Nieuws van de afdeling

9 February 2010

Government reaction to Davids Commission Report on Iraq 'unsatisfactory'

SP leader Agnes Kant has described the government's reaction to the Davids Report on the invasion of Iraq as "unsatisfactory". Kant's view is that "the cabinet still does not acknowledge that even with what was known at the time, the war should have been seen as illegal. In addition, Parliament was insufficiently and incorrectly informed. I don't see recognition of this in the government's statement either."

9 February 2010

SP: 'most right-wing Commission ever'

The most right-wing Commission ever will have to win approval from the European Parliament today without the support of the SP, which from the beginning has judged it too neoliberal, as SP European Parliament group leader Dennis de Jong explains. "Of course you have to be realistic," he concedes, "but that the European Commission consists of people who see the free market not as the cause of the crisis, but as the solution to it, gives us a glimpse of the deep gulf which lies between Brussels and the public."

9 February 2010

Ukraine has chosen

In the last few days I have been in Ukraine as an observer for the elections. According to the international observers the elections were conducted fairly. Five years ago this was not the case, and street protests forced a new vote. Now the Ukrainians have elected the same man who was at that time forced to stand down, Viktor Yanukovych. With a few percentage points more, he won against Julia Timoshenko. What will this mean for Ukraine and its relations with Europe?

6 February 2010

Van Bommel welcomes ban on discrimination against Iranian students

SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel describes himself as "delighted" by the court ruling that the Dutch government must cease discriminating against Iranian students. The judgement puts an end to a recently-introduced regulation that bans Iranians from studying nuclear physics as well as from working at nuclear installations.

5 February 2010

Weeklog Kartika Liotard: asbestos is a problem everywhere

"According to the national Health Council asbestos is much more dangerous than has been previously believed. The Ministry of Social Affairs considers that annually seven hundred people die from mesothelomia, which is demonstrably caused by asbestos. The Health Council believes it probable that a further nine hundred die from lung cancer." I read this in the Dutch national newspaper Trouw on 16th January, while an Italian cancer specialist last week told the Belgian paper De Morgen that "We expect the epidemic to peak in 2020. Hundreds of people in whom we now see no symptoms will by then have developed a tumour."

5 February 2010

Van Bommel to act as observer at Ukraine election

SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel will go to Ukraine this weekend to act as an election observer in Sunday's decisive second round presidential poll. On Friday, the SP international affairs spokesman will visit Kiev for a briefing and a meeting with the two surviving candidates, Prime Minister Julia Timoshenko and opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych. Saturday will see him fly to Odessa for a local briefing in the city in which he will be acting as election observer.

International