DutchNews.nl - Freedom and responsibility is right-wing government slogan

Freedom and responsibility is right-wing government slogan

Thursday 30 September 2010

The three parties on the verge of forming a new coalition government unveiled their coalition agreement on Thursday, under the motto 'freedom and responsibility'.

The aim of the agreement is to give the Netherlands back to the hardworking Dutchman, VVD leader and prime ministerial hopeful Mark Rutte said.

The pact is the result of two months of negotiations between the Christian Democrats, right-wing VVD and anti-Islam PVV. The PVV will support the VVD and CDA on a number of issues but will not have ministers and is not officially part of the government.

The agreement includes a ban on the burqa, in the introduction of 'animal cops' and a reduction in the minimum wage

'The approach of this agreement must be able to lead to a... 50% reduction in the inflow non-western immigrants,' PVV leader Geert Wilders said.

Christian Democrat MPs are still divided on whether or not to support the coalition agreement.

After 15 hours of discussion on Wednesday, the 21 members of parliament have decided to leave the decision up to Saturday’s congress. At least two MPs are known to oppose an alliance with Gert Wilders' party

The main measures in the coalition accord

Economy and taxes

Aid budget to be cut from 0.8% of GDP to 0.7%

Energy bill surcharge to pay for subsidies for wind and solar power projects

Corporate clustering to be encouraged such as the Greenport Venlo and Maintenance Valley projects

Public private partnerships to be encouraged for infrastructure

Childcare and healthcare subsidies to be cut

Immigration and asylum:

Immigrants to pay for their own integration courses

Ban on the burqa and other face-covering garments

Headscarf ban for police and justice ministry officials

Integration tests to be made more difficult

List of dangerous countries for automatic refugee status to be scrapped

Work and social security

Benefit cuts for people whose clothing or behaviour stops them finding a job

Minimum wage and basic welfare benefits to be reduced

Pension age to rise from 65 to 66 by 2020

No change to unemployment benefit

No change to redundancy laws

Law and order

2,500 new police officers to be appointed

500 new animal police officers

Minimum sentences for serious crimes

Tougher sentences for attacking emergency service workers

Stop and search policy to be extended

Defence and foreign policy

Further investment in ties with Israel

Nato missions to be paid for from aid budget

€1bn to be cut from European Union bill

Second test JSF fighter jet will be bought

Other measures

Parents to me made (financially) responsible for making sure their children speak Dutch properly

€500m for new roads

Spending on arts and culture to be cut

€1bn more for spending on the elderly

Prostitution age to be raised to 21

Spending on public broadcasting to be cut by €200m - one tv channel may go

Cannabis cafes will become members-only clubs with a pass system

No change to Sunday trading laws - currently 12 a year

The smoking ban in cafes and bars smaller than 70m2 will be lifted

Speed limit on some motorways increased to 130 kph.

Student grants to be reduced from four to three years

Applications to build new nuclear power stations to be welcomed

Government

Savings on civil service to generate savings of €6.6bn a year

The new cabinet will have 12 full and eight junior ministers, split between the CDA and VVD

Economic affairs and agriculture combined into a single ministry

The number of MPs and senators will be reduced to 100 and 50 respectively

Local government layers will be reduced

To read the full agreement, click here
For the silent partner agreement with the PVV, click here

Get the DutchNews.nl newsletter in your mailbox: Click here to subscribe

Share |

Print-version

Readers' comments

Harworking what? Come to the UK, we will show you work ethic!

By Fashion Guru | September 30, 2010 4:25 PM

Dear hard-working foreigner...consider this.
Every cent you pay in tax will be managed by those who would rather see you gone, who would split up your family, who want to completely ostracize you. Time for the black economy to become a whole lot blacker. Hit them where it hurts.

By Edward Ka-Spel | September 30, 2010 4:37 PM

A rather disgusting-looking lot that is. And how is this new immigration minister going to look after the 5-year temporary citizenship processes when such processes can't even identify the actual Dutch-born Dutch citizens that are currently living overseas.
The whole process looks like a farce and a dangerous one at that.

By Henk Luf | September 30, 2010 4:38 PM

"The smoking ban in small cafes and bars will be lifted"

Wonderful, now I can start to avoid cafes again!

By Mattias | September 30, 2010 5:57 PM

How is cutting the minimum wage going to boost the hardworking dutchman?

I have never ever seen such a racist agenda - I'm sure that many VVD and CDA voters are recoiling in horror at this 'agreement'. Never has the Netherlands looked more like Nazi Germany than in this moment.

Thank goodness half of this will never get past the european courts - it's going to be a very lucrative year for the lawyers.

By osita | September 30, 2010 6:26 PM

The agreement looks very good, and should be popular with the Dutch public. The other commenters sound a bit crazy!

By willy | September 30, 2010 7:37 PM

There is no a single sector of our society that is not attacked by any measure of Wilders' cabinet (with Rutte employed as temporary PM). Childhood, middle class, elderly, pensioners, workers, foreigners. All and each of them are victims of at least a measure specially designed against them. Also the foundations for the development of the country are attacked: education, healthcare and trading.
In exchange for what?
What benefits brings this Wilders' cabinet to the second economy into the EU in terms of growth and lowest deficit, and the first one in terms of lowest unemployment? Independently of social conflicts, international discredit and loss of needed labor, I mean.

By zenplus | September 30, 2010 7:41 PM

A cursory look says here could be a government that is not ashamed of being Dutch. Coments that even vaguely mention Nazis with this coalition is a slap in the face to millions of Jewish people that know the difference, remarks like that show ignorance of facts.

By bet | September 30, 2010 7:42 PM

"Cannabis cafes will become members-only clubs with a pass system."

In other words, "We don't hate only immigrants. We hate tourists, too."

"Parents to me made (financially) responsible for making sure their children speak Dutch properly." - that would be interested to see, how will they implement that?

"Spending on arts and culture to be cut" - that's just great... (NOT!!!)

I wonder if half the people knew what they were voting for...

By stingo | September 30, 2010 8:04 PM

Yay! To the smoking ban being lifted! Now they need to let ALL bar owners decide whether they want to have a smoking policy or not!

By Me | September 30, 2010 8:52 PM

Just as I thought, yet an even more selfish guv around the corner.
Of course the guv has 2 take action concerning the huge deficit, but screwing the the people (surviving) on the lowest incomes is despicable. Another ultra right-wing screw-up?
If the people that R living already on minimum income cannot manage now, how will they survive in a few years from now?
I have always managed to live well on high or low income by adjusting my life style.Many people cannot!I did not vote for this coalition, nor will I support it, more than 3 months of wasted talks!I will always vote and support any guv that genuinely cares for it's people (NONE!)

By stevie | September 30, 2010 9:30 PM