International

Today, nearly 2000 people gathered to stand up for the Netherlands during the “Prinsjesdag” Protest in The Hague. Days before “Prinsjesdag”, the Dutch Socialist Party wanted to steer the outgoing Cabinet’s plans in another, more social direction.

There were years of actions by the SP together with parents from the benefits scandal and debates by Renske Leijten and other SP members in the Lower House. And now, finally, a parliamentary inquiry into the government's fraud policy has started. The inquiry committee began their public hearings this week. The first interviews were held with parents that were harmed in the benefits scandal: Dulce Goncalves-Tavaresen and Gerda and Jurgen Deceuninck.

The SP wants to raise the minimum wage to 16 euros per hour. We want more powers to expropriate property bosses in case of long-term vacancies and we will tackle the market forces in the public sector. SP leader Lilian Marijnissen says the coming elections will be a battle of ideas.

This week marks 78 years since the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed by nuclear bombs. The global impact was enormous, as the movie Oppenheimer shows. The creator of the bomb realised all too well: these weapons must never be used again.
However, the number of states possessing nuclear weapons and the amount of nuclear weapons has grown enormously. Attempts to ban nuclear weapons have been unsuccessful. With the war in Ukraine, Putin has threatened to use nuclear weapons several times. It is time for new initiatives.

The party council of the SP has elected Lilian Marijnissen as their leading candidate for the upcoming Lower House elections. The party is pleased that Lilian wants to be our leader. Her enthusiasm and commitment are amazing and she knows what she is talking about. The Netherlands needs new, honest politics to rebuild the country and we are proud that Lilian will lead the way.

The Senate adopted a proposal by the SP to keep to the target of at least halving child poverty in the Netherlands by 2025. Actions should be taken to reduce child poverty as much as possible towards this target next year. The proposal was widely supported, only the PVV voted against it.

The Rutte 4 government has resigned. This is good news for the Netherlands! This cabinet has created more problems than it has solved. It is time for a new, honest government that will deal with high costs, housing shortages and health care deficits. We are ready for new elections. And that is where we need you.

The Socialist Party and SP Jongeren strongly condemn the recent steps taken by the Iraqi government in an attempt to silence The General Union of Students in the Republic of Iraq.

SP MP Renske Leijten is leaving the House of Representatives, she told the Party Council of the SP. After almost 17 years in the Lower House, she feels it is enough. This certainly does not mean she has stopped being an SP member. She will just stop serving our democracy in the Lower House and in political The Hague. She is leaving the Hague bubble and will engage with our democracy in a different way. It is time to go back to the real life society and organise people there.