Labour leader and Wilders clash in parliament as MPs debate budget

The first day of debate on the government’s 2012 budget generated a number of tough exchanges in parliament, as opposition party leaders attacked both the plans and each other.


In particular, confrontations between Labour leader Job Cohen and PVV leader Geert Wilders were fierce, the Volkskrant reports.
At one point, Wilders said Cohen is prime minister Mark Rutte’s pet dog. ‘You can bark a bit and pee against a tree, but when Rutte comes home, you jump onto his lap,’ Wilders said.
Alliance
Labour, said Wilders, is the cabinet’s real ally in parliament. The anti-Islam campaigner was referring to Labour’s support for the cabinet on Europe and pension reform.
Officially, the PVV partners the government on economic policy in return for tougher immigration controls.
Cohen said Wilders’ was ‘shouting to hide his own discomfort’. He accused the PVV leader of being like a child who did not want to go to school. ‘He is the one who has the power to pull the plug on the cabinet,’ Cohen said.
The Labour leader has repeatedly challenged Wilders to stop supporting the government in recent days.

Prime minister

Rutte will reply to the criticism on Thursday.
The prime minister has already said the government will be careful to monitor the cumulative effect of the cuts on certain sections of society.
‘We want to make sure people on low incomes do not lose 3% to 4% of their spending power while high earners benefit,’ he is quoted as saying by the Financieele Dagblad.

More to follow

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