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The government is refusing to make serious adjustments to the ‘Sleepwet’, the proposed law extending the powers of the security services, despite the clear no in the referendum on the issue. The SP agrees that our secret services must be able to pursue concrete suspicions of terrorist activities, but not with the collection of random data from innocent people. Interior Minister Kajsa Ollongren has renewed her promise that the security and intelligence services would apply the law with caution, but has refused to remove their right to collect random data in the ‘sleepnet’. This undermines any faith in government promises and completely ignores the voters’ ‘no’.

On Tuesday the legislature will hold a debate, at the request of SP Member of Parliament Ronald van Raak, on the result of the referendum. His intention is to ask Minister Ollongren to show more respect for the electorate’s decision and get rid of the ‘sleepnet’. “The government is still determined to collect data from innocent members of the public and share this information with other countries,” says Van Raak. “That will undermine the rule of law and our democracy. You can’t do that, when the people have clearly rejected it. This referendum should also cause Parliament to reconsider the scrapping of the right of referendum. This referendum brought a big turn and was a big success. People want to express their views and when necessary call politicians out. The fact that the government wants to get rid of this means of doing so is typical of the arrogance of power.”