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30 September 2008

‘When war breaks out, politics has failed'

Today the Council of Europe began an extended debate in Strasbourg over the consequences of this summer's war between Georgia and Russia. As Chair of the United European Left group in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), SP Senate leader Tiny Kox was one of those who spoke first in the debate. Senator Kox drew attention to the contradiction between on the one side the suffering people of the affected region, the dead and wounded and those put to flight, and on the other the cynical attitude of the political leaders involved. "In Moscow, Tbilisi and Tsinvali they told me last week that absolutely nothing wrong had occurred and that they had only considered the interests of the people," said Senator Kox, in a reference to his participation in the PACE fact-finding mission which was sent to Russia, South Ossetia and Georgia to prepare the ground for the debate. "But when war breaks out, politics and politicians must have failed."

30 September 2008

SP leader Agnes Kant: 'Culture of greed brought about this credit crisis'

In an emergency parliamentary debate held this evening on the attempt by the Dutch, Belgian and Luxembourg governments to rescue troubled finance house Fortis, SP leader Agnes Kant said: “A capitalism based on inflated bonuses and easy money, the culture of greed, has brought this credit crisis about. And as always it's ordinary people who have to pay the bill.”

29 September 2008

SP: Fortis rescue attempt 'unavoidable'

"The attempt by the Dutch, Belgian and Luxembourg authorities to rescue Fortis was unavoidable,” says SP finance spokesman Ewout Irrgang in an initial reaction to developments surrounding the faltering bank. He wonders, however, why the Dutch state did not take a controlling interest in the firm's banking arm, rather than a 49% minority share.

29 September 2008

Brussels keeps information under its hat

Proposed rules on openness are too lax. Brussels concerns itself with every aspect of our lives, but gives little away when it comes to information. This creates distrust. Even the European Ombudsman is now complaining that the hands of the openneness clock are being turned back. It takes a lot of clicks on the mouse to find out that a new European Regulation on openness in administration is on the way. The European Commission sees the Regulation as a way to bring Europe closer to the citizen. Why don't they turn this around and make rules which would help us get closer to Europe?

27 September 2008

War between Georgia and Russia was result of political failure

The recent war between Georgia and Russia came about through political failure on the part of all of the authorities involved. None of them really appears to have wanted to avoid war. The war cost hundreds of lives and saw many more wounded, tens of thousands forced to flee, residential areas bombed flat, shops looted and villages systematically burned to the ground. And the worst relations between Russia, Europe and the United States since the end of the Cold War. This is what SP Senator Tiny Kox was able to confirm following a fact-finding mission to Russia, Georgia and South Ossetia.

26 September 2008

Van Velzen alarmed over enforcement of ban on Chinese dairy produce

SP Member of Parliament Krista van Velzen is alarmed about the enforcement of the European import ban on products containing Chinese dairy produce. The Dutch Food and Food Products Authority (VWA) says that enforcement of the ban is causing the Authority problems because recent cuts have left it short of staff.

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