International

The European Commission and the member states’ heads of government can think of only one medicine for the sick Euro: deep spending cuts under stricter European supervision. SP-Euro-MP Dennis de Jong, on the other hand, wants the European Parliament’s Crisis Committee to put all possible scenarios before the European public with research on all the advantages and disadvantages attendant upon each. ‘A European economic government which keeps the member states on a tight rein is only one possible scenario for the future,’ he says. ‘I want to talk about alternatives as well and put these before the people.’

SP Members of Parliament Harry van Bommel and Farshad Bashir today joined party colleagues and members of the Labour Party, the Green Left and the local peace movement on a demonstration in The Hague against a renewed Dutch mission to Afghanistan. The demonstration took place in front of the Café Dudok, just before a celebration of the Afghan New Year to be held that same evening. The SP is opposed to the proposed new military mission to Afghanistan on the grounds that the operation will take place during what, Van Bommel says ‘can only be described as war conditions’.