Geert Wilders is having a rough week. His trademark direct approach has given way to long-winded explanations. When speaking to reporters or in parliament, his head has been bowed and his shoulders slumped.

And no wonder. His Freedom Party has sailed into choppy waters. After five days of speculation as to whether or not MP Eric Lucassen would be kicked out, another Freedom Party MP, James Sharpe, has now resigned his seat.

James Sharpe threw in the towel after journalists discovered a number of incidents involving his business and personal life. He was director of a company fined twice in Hungary for deceiving its clients and has been accused of reacting violently to a teammate and a former girlfriend.

Controversy after controversy
His resignation comes on the heels of a controversy surrounding another Freedom Party MP, Eric Lucassen. Last week, former neighbours appeared on a current affairs programme saying that Lucassen had intimidated and threatened them. Even more damaging, it was discovered that he had been convicted of sexual abuse while serving in the army.

These revelations did not, however, lead to Lucassen's resignation. He remains a Freedom Party MP, albeit with a reduced portfolio.

Apology
In an unusual move, Geert Wilders apologised for his MP during a debate in parliament:

"I would hereby like to apologise on behalf of the PVV, not just to the voters, but to the whole parliament as representative of the Dutch people"

People convicted of a crime are not banned from serving in the Dutch parliament - standards for MPs are upheld by the political parties themselves. Apart from being anti-Islam the populist Freedom Party also puts a strong emphasis on law and order. Wilders' political opponents now accuse him of hypocrisy in the Lucassen affair.

Double standards
Green Left leader Femke Halsema claimed Wilders is operating a double standard when it comes to the behaviour of his own MP's:

"You can say, in a new political situation with limited time and resources, this can happen. But the most important question is how you handle this as a leader of a strict law and order party that doesn't encourage second chances."

Halsema went through a list of eight Freedom Party parliamentarians caught up in some form of controversy. Three of the current MPs and one candidate MP have been accused of violent behaviour. Plus, one current MP and two candidates from the last election campaign lied about their work experience.

Wilders was fuming. He accused Halsema of spreading innuendo, and demanded she retract her comments, threatening that otherwise his entire caucus would rise up.

But Ms Halsema merely reminded Mr Wilders of the many times he had done the same thing to others, including one of her own former colleagues.

Slipping
The affairs surrounding Freedom Party MPs are taking a toll on the party's standing in the polls. The latest Synovate opinion poll, taken before Mr Sharpe stepped down, shows the Freedom Party losing five seats compared with two weeks earlier (25, from 30). However, Mr Wilders himself comes out better. A survey Party voters showed that their trust in the party's leader has barely been dented.

James Sharpe will be replaced with by Ino van den Besselaar, a career civil servant. But the media are combing the records of the rest of Geert Wilders' MPs and everyone is asking: who's next?