Nieuws van de afdeling

1 December 2008

The constitution and the Treaty

Speech on the European Treaty by Hans van Heijningen, SP general secretary, at the conference of the Peace and Neutrality Alliance, Saturday 29th November in Dublin

28 November 2008

Minister must review aid to Burundi

On Friday, SP Member of Parliament Ewout Irrgang asked development minister Bert Koenders to review the Netherlands' aid to Burundi. In Irrgang's opinion, too many human rights abuses are taking place in Burundi for the country to continue to be given millions of euros in unconditional budgetary support.

27 November 2008

Petition against fybromyalgia

Almost 14 million people suffer from fybromyalgia within the EU. Fybromalgia brings with it chronic pain which can ruin your entire life. Yet neither the European Commission nor the Council of Ministers recognises the condition. A group of Euro-MPs is collecting signatures for a petition demanding that something be done about this.

26 November 2008

Sugar cane and soya from stolen land

Inhabitants of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul are being driven out by violent means by people occupying lands on which the indigenous people have lived since time immemorial. The aim of the land thieves is to institute large-scale cultivation of soya and sugar cane. The Brazilian authorities have taken no action against the thefts.

22 November 2008

Little Willies

Jan Marijnissen 1848. Europe is ablaze. Everywhere there is insurrection and revolution. The people want to see an end to the absolute rule of the monarchy. There are demands for 'power to the people', for democracy! In our country things stay reasonably peaceful, but King William II does not sleep easily. The insurrection could easily spread to the Low Countries. He had, after all, resisted every attempt at democratic adjustment. He is a truly conservative monarch, and proud of it.

21 November 2008

'Nazi Ship': Government must not be allowed to duck the question

Economics Minister Maria Van der Hoeven must take immediate action against the Dutch maritime company Allseas which is planning to name a ship after a former SS officer. Van der Hoeven's ministry has invested more than €800,000 in subsidies in the planned 'Platform Removal Vessel Pieter Schelte', apparently overlooking the fact that Schelte was an outspoken Nazi.

International