Nieuws van de afdeling

23 March 2006

European political parties vote to increase own subsidies

The social democratic PvdA, the CDA (Christian Democrats), VVD (right wing liberals), D66 (centrist liberals) and the Green Left voted today in the European Parliament in favour of an increase in subsidies to their own parties as well as the relaxation of the rules governing how the money is distributed. SP Euro-MP Erik Meijer, commenting on the vote, said: “The culture of graft in Europe has now been quite shamelessly established."

22 March 2006

NATO's strategic concept in flux

'Whether it is because or in spite of all of the protests of the past history will decide, but we appear to be in agreement over one thing: the old NATO is disappearing and a new NATO is revealing itself. We are, however, unable to see clearly just what form the warp and weft of the new world-wide security system will take. If we want to avoid a situation in which public and parliament are presented, in the near future, with a fait accompli, we must decide together what sort of regional and global structures of security are desirable."

21 March 2006

European Parliament reticent over fraud

Today and yesterday the European Parliament's Committee for Budgetary Control debated the annual accounts for 2004 of the various EU institutions for 2004. To the amazement of the SP's Euro-MPs the Committee voted to accept the controversial 2004 accounts of the Committee of the Regions, an unelected consultative body consisting of invited members of local and regional councils in the 25 member states.

19 March 2006

Arrests and mission drift in Afghanistan: Van Bommel demands clarification

The SP is seeking clarification from Defence Minister Henk Kamp concerning reports in leading daily NRC Handelsblad to the effect that Dutch soldiers in Afghanistan have handed suspected terrorists over to the US army on more occasions than have been made public. SP foreign affairs spokesman and Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel has the impression that elected representatives are being fed insufficient and incomplete information by the minister, with whom the SP is seeking a debate.

18 March 2006

Demonstration in Amsterdam: Break with Bush!

On and around Museumplein, one of Amsterdam's main squares, around 2,000 people gathered today to demand that the Netherlands break with the aggressive war policy of US President George W. Bush. An end must be put to the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, to the human rights abuses which characterise the so-called 'war on terror' and to any question of a 'preventive' or 'pre-emptive' attack on Iran, the demonstrators urged. Many members of the SP were amongst those present, including Member of Parliament and foreign affairs spokesman Harry van Bommel, who called on the government to change course.

17 March 2006

Van Velzen calls for abolition of export credits for arms trade

The SP is demanding that exporters of military goods no longer be eligible for export credits. As a result of such credits, the Dutch state renders itself responsible for the risks involved in exporting weaponry to unstable or poor countries. SP Member of Parliament Krista van Velzen describes this as “unacceptable”.

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