Schoof blames collapse on divide between cabinet and coalition

Prime minister Dick Schoof has blamed a breakdown in relations between the cabinet and the four right-wing coalition parties for the collapse of his government.

Schoof said the atmosphere within his team was constructive, but it was often difficult to “build bridges” with the four parties in parliament, adding he was “not singling out any one group”.

“We had four very different parties in terms of ideology and what they wanted for the Netherlands,” he said.

The prime minister believed that the policies set out in the coalition agreement were achievable, but there was “clearly not enough” support to turn them into legislation.

He said he had been surprised to find that “calculated considerations” were often the driving force behind political decisions, even after 40 years working behind the scenes as a civil servant. “When you’re in the midst of it, it turns out to be different,” he said.

Schoof added he was taken by surprise by the decision by NSC to withdraw from the coalition at the end of August, reducing it to a two-party rump.

Foreign affairs minister Caspar Veldkamp resigned after the two other parties, VVD and BBB, were unwilling to step up sanctions against Israel, prompting the rest of the party’s ministers to walk out a few hours later.

Schoof said he spent the weekend trying to repair the rift in the cabinet, hoping it was the product of an “emotional whim”, but his efforts were in vain.

He said he hoped the next government could be formed quickly so his successor could get on with the job. “I wish the Netherlands a cabinet with a mandate, preferably as soon as possible,” he said.

But with opinion polls showing a fragmented picture and most of the main parties already refusing to form a government with the biggest party, Geert Wilders’ PVV, Schoof acknowledged that the process could take a year. “If that’s the case, we’ll make it a great year,” he said.