The Dutch are getting a half-populist, half-pragmatist government

The talks took so long because the parties mistrust each other. The biggest of the four is the Party for Freedom (PVV), led by Geert Wilders, a nativist rabble-rouser. The PVV was long boycotted by other parties, and its manifesto includes unconstitutional measures such as banning the Koran. That posed a special problem for the third-biggest party, New Social Contract (NSC), a year-old outfit whose founder, Pieter Omtzigt, is a stickler for the rule of law. He spent months ensuring Mr Wilders would respect the constitution.