International

This Saturday saw the SP's Party Council meet for the first time since the elections of 22nd November. The Party Council, which gathered in Utrecht, is the SP's ruling body, subordinate only to national congress. Every branch is represented, and most MPs and MEPs attend as guests, while the party's senior paid staff are there to discuss matters with the Council's members. Most of the discussion centred around the campaign, but delegates also had the pleasure of hearing a short speech from Faisal Nasser, an SP member of Iraqi origin. Once a refugee from his own country, he is now heavily involved in its reconstruction. He presented the SP with a token of gratitude in the form of a beautifully decorated dish, a gift from Tammuz, an Iraqi organisation dedicated to bringing peace, democracy and independence to the war-torn, occupied country.

Right-wing liberal (VVD) Employment and Social Affairs Secretary Henk Van Hoof's plan to remove, from January 1st, any form of controls on the entry of workers from eastern Europe has suffered parliamentary defeat. During the debate preceding the vote, Jan de Wit, SP Member of Parliament and spokesman on employment issues, called on the Secretary of State to 'drop his hastily-conceived, ill-considered plans' which he described as 'too drastic and too far-reaching.' As the vote demonstrated, a large majority shared this view.