The Vacuum of the Ego…
about dutch politics
Yet Another Example of the Failure of Dutch Politics
Minister Sophie Hermans intends to introduce four tariff periods to even out energy consumption throughout the day. I can scarcely believe my ears. Really? Where does it end? Where does the foolishness stop? The naïveté of this country’s leadership has become incomprehensible.
Progress in the Netherlands is being held hostage by the vacuum created by the egos in Parliament.
Personally, I believe the cause is twofold.
The Ego of Minister ‘Narcissus’
Where Parliament once focused primarily on governing the nation, today it seems more concerned with self-promotion and building CVs in the hope of landing a corporate role at the Gustav Mahlerplein.
But let’s be honest: in today’s House of Representatives, does it even matter whether one is right, as long as one gets one’s way? Who cares? Meanwhile, the country grinds to a halt. We are being paralysed by the egos of the political class and the weakness caused by fragmentation – far too many small parties incapable of uniting.
The mere fact that one-person factions are even allowed is absurd. In my view, remaining in one’s seat after leaving a party is simply a way of avoiding the job market. Resigning should mean either joining another party or returning one’s seat and applying for a new job – just as ordinary citizens must do when they disagree with their employer.
Audit Offices Have Been Asleep for Years
One need not be Einstein, Da Vinci, or Newton to predict the country’s energy needs fifteen years ahead and provide sound advice accordingly.
And let us not even begin on the blunders surrounding gas reserves, the neglected maintenance of our bridges and tunnels, or the ageing population. Not to mention the privatisation of essential services such as energy and transport – which has achieved absolutely nothing except frustration: frustration over energy bills, frustration with yet another careless delivery driver speeding through residential areas at 90 km/h.
Lazy, Naïve Addicts
Like lazy, naïve addicts, we have placed our fate in the hands of men such as Putin (for energy) and Trump (for defence). After the First World War, we thought: That will never happen again… And yet, after the Second World War, we thought exactly the same. We relied on our “Big Brother” across the Atlantic, assumed the Russians would always sell us gas, and sold our own Groningen gas to finance that very dependency. Brilliant logic.
Well then, audit offices of the Low Countries: time to relearn extrapolation!
But it seems that our advisory bodies have become just as complacent – “Extrapolate all you want for a penny!” they might say. I can extrapolate too, and every time the conclusion is the same: Wilders, Baudet, and their ilk are holding the country hostage. And while Minister Narcissus is busy admiring his own reflection, no one is listening. So perhaps I’d better focus on preparing for the next Friday-afternoon-bitterball debate.
Back to Decisive Leadership
I advocate a six-party system. Ministers should earn no more than twice the average salary, with bonuses only when they complete projects that are sustainable and in the national interest. Parliamentary terms should last six years – four is too short. And those who collapse a coalition prematurely should face consequences: no ministerial or leadership roles for the next six years.
Am I being unreasonable? Or is it fair, as a citizen of a country with Europe’s highest tax burden, to expect Parliament to stop behaving like an attention-seeking patient in a media-obsessed clinic called the House of Representatives?
I have completely lost faith in Dutch politics.
As long as figures such as Baudet are granted speaking time, Wilders continues to insult entire groups with impunity, and one-person factions play at governance, we are heading at full speed towards the collapse of everything that once made our small nation great.