But the Netherlands is not a normal parliamentary democracy, not when faced with the possibility that an “Islamophobe” like Mr. Wilders might be a member of the cabinet. If there is one thing that unites all the other Dutch political parties, it is an absolute determination that the PVV must not be included in any governing coalition. To ensure this outcome, any other configuration of parties is acceptable — what would it matter if the “conservative” VVD were to join forces with the Communists, so long as Geert Wilders would thereby be kept from gaining any seat in the government?
To create a cordon sanitaire against the PVV, the elite oligarchy that wields the real power in the Netherlands — the Queen and the three major parties — has resorted to some blatant extra-constitutional shenanigans during the procedure leading up to the formation of the new government. Our Flemish correspondent VH has compiled a report about the recent sausage-making process in the Hague, and includes this brief introduction to help non-Dutch readers find their way through the maze of political maneuvering:
The left wing within the CDA [Christian Democrats] — among them the former Waffen-SS volunteer Willem Aantjes, the anti-Semite former Prime Minister Andries van Agt and the anti-Wilders campaigner Doekle Terpstra — refuses to even talk with the PVV to research possibilities for forming a VVD-PVV-CDA cabinet. Thus the information round instantly moved to “Plan B”: a cabinet with the VVD [center-right] and three left-wing parties, the PvdA [Labour Party, Socialists], D66 [center-left, pro-EU bureaucracy and anti-Wilders party] and GreenLeft [Communists, extreme left-wing environmentalists].
The Queen appointed one informateur instead of the advised two. She appointed a left-wing confidant, Tjeenk Willink — some call him her lackey — to “research” this option. In his final report he advised the formation of a “Purple-plus” cabinet on a number of financial agreements only [thus he might as well have researched a VVD-PVV minority cabinet], and leaving most of the subjects to parliament. However, in an annex to his information report to the Queen, he actually recommends overruling a majority in Parliament with respect to issues brought up by he PVV.
In the meantime, the PVV is by far the largest party in the polls [graph], while the VVD and CDA are slipping away. Many VVD and CDA voters are fed up with this treason and cross over to the PVV.
Next spring there will be elections for the provinces, thereby indirectly appointing the First Chamber (Higher House) of parliament. If the PVV becomes the largest party there, it may cause major trouble for a “Purple-plus” government. Anyway: the recent moves by the Dutch Queen have caused quite a bit of outrage, including among the non-PVV electorate.
Therefore I personally think the (treasonous) VVD will back down and try researching the possibilities for “Plan C”: a VVD-CDA-PvdA cabinet. At the moment it is not likely they will decide for new elections, for that might result in the PVV becoming the largest party, and since the “old politics” — including the Queen — desperately want to keep up the status quo ante, they must try other (even undemocratic) options, such as advised to the Queen by the informateur Tjeenk Willink.
Below are VH’s translations, for which we owe him a debt of gratitude:
1. From De Volkskrant, June 29:
The Queen
by Samuel van den Berg
Queen Beatrix has made for a surprise in The Hague [Dutch seat of government].
With the appointment of Herman Tjeenk Willink as informateur, the Queen has made a surprising choice. During the press conference, Tjeenk Willink explained that the Queen wanted to avoid having to make a political choice. In hindsight, it is rather questionable whether she succeeded in this, for quite the opposite happened.
The arguments of the Queen go wrong on at least two aspects. First, she argues that mister Tjeenk Willink is “impartial” and therefore the best candidate. Second, she deliberately chose one informateur only, instead of two [as advised by the first informateur, Uri Rosenthal (VVD)]. Both points need explanation.
Tjeenk Willink in his press conference stressed his supposed ‘impartiality’. For a long time, however, Tjeenk Willink has been a member of the PvdA [Labour Party, Socialists] and member of the Queen’s advisory board, the Council of State. He also in the past was the informateur of the Kok-I Cabinet in 1994 [PvdA (red), VVD (blue), D66 (green); also called the “Purple Cabinet”]. Finally, he mended the fallen “Purple-II” cabinet in 1999. Those who still claim that Tjeenk Willink is impartial spin fantasies. Being biased is not a disgrace for an informateur, but in this case, there is a repeated attempt to deny any bias. Which is surprising.
Tjeenk Willink is a confidant of the Queen and knows exactly what Her Majesty wants. Because he has to operate on his own, there is a grave danger that he will assign a great role to the personal preference of the Queen Beatrix. Her Majesty subsequently will accept the ‘impartial’ advice and still make the political decision she wanted to avoid.
To prevent such problems, the first informateur, Uri Rosenthal, and several fraction leaders, advised the appointment of two partisan informants, one of VVD background and one of PvdA background. The advantages are clear. Those two informants would monitor each other and thus ensure that the process will result in fair and balanced advice.
Second, the political responsibility for a new cabinet would have been with the informants and the fraction leaders. Now the Queen loads that responsibility onto herself, by ignoring Rosenthal’s advice and pushing forward her confidant, a Labour Party heavyweight [Tjeenk Willink].
Queen Beatrix has made for a surprise in The Hague. But whoever takes a closer look will see that the reasoning behind her choice does not appear to be quite pure. And what reason would that be?
2. From Amsterdam Post, July 6:
- - - - - - - - -
The monarch as an absolute regent
by Prof. Dr. G.B.J. Van Frikschoten
The departing informateur Tjeenk Willink (PvdA member and principal advisor to the queen) provided an annex [pdf] to his final report to the Queen. This actually appears to be pressing advice in which is stated how the country should be governed. The so-called independent informateur (he was the first to underline this “independence” at his appointment) unfolds in great detail in his piece, where power actually resides within the country — and that’s not with the voter, in case you still maintain than illusion.
In the piece, Willink praises the European utopia as the solution to the financial crisis:
“The Netherlands therefore must commit itself in the EU to an effective alignment of financial economic policy. But then the Netherlands must provide clarity itself about its own financial-economic policy and vision on further development of the European Union [i.e. Turkey’s accession to the EU], the Dutch contribution and thereby the Dutch interests. This forces the forming of a widely supported stable Cabinet in the shortest possible time.”
Then an argument follows on what the immigration policy should be and how we should think about the Islam:
“The government approaches the citizens and residents of our country without discrimination as to race, religion, belief, political opinion, sex or on any grounds whatsoever. This applies to the admission and expulsion of aliens, to the integration and naturalization of residents, and to the judiciary. Religious freedom consists of the equal treatment by the government of all religions and beliefs.”
That the PVV is to realize well. Despite the broad approval within society for the Party for Freedom to finally take on these issues. For it finally did result in 24 seats [out of 150 in Parliament] for the PVV and also many PVVers [strategically] voting for the VVD. Now the latter can see how with the their votes a Purple-plus government [VVD + three left wing parties] is being contrived and orchestrated by the monarchy, by appointing the Vice-President of the Council of State and the right hand of the Head of State: The Queen.
To close ranks against unwanted parties and viewpoints, Tjeenk Willink proposed the following:
“Agreements on the requirements the ministers, both individually and collectively, must include being of financial and economic literacy. Thereby it should be realized that if more room is given to the Parliament, experienced MPs will be more than ever needed in Parliament itself. Even if only to push back officials, interest groups, and consultants.”
And policies for everything! When unwelcome proposals of the PVV receive a majority in Parliament, it is the duty [according to Tjeenk Willink and thus the Queen] that such
“…shall be put aside when the principles of the constitutional democracy, the international position of the Netherlands, or the financial principles of the policy are at stake.”
And to top all this off, we will ensure that you will not get to know too much, because that will only lead to unrest:
“A common (mutual) code of conduct for contacts with the media.”
VVD fraction leader Rutte will have some leftovers thrown a him in Purple-plus, but otherwise is harmless and Wilders is still safely kept away behind a cordon sanitaire. And so it pleased Her Majesty. Independent, untouchable and above the parties. The monarch as an absolute regent.
3. From Artikel 7, July 6:
The mask came off
by Hannibal
Dutch Queen Beatrix proposes a constitutional coup d’état
Twenty years ago I jokingly said to friends that democracy in my view would not last another hundred years. Ten years ago I had reduced that time to fifty years, but I still assumed it would last out my days.
I was wrong.
This past weekend the informateur Tjeenk Willink issued an Annex [pdf] to his final report to the head of state [the Queen] on his information round for a Purple-plus Cabinet [the center right VVD with three left wing parties], which calls for a constitutional coup. Currently the Purple-plus parties would have a meeting in the Parliament building on this proposal, which incorporates a rigid curtailment of democracy in the Netherlands.
By providing this proposal as a basis to the negotiating parties, the head of state [the Queen] has knowingly thrown overboard the last illusion of political neutrality. Only one conclusion is possible: if this continues, or if the parties are going to extensively negotiate on this, it means a de facto constitutional coup. The main proposal in this Annex is that Tjeenk Willink [the informateur] proposes that the parties to put aside [majority-]decisions of parliament, on a number of areas, and not carry them out. This strikes at the roots of parliamentary democracy.
If this will not go through, Queen Beatrix is to resign. She then has permanently disqualified herself as head of state of our country. (Also if it does go through, but one will then presumably rewrite history [to cover it up — translator].)
4. From Artikel 7, July 6:
Geert Wilders in a frontal attack on [informateur] Tjeenk Willink
by Claude DeWit
The former informateur Herman Tjeenk Willink should be sacked as vice-president of the Council of State, and above all never again be appointed as an informateur. That is the opinion of PVV leader Geert Wilders.
In questions in Parliament to the outgoing Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende (CDA, Christian Democrats), Wilders expressed his indignation at the actions of Tjeenk Willink as informateur. Tjeenk Willink Monday passed on his task as informateur to Jacques Wallage (PvdA) and Uri Rosenthal (VVD). The PvdA member [Herman Tjeenk Willink] has, according to Wilders, with his statements and conclusions shown himself “not to be impartial, but Europhile and anti-democratic”. For instance, Tjeenk Willink stated that the government should reject an order by a majority in Parliament “when the international position of the Netherlands is at stake.”
The PVV leader is angry because his party is excluded from the coalition-formation. Tjeenk Willink said in his final report to Queen Beatrix that a “Purple-plus” cabinet [the center right VVD with three left wing parties],will most likely succeed and match in the best way the election results. On Twitter, Wilders called the former informateur “a little leftist Europhile anti-PVV man. An unworthy informateur.”
In his parliamentary questions to Balkenende, he also asked the outgoing Prime Minister to prepare a constitutional amendment designed to ensure that the Queen no longer is part of the government.
8 comments:
Another "royal" bilderburger calling the shots.This is the problem with democracy,it is so easy to ignore the electorate and do what you wish anyway,if the plebs begin to give you trouble,they can always be locked up on any pretext,the lines are becoming apparent,the governments of the world against thier own people,but why do we take it when we clearly have the numbers to insist upon our rights?
To ensure this outcome, any other configuration of parties is acceptable — what would it matter if the “conservative” VVD were to join forces with the Communists, so long as Geert Wilders would thereby be kept from gaining any seat in the government?
And there is the current state of democracy in a nutshell.
Englisman said
--Another "royal" bilderburger calling the shots – had a quiet chuckle at that one, they are the Bilderburgers. The Queens father Prince Bernard was the instigator in 1954 when he organized the first meeting at the Hotel Bilderburger near Arnhem, hence the name. Prince Bernard had one or two skeletons rattling around in his cupboard, His illegitimate daughter in England the result of an affair during the war, bit of a ladies man was our Bernard. He was certainly corrupt, we mustn't forget the Lockheed bribery scandal, he didn't so much receive a bribe, HE ASKED FOR ONE. Then last but not least his membership of the Nazi party. Whoops I'll have to be careful or I might get a knock on the door in the middle of the night.
I predicted a political version of musical chairs after the final results of the election came in, and expected the formation of a Government to take several months, and I never in my wildest dreams imagined what is now happening could happen, but after reading Tjeenk Willink final report to the Queen in his annex the word disgusted does not express my feeling, adequately. Most intelligent Dutch will see through this hubris, although what effect it will have I don't know, I expect very little at the moment as the Dutch are gearing up for the Annual holidays in a couple of weeks time and they are distracted by more earthly pleasures.
Geert and the PVV have been firing a few shots across the bows of the interim Government under Balkenende, it has certainly not don't his party any harm as it now stands at 33 seats in the polls instead of the 24 it won during the election. The next few months are going to be even more interesting than I thought. Rule by entrenched bureaucracy has been shown to not work very well the E.U. is a prime example and entrenching it even more is a recipe for disaster. Hardening of the political arteries stops change especially if the people who have caused the disaster are cemented into place. Economists and Bankers are a good example, following there teaching, is what has got us into this condition in the first place, with these cemented in place issuing more of the same medicine will not help.
We certainly live in interesting times
Once the present negotiations are successfully concluded, the moment of truth for the Purple-plus government will arrive in May 2011. The new provincial assemblies (elected in March) then will elect the new Higher House, which is chosen every four years without the possibility of early dissolution, as the politically more prominent Lower House is apt to. The Freedom Party is very likely to annihilate the other right wing parties in March in a wave of massive protest against the new purple-plus government.
It is not unlikely the government may stay in power, with the aid of all other political parties in the Netherlands ganging up against the Freedom party in the Higher House, but the result would be grotesque.
Remains the question, whether the elite will face it´s political doom, or the downfall of it´s policy of endless moderation.
Hannibal
Editor Artikel7
In hoc signo vinces
This is the future of UK/European democracies where we see political actors under the guise of the old (soft) socialist and conservative banners overtly seize power.
This is what has happend in the UK with the conservative/liberal coalition which they justify as being in the national interest when in fact it was a coup, a coalition of neoliberal dictatorship.
No longer will Europeans be able to move themselves left or right of the battle lines, there is no left or right there will be only political deception, constitutional quagmire and the multicolored gunge of neoliberalism this will be the rule in Europe.
This government wont stand long.
Radicalization of the Dutch population will continue.
The PVV will have an outright majority sooner rather than later.
EscapeVelocity: The PVV will have an outright majority sooner rather than later.
Your observation brings to mind a similar and interesting notion of what is happening here in the United States.
By dint of abject political careerism, the American two party structure has mutated into a one party system of the almighty dollar. The infection of our government by Ivy League academia's Multicultural Politically Correct newthink now makes it clear that the previous Bush administration was a more dangerous example of "frog-in-the-pot" gradualism than Obama's open and aggressive Communist agenda.
Much as Geert Wilders' exposure of the truth about Muslim colonization of Holland is, indeed, radicalizing its population, so has Obama's naked Socialist policy-making had a similar galvanic effect on American citizens.
The creeping suffocation of Constitutionalist dissent that was instituted during Bush's administrations would never have inspired such a hue and cry as we are now seeing from America's Tea Party constituency. It requires the sort of unashamed and baldfaced anti-Americanism of Obama's Chicago-style gangster crew to spark genuine indignation. And spark it they bloody well have.
Holland's population is closer to the existential edge than that of the United States. Our crisis has more of a financial nature to it as the overweening greed of our political system is finally dragged out into the disinfecting sunlight. Let there be no doubt that, unobstructed and unhindered, the situation here could become equally bad as that now happening in the Netherlands. The groundwork is certainly in place but America's moral fiber has not yet been so thoroughly retted in the paralytic venom being spewed by Europe's suicidal anti-Christian Vampire Elite™.
What is happening in the Netherlands and for that matter Belgium is remarkably similar to what was going on in Spain and Italy back in the first half of the twentieth century. We all know what was the eventuality in both cases.
The crown of the Netherlands is probably praying that they win the world cup so they have a few more months of frivolity and merryment to distract the people so they can impliment this imposed "purple" government.
Nederlanders have always been loyal to their Konning Bee. But times change and when they realize she's as responsible for their troubles as the reds, she and her family may be stairing abdication in the face.
Post a Comment
All comments are subject to pre-approval by blog admins.
Gates of Vienna's rules about comments require that they be civil, temperate, on-topic, and show decorum. For more information, click here.
Users are asked to limit each comment to about 500 words. If you need to say more, leave a link to your own blog.
Also: long or off-topic comments may be posted on news feed threads.
To add a link in a comment, use this format:
<a href="http://mywebsite.com">My Title</a>
Please do not paste long URLs!
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.