International

SP leader Jan Marijnissen has, on the party's behalf, asked the government to set out in a letter to parliament its views on the recent events in France, at the same time explaining whether it thinks it is doing enough to prevent similar problems from arising in the Netherlands. Such a letter would probably form the basis of a parliamentary debate on the issue.

Disturbances between youth and police in the suburbs of Paris and other French cities show, Mr Marijnissen argues, where years of disaffection and estrangement can lead. “Nothing to lose, a feeling of being excluded and having no prospects of improvement,” wrote Marijnissen, using his weblog to explain his position on the disturnances. “There are always also of course government ministers or other establishment figures ready to throw oil on the flames, to hurl insults and put forward stupid 'analyses'.”

The SP leader wants the government to explain how it views the riots and if it sees parallel developments in the Netherlands. He does not himself think that our country will necessarily avoid such problems. “Integration and respect for equality are serious obligations. If you lay a fire in the hearth, you shouldn't be surprised if it goes up in flames.”

Marijnissen is concerned that the government has to date done too little to implement the recommendations of the Blok Commission, which on his own initiative investigated the failures of integration policy over the last thirty years.