Bos and Balkenende battle it out on tv

Prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende and Labour leader Wouter Bos battled it out last night in a televised debate with all the main political leaders. And the newspapers are clear this morning. There is no love lost between the two.


Bos, who is trailing in the polls, said that a coalition between Labour (PvdA) and the Balkenende’s Christian Democrats, would be ‘more difficult than ever’. And in what is being seen as a further indication that he would favour a left-wing coalition, he said after the debate that coalition with the Socialist Party and GroenLinks was a ‘dead normal option’.
Bos continued to attack Balkenende for not getting to grips with the problems in nursing homes and for not eradicating the need for food banks. ‘The CDA is only interested in more market forces and commercialisation,’ Bos said. Balkenende, in turn, accused Bos of telling old stories.
However, the big winner in the debate was, according to the viewers, SP leader Jan Marijnissen. Some 34% thought he was the most convincing leader.

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