On 23 October 2001, Pim Fortuyn accepted the nomination as the leader of the newly formed political movement ‘Liveable Netherlands’ (Leefbaar Nederland). In a very short period of time, Fortuyn had become a prominent figure in Dutch politics with idiosyncratic policy views, a provocative political style and a self-proclaimed vocation to protect the country from the dark sides of Islam. Most of all, however, Fortuyn presented himself as a leader, a figure that could take an ‘orphaned society’1 by the hand and lead it out of the desert of neo-liberalism and multiculturalism. Fortuyn accepted the nomination in a style befitting his idea of politics: he looked into the crowd, saluted and said ‘at your service’—words that would obtain iconical status in Dutch politics. Within four months Fortuyn’s style and message proved too radical for the new movement, and he was forced to step down. He soon started his own movement, named after himself, and grew exponentially in the polls. When he was killed in May 2002, his movement was expected to become the biggest or second biggest faction in parliament.