According to GroenLinks leader Jesse Klaver, Rutte was not critical enough about his own role in gas extraction in Groningen. Klaver received support from PvdA, SP, BBB, Volt. PVV, JA21, PvdD, Groep-Van Haga and independent Member of Parliament Pieter Omtzigt. Coalition partners ChristenUnie and CDA were also critical of the prime minister, but still expressed their support.
The debate was about the harsh conclusions of the parliamentary committee of inquiry that investigated gas extraction in Groningen, and the consequences for the inhabitants of that province.
To shame you to death
According to Klaver, GroenLinks is shocked by ‘the way in which the Prime Minister looked back’. Several opposition politicians would have preferred that Rutte had kept the honor to himself. Given the situation and Rutte’s role, SP Member of Parliament Sandra Beckerman even calls it ‘to be ashamed that a motion of no confidence is needed at all’.
Compliments were given to Mirjam Bikker (ChristenUnie) and Eline Vedder (CDA), who did approach Rutte critically. But in the end they did not share the view of much of the opposition that the prime minister should resign.
Bikker did come up with a motion, together with the other coalition parties and the SGP, in which they say they ‘deeply regret and disapprove’ of the gas policy. But then it is about the policy over a period of sixty years, conducted by various cabinets and with the approval of the House of Representatives. The opposition aimed its arrows exclusively at Rutte.
The motion is painful for Rutte. Together, the PvdA and GroenLinks have been an important pillar of support for the coalition of VVD, D66, CDA and ChristenUnie, which often counts on the left-wing bloc to get proposals passed in the Senate. The PvdA and GroenLinks can also help the cabinet with a narrow majority in the new senate, which will take office next week.
The only other route to a majority in the Senate is the BoerBurgerBeweging, which has become the largest party there thanks to a monster victory in the provinces. But BBB leader Caroline van der Plas also supports the motion of no confidence. Incidentally, this is specifically aimed at Rutte as Minister of General Affairs, with which the opposition does not want to send home the cabinet, but only the prime minister.
Nitrogen
In the debate on April 5 about the results of the provincial elections, the same parties already lost confidence in the entire cabinet. They did so because they felt that the coalition parties wanted to take too long to clarify their nitrogen plans, after the CDA had indicated that it wanted to renegotiate them.
In this video you can see how difficult Rutte had it in today’s debate:
2023-06-07 19:17:20
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