organizers said Thursday. Wilders was invited to give a speech Monday and show his film Fitna by Eurosceptic Czech senator Jiri Oberfalzer and a Prague-based website critical of the purported Islamization of Europe, eurabia.cz.

A Czech senator said Wednesday that he had invited anti-Islamic Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders to speak to the Czech Senate and present his controversial film.

“We will not allow Turkey into the EU,” Geert Wilders, Chair of the Parliamentary Party (Party for Freedom), in the House of Representatives of the Netherlands said at the threshold of his upcoming visit to Turkey in January, according to the Hurriyet.

Geert Wilders believes Integration Minister Eberhard van der Laan and centre-left (D66) leader Alexander Pechtold should be held responsible if he should ever be assassinated. They are creating a climate of hate in which lunatics are incited to violence against critics of Islam, according to Wilders.

Geert Wilders wants to ban the Koran, impose a tax on headscarves and calculate the cost of immigration. The Dutch right-wing populist also plans to run for prime minister in 2011 -- and his party is currently leading in the polls.

Geert Wilders is sitting on a plane, glancing at the clouds below and occasionally turning the page of a newspaper. A cameraman from a Dutch news agency is sitting behind him, filming his every movement.

October was a tumultuous time for Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch Freedom Party (PVV) in the Hague Parliament. Dutch public opinion polls show Wilders and the PVV in the lead position in any future Parliamentary election. The PVV is currently the leading Dutch party in the European Parliament. After the next elections, Wilders might be in a position to form a ruling coalition in Holland as Prime Minister. What sets Wilders apart from most EU political leaders is his ringing support of America and Israel. He considers Israel’s embattled position in the Middle East as fighting for all of us. As he says in his speeches: “we all are Israel.”