Nieuws van de afdeling

13 February 2019

Singapore treaty is a sell-out to multinationals

The SP has major concerns about the European Parliament's decision to vote in support of the investment treaty with Singapore. The treaty opens the door to foreign investors looking to speculate on our financial markets. In particular, opening state bonds to foreign investors is a recipe for disaster.

12 February 2019

European public prosecutor, European fire brigade – what next?

Criminals and natural disasters don't respect borders, so member states need to cooperate in order to catch villains and help each other in the event, for example, of forest fires and floods. That doesn't mean that we should hand over control, leaving criminal investigations and prosecutions, as well as the combating of disasters, to Brussels. The newly established European Public Prosecutor’s Office threatens to increase Brussels' meddling. And that goes now also for the establishment of a European fire service.

1 February 2019

Climate Law Yes, Shell Agreement No

Last December it was announced on social media that the SP had voted to support the climate agreement, despite SP leader Lilian Marijnissen having just spoken against it. 'Hypocrite' was a relatively mild imputation in response. But was the accusation true?

31 January 2019

Make the polluter pay

Foto: SP

People are annoyed that their energy bills are rising and that they are being chased up to pay the costs of the range of climate change measures which have to be taken. For this reason the SP has proposed an alternative, fairer source of the necessary finance: the major corporations, responsible for 80% of pollution, should pay more tax. Many have spoken about this, but the SP has put forward a concrete proposal, one which we have subjected to analysis by the independent environmental service CE Delft. What does this show? Even a minimal tax on the polluters would mean that 70% of the Dutch population, people on low or middle incomes, would gain.

29 January 2019

Termination of the INF Treaty must be prevented at all costs

At the beginning of December the United States gave Russia sixty days, of which only five now remain, to come into line with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty. Should this not happen, the US will withdraw from the treaty, and this could lead to a new nuclear arms race in Europe and further escalation of the new Cold War. This must at all costs be prevented. Nothing less that Europe's security and, in the worst case scenario, the continued existence of humanity, are at stake.

25 January 2019

Invisible no more

Foto: SP

This year we celebrate the fact that one hundred years ago the Dutch government introduced universal suffrage, giving all citizens officially an equal political voice. In comparison, a hundred years before that only a handful of rich men elected the parliament and the vast majority of the population had no say over the running of the country. “We want the vote – or revolution” was the slogan of the movement for a broader franchise.

International