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NOS News•today, 3:05 PM•Adjusted today, 6:07 PM
The very first official party conference of the New Social Contract was largely focused on the European elections, but the formation was also discussed at the meeting in Breda.
“Don’t worry,” NSC leader Omtzigt said in response to a party member’s concerns about working too closely with the PVV. The NSC member had appealed to make as few concessions as possible to Geert Wilders’ party.
“We fully support our own ideas,” was Omtzigt’s response to that submitted motion. Better governance and social security are “benchmarks for us to participate in a new government,” he emphasized.
Not buried
Party chairman Bert van Boggelen pointed out that only one motion had been submitted before the congress about the formation. “We thought we were going to be buried.” Concerns do not seem to play a prominent role in the audience.
“Many people voted for the PVV and those voters must also be heard with respect,” one of the members present told NOS. Another stated that there are aspects of the PVV “that are unacceptable” and that they must therefore be “flattened out”. “We will see whether that has been successful when the cabinet arrives.”
‘Very fierce’
Afterwards, the shape of the cabinet had to be discussed and then the substantive themes were put on the table, which the four parties have been discussing for about two weeks now. The NSC leader did not want to say much at the conference about the state of negotiations. Omtzigt discusses the content “very fiercely through the negotiating table, you can count on me there,” he assured the audience.
“And it works best if we don’t do that via Twitter,” he added, referring to Wilders who said last night on X, the former Twitter, wrote that it wanted to make “zero concessions” in the field of asylum. “I can no longer bear the growing influx of asylum seekers. Our country is packed.”
The fresh new club?
It is positions like these that D66 has little interest in. Today their conference in Nieuwegein also discussed the cooperation between NSC and PVV. Party leader Jetten called on New Social Contract to reconsider.
Jetten stated in his speech that Omtzigt has sold his heart to the “undemocratic one-man party” of Geert Wilders. “Wilders is a threat to Dutch values and Dutch identity.”
According to the D66 leader, it is “extremely worrying” that “normal politicians” give space to the PVV. “What happened to Pieter Omtzigt’s fresh new club?” NSC still had principles in the campaign, according to Jetten, but in his view they disappeared “in no time”.
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The D66 leader said he pins his hopes on the members of NSC. “They now hold the key. Does the New Social Contract choose the Wilders I cabinet or the Netherlands?”
By the way, the D66 conference was actually all about Europe; among other things, an election manifesto was established. And there was another important topic of discussion: the election defeat. D66, which is part of the current outgoing cabinet, went from 24 to 9 seats in the House of Representatives in November.
Six years of rule in a “right-wing conservative” cabinet, a failed implementation of “new leadership” and a pedantic tone caused that defeat. That was the conclusion of the party itself last week in an analysis called It’s up to us.
Putting up ‘tough’ opposition
Jetten agreed with the conclusions in his speech. “People wanted cooperation, but often saw turmoil. People wanted empathy, but saw technocracy. People wanted new leadership, but saw the same prime minister from an old coalition.”
If NSC can reach an agreement with the other three parties, D66 is ready to provide “tough” opposition, the party leader assured.
2024-04-06 13:05:18
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