International

Israel's government must stop the blockade of Gaza so that basic necessities such as water and food are allowed back in. An SP motion to that effect was adopted in the Lower House today.

The Dutch First Chamber (also called the Senate or Upper House) voted in favour of the binding corrective referendum. The SP proposal won the required two-thirds majority in the Senate. An important step to give people more say.

More than a thousand people, most of them ordinary civilians, have been killed in Israel and Palestine over the past few days. This spiral of violence must be broken as soon as possible and efforts made to find a diplomatic, political solution. A conversation with SP parliamentarian Jasper van Dijk.

It is one of the reasons why there is insufficient space for sheltering asylum seekers: wealthy municipalities who evade sheltering asylum seekers. The top 20 poorest municipalities shelter more than twice as many asylum seekers as the top 20 most wealthy municipalities. The House of Representatives now supports a proposal by SP MP Jasper van Dijk to consider not only the population of a city or village when receiving asylum seekers, but also to look at rich and poor municipalities.

Everyone should be able to make ends meet. To buy food, to have affordable housing, good health care and education. Unfortunately, too many people today do not have access to these basic certainties. Radical change is needed to correct this injustice. Where individual self-interest and financial gain take a back seat to social interest and solidarity. Where wealth is distributed more fairly. Where vital provisions such as affordable housing, health care, public transport and energy are in public hands. Without a profit motive and competition.

At the 28th conference of the Dutch Socialist Party, the SP established its election programme and the list of candidates for the Lower House elections of 22 November. Hundreds of delegates from the various fractions of the SP came together to make the final adjustments to the election programme. 

Filling up at the pump and a ticket for public transport have become tremendously expensive. The Dutch Socialist Party wants the cost of transportation to be reduced for both those who drive cars and those who rely on public transport. 

This year, the Dutch Socialist Party dubbed the State of Nation Hotline (which people can call in response to the State of the Nation address) as the ‘Health Care Hotline’. People who can no longer afford the own-risk deductible or are struggling to pay for home care, for example, were able to reach the Health Care Hotline until 6:00 PM. SP Parliament Members and care providers were standing by, ready to listen to their concerns and stories.

The number of people living in poverty will rise again next year. The outgoing Cabinet is failing to keep its promises, not solving problems and only continuing to pick up the pieces. The Dutch Socialist Party wants to see structural solutions that will ensure people can make ends meet.