On Thursday even Chamber President Arib was getting too bad. State Secretary Barbara Visser of Defense had all too often apologized in the debate about the relocation of the marine barracks. That made Arib a bit uncomfortable – keep it businesslike, she sneered. That was not a request, but an assignment.
The public gallery in the meeting room, filled with severely disappointed Zeelanders who had thought for eight years that the new marines barracks would be in Vlissingen, counted ninety times ‘sorry’ from the VVD minister because the barracks were going somewhere else. Visser had known this for a while, but she certainly denied it to the Zeelanders when they asked about it six months ago. “I kept it to myself,” the state secretary said in her confession. In plain Dutch that is called lying.
–
–
Promise, cheat, but stay. In three words, that is the history of the marines barracks. Its predecessor, CDA minister Hans Hillen, had promised the Zeeland barracks; Because of a lack of support, Visser secretly went looking for a different location and kept silent about this against Zeeland and the parliament, then got the entire Chamber over him with a painful motion of disapproval of the SGP, but refused to leave the plush of Defense, her once offered by fellow party member Mark Rutte.
This is the sorry culture. According to the dictionary, this is’ a culture in which people, usually politicians, are inclined to apologize for mistakes they make, but then do not attach any consequences to this, for example by resigning or resigning, and in fact not taking responsibility for this. for the mistakes made ‘. The word appeared in the Leidsch Dagblad for the first time in January 2000; it was previously called sorry democracy, a term used by SP man Jan Marijnissen in 1997 to denounce the constant apologies of the Purple-2 ministers.
–
–
Saying sorry is apparently enough in practice to stay put. Now, not every minister under attack has to leave immediately – that depends a lot on the impact of the mistakes made – but the picture has emerged that you can make it if you say sorry. The result of the vote, 63 before disapproval, 67 against, confirms that picture.
Although the motion of disapproval submitted by the SGP is less far-reaching than a motion of no-confidence (disapproval focuses on policy, mistrust of the person), it is a substantial reprimand that the State Secretary must take to heart. Certainly if the law-abiding SGP submits such a motion, which rarely happens. 50PLUS leader Henk Krol pointed this out; according to him, a motion from the SGP is much worse than from any party. But he conveniently forgot that the SGP, founded in Middelburg (!), Has a close Zeeland following. That plays a role.
–
–
The motion did not make it, but before the vote, Visser had already indicated that he did not want to leave. A very large minority disapproves of your policy and that doesn’t affect you? Saying sorry and just continuing, is that the reaction? The portfolio of a Secretary of State for Defense (equipment, personnel) is not very politically sensitive, most parties rarely worry about it. It is precisely then that it is telling when the House is angry from left to right, even if that does not lead to the adoption of motions.
It is not possible to correct the error. The barracks go to Apeldoorn, if only to prevent an exodus of marines. The Lower House can also live with this. Zeeland is compensated for the cancellation of the barracks. Whether it will be enough must be clear.
The state secretary says to learn lessons from the unfortunate event. But the fact that almost half of the House rejects her policy on this point does not make her think: she will continue. You should at least ask yourself if you are still desired.
–
–
