International

The draft climate agreement has been published, and it’s no better than expected. The real points still haven’t been dealt with, and once again – surprise-surprise - air transport and shipping have been left out. Also, the agreements on adjusting cost-sharing are again under review.

Everyone wants to speak with the European Parliament delegation. Yesterday at 9 a.m., even before the delegation had its own official kick-off, a representative group from corporate business was knocking on our door, led by the Chairman of Cefic, the European chemicals lobby. His tale is clear enough: the most important factor in carrying corporate business along with us in the fight against climate change is quite simply how much it will cost.

SP Member of Parliament Jasper van Dijk is calling on everyone to report their experiences with expensive concert tickets to the complaints point ‘Kaart te Duur’ kaartteduur@sp.nl (‘Ticket too expensive’). It happens frequently that tickets for concerts are sold on via the internet at many times the original price. ‘At Adele’s concerts ten minutes after they started selling them, tickets were already to be had for €1000. Resale agents take huge advantage of the fact that fans are desperate to go a concert.’

SP Member of Parliament Eric Smaling is attending the climate summit in Paris. The aim of the conference is to reach a new agreement on the climate. This has to be in place in 2020, when the current treaty, the Kyoto Protocol, expires. Smaling will be sending a daily report of his experiences to the SP site.

It’s good news that the Netherlands is set to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, says SP Member of Parliament Henk van Gerven. The convention provides that people with a disability must enjoy equal rights, as well as the same opportunities as any other individual.

If former army chief Desie Bouterse is not going to be prosecuted in Suriname for the December Murders, the Netherlands’ Public Prosecutor should take the job on, argues Harry van Bommel.

The big shots have left the climate summit, so the real work can now begin. Last week the world’s leaders gave fiery speeches, speeches which made the front pages. Behind the scenes officials worked day and night on a new proposal for a negotiating text. This text reads like a sort of menu: the ingredients are to hand, now choices have to be made.

In the first half of 2016 the Netherlands will take its turn in the European Union’s six-month rotating presidency. According to SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel, the presidency is an excellent chance to launch a fundamental discussion on the future of the European Union. ‘Many people have turned their backs on the European project because they feel it’s far too forced. Because of that they’ve lost their faith in what national politics can mean for them. But the government is sticking its head in the sand and acts as if debates about “more Europe” or “less Europe” were so much waffle. A missed opportunity.’

Who’ll be the new party president? To outsiders, it seems that this is all the twenty-first SP Congress is about. And the departure of Jan Marijnissen, of course. But the nine hundred and forty SP representatives are gathered in the De Fabrique conference centre in Utrecht on 28th November to decide the party’s future. The contest between the two candidates to succeed Jan certainly gives a big push to the discussion around that future.