The discussion within the coalition government about the need to make extra spending cuts is being fought out over the microblogging service Twitter, Trouw reports on Friday.

Geert Wilders, leader of the anti-Islam PVV and alliance partner on economic policy, angered Christian Democrats by tweeting about his opposition to more cuts earlier this week.
The cabinet’s official line is that it is still too early to talk about more reductions in spending. ‘We must first make choices about how to deal with the crisis and not speculate about how things will look next spring,’ said CDA parliamentary party leader Sybrand van Haersma Buma
Development aid
Wilders’ Thursday posting read: ‘Extra cuts in 2012? It will be very difficult to agree with the CDA and VVD, unless like the PVV they will cut €4bn from development aid.’
This prompted a reply from Maxime Verhagen: ‘Nothing much original from Wilders in that last tweet.’
Nevertheless, it is becoming increasingly likely that the government will be forced to find extra cuts, on top of the €18bn agreed in last year’s coalition accord.
Recession
New figures from the national statistics office earlier this week show the economy contracted in the third quarter. If the economy contracts further in the final quarter, the Netherlands will officially be in recession.
Prime minister Mark Rutte (VVD) and finance minister Jan Kees de Jager (CDA) have also warned that more cuts in government spending may be inevitable.