International

53-year-old Dennis de Jong from Rotterdam will top the SP's list for the 4th June European Parliament elections. De Jong, currently a special adviser on human rights and good governance to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is confident of trading this post for a prominent position in the European Parliament. “We have a real answer to the disastrous neoliberal course of the governing Christian Democrat and Labour parties (CDA and PvdA) and the right-wing opposition Liberals (VVD), both in the Netherlands and in Europe. We aren't 'Europhiles', we haven't lost our senses over 'Europe', unlike the (centrist) D66 and the Green Left. Nor are we 'Europhobe' like the far right Wilders with his 'get rid of Europe' message. What we say is 'The Netherlands wants less Brussels. Cooperation okay, but what we can do ourselves, from now on we'd like to do ourselves.'

“I can't believe that the Labour Party is going to vote in favour of the liberalisation of the postal market and thus ensure that 26,000 employees will suffer a wage cut of 15%.” With this challenging remark SP Senator Tuur Elzinga opened his contribution to the debate on the new postal law, which will be voted on next week. To reach the Chamber prior to the debate, Senators had to pass demonstrators from 'Red de Postbode' (“Save the Post(wo)man”) at the entrance to the building.