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Make the Netherlands a democracy!

10 April 2009

Make the Netherlands a democracy!

Is the Netherlands a parliamentary democracy? According to our Constitution, it is indeed such. But not, I would say, under this government. As far as anything important goes, Parliament has no say, an example being the measures taken to combat the economic crisis.

by Ronald van Raak

Ronald van RaakOur energy corporations will soon no longer be owned by the Dutch people, but by German and Swedish firms, and Parliament has nothing to say. Regional public transport is already to a large extent in the hands of a French corporation. To say anything about this, you will have to pay a visit to President Sarkozy. If you want to have any influence on foreign policy, you'd better phone Barak Obama. Parliament is lied to when we go to war, or when we buy military planes. When we're building a road, or a railway track.

But you, the Dutch people, are also treated like fools. In June 2005 you voted en masse against the European Constitution, but we're going to have it all the same. The new European treaty, the Treaty of Lisbon, is almost exactly the same as the rejected Constitution, but you aren't going to be asked to express your opinions on it in a new referendum.

If we want to make the Netherlands into a real democracy, then we must say 'no' more frequently. The SP will be doing this in Parliament, by voting no whenever the government lies to us in future. But you must also say no to fraud. For example on 4th June, when elections will be held for the European Parliament. You can't say no to the Lisbon Treaty. But you can certainly say no to the politicians who are cheating you, and thus let them know that you won't be taken for fools. And make the Netherlands a little more democratic.

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