The Netherlands: back to normal

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Whatever happened to Dutch politics? With two weeks until the election, the image of a tolerant, liberal country has been replaced by one of a grinning Geert Wilders. But away from Mr Wilders’ “STOP ISLAM” posters, signs of the old Netherlands remain.Although his Party for Freedom (PVV) still has a lead in most polls, Mr Wilders is losing ground. Meanwhile, the Netherlands’ liberal lump of mainstream parties – who have all refused to work with Mr Wilders – remains steady. Centrist D66 are doing welland on track for their best performance since the early 1990s.