International

It was precisely ten years last September that the American bank Lehman Brothers went bankrupt. The fall of this major bank heralded a world-wide economic crisis, the biggest since the 1930s. Lehman Brothers and many other banks had gambled with our money and lost. When as a result they fell into difficulties, they had to be rescued with billions in taxpayers' money. There was simply no alternative. To prevent this happening in the future, we need to establish a public bank where our savings and financial transactions would be 100% secure.

The SP has thrown a spanner in the works of plans to establish a European Fire and Emergency Service. A motion from SP Member of Parliament Michiel Van Nispen instructing the Dutch Minister of Justice and Security not to vote in favour of the establishment of such a service has been adopted by majority vote. Rejection was necessary in order to put a halt to EU interference in national affairs. Following the drawing of the Netherlands into participation in a European Public Prosecutors Office, the EU now wants to set up what it calls 'RescEU', to deal with major fires and other catastrophic events throughout the member states and, if necessary, beyond. Commenting on the proposal, Van Nispen said, “This prestige project would cost more than €200 million of taxpayers' money, money that would be used to pay for fire engines, hoses, rescue teams, field hospitals and emergency medical units, all of which would then be stationed somewhere in Europe. Yet the utility of and need for this has not been demonstrated at all.”