Exuberant clapping and whistling are heard when D66 leader Kaag stands on stage and says: ‘What seems almost impossible, can become self-evident – if enough people work hard for it!’ She looks proudly into the room.
The hopeful and optimistic mood at the D66 congress is largely due to the political gains that the party recorded last week. After years of tug-of-war, both the cabinet decision to drastically reduce nitrogen emissions from agriculture and the decision to curb Schiphol was made.
This makes a long-cherished wish of many D66 voters come true. According to Democrats, a smaller livestock and airport are desperately needed to restore nature and at the same time get housing construction going. Houses hardly ever get off the ground, because the judge always cancels construction plans due to an excess of nitrogen.
An eye for sustainability
Now the cabinet is throwing change course† The Rutte IV cabinet will operate with a greater eye for sustainability in order to prevent the economy from shutting down. This is not only due to the judge, but also to years of lobbying by D66. Despite this political success, Kaag did not hang out the flag during her speech at the D66 congress on Saturday. She answered the applause from the audience gratefully, but modestly.
She didn’t just do this to spare the farmers who, to their horror, saw their life’s work slip from their hands. Kaag’s modesty was mainly intended not to offend her coalition members. If she is not careful, the VVD and CDA will certainly throw their asses against the crib and all the beautiful nitrogen plans will not go ahead after all.
While D66 may be overjoyed about the nitrogen plans, they lead to a crisis with governing parties VVD and CDA. Their supporters have resisted so fiercely in recent days that there are doubts at provincial level whether they can be continued. Various CDA and VVD departments are even openly opposing the cabinet plans.
Doubt just before the finish
D66 also sees it with sorrow. The government’s nitrogen plans are unmistakably ‘the right thing to do’, says Kaag. But just as the finish line is in sight, doubts threaten to strike among the coalition members. ‘Dare and perseverance’ is now necessary to guide the plans to the finish line, said Kaag. ‘This requires political courage and above all cooperation.’
She complimented VVD minister Christianne van der Wal, who is responsible for reducing nitrogen emissions. ‘She stays under great pressure stand before she knows that’s right,” said Kaag. Furious farmers came to Van der Wal’s home last week to tell their story, the VVD party congress adopted a critical motion about the nitrogen plans of its own minister.
For now, the resistance is only growing. CDA leader Pieter Heerma has now received so many fierce reactions from his supporters that he already seems cautious to scribble back† This weekend, the leader of Boeren Actiegroep Farmers Defense Force, Mark van den Oever, threatened the cabinet plans even further. they ‘torped’ you A farmers’ protest at the D66 congress in Den Bosch failed to materialize, but a national demonstration with 20 to 30 thousands of farmers is planned on Wednesday.
Intimidation Attempts
In her speech, Kaag distanced himself from the intimidation attempts by farmers to change the government’s mind and asks others – including her coalition members – to do the same. “Let me say here on behalf of all of us: we can never accept that intimidation, insult and threats are the order of the day. We must all guard this border together.’
D66 party chairman Jan Paternotte also told the D66 congress that there is reason to be happy with the nitrogen plans, but seemed to realize, like Kaag, that some encouragement from coalition members VVD and CDA is needed to actually get the plans implemented.
‘The agreements are already on paper. So, cabinet, keep going,” Paternotte said. ‘Don’t be paralyzed by simmering provinces! Restore the glory of nature. Give young people a home. And give farmers a sustainable alternative!’
Paternotte also believes that the ‘threats’ from the Farmers Defense Force foreman to shut down the food supply and visit ministers at home ‘exceed all limits’. ‘He even compares the situation of the farmers with that of the Jews before the Second World War. This misbehavior of these threatening farmers should not have place in the Netherlands. In our country the rules of the rule of law apply, not the law of the tractor!’
Cabinet stability
The words of the D66 summit cannot prevent more and more dark clouds from gathering over the cabinet now that the VVD and CDA are on a collision course with their supporters. For the time being, Minister Van der Wal is holding his ground and VVD leader Rutte also hinted earlier: we can’t do anything else. As resistance grows in the country and the provincial elections in March approach, the question is how much electoral loss VVD and CDA want to risk. The Christian Democrats have been bad in the polls for some time, but the Liberals are now experiencing a serious dip for the first time.
The riot in their own circle could ultimately endanger the stability of the entire cabinet. If voters punish the VVD and the CDA in the Provincial Council elections, the number of seats of the coalition parties in the Senate plummets even further. Then governing will be very difficult and the nitrogen plans will still be called into question. The sun may shine at D66, but there seems to be a storm on the way.
–
