Two weeks ago, the country's biggest left-wing political grouping, the Labor Party, which has responsibility for integration as a member of the coalition government led by the Christian Democrats, issued a position paper calling for the end of the failed model of Dutch "tolerance." It came at the same time Nicolas Sarkozy was making a case in France for greater opportunities for minorities that also contained an admission that the French notion of equality "doesn't work anymore." But there was a difference. If judged on the standard scale of caution in dealing with cultural clashes and Muslims' obligations to their new homes in Europe, the language of the Dutch position paper and Lilianne Ploumen, Labor's chairperson, was exceptional. The paper said: "The mistake we can never repeat is stifling criticism of cultures and religions for reasons of tolerance."
Two weeks ago, the country's biggest left-wing political grouping, the Labor Party, which has responsibility for integration as a member of the coalition government led by the Christian Democrats, issued a position paper calling for the end of the failed model of Dutch "tolerance."
It came at the same time Nicolas Sarkozy was making a case in France for greater opportunities for minorities that also contained an admission that the French notion of equality "doesn't work anymore."
But there was a difference. If judged on the standard scale of caution in dealing with cultural clashes and Muslims' obligations to their new homes in Europe, the language of the Dutch position paper and Lilianne Ploumen, Labor's chairperson, was exceptional.
The paper said: "The mistake we can never repeat is stifling criticism of cultures and religions for reasons of tolerance."
The why of this happening now when a recession could accelerate new social tensions, particularly among nonskilled workers, has a couple of explanations. A petty, political one: It involves a Labor Party on an uptick, with its the party chief, Wouter Bos, who serves as finance minister, showing optimism that the Dutch can avoid a deep recession. The cynical take has him casting the party's new integration policy as a fresh bid to consolidate momentum ahead of elections for the European Parliament in June. A kinder, gentler explanation (that comes, remarkably, from Frits Bolkestein, the former Liberal Party leader, European commissioner, and no friend of the socialists, who began writing in 1991 about the enormous challenge posed to Europe by Muslim immigration): "The multi-cultis just aren't making the running anymore. It's a brave step towards a new normalcy in this country. "
The why of this happening now when a recession could accelerate new social tensions, particularly among nonskilled workers, has a couple of explanations.
A petty, political one: It involves a Labor Party on an uptick, with its the party chief, Wouter Bos, who serves as finance minister, showing optimism that the Dutch can avoid a deep recession. The cynical take has him casting the party's new integration policy as a fresh bid to consolidate momentum ahead of elections for the European Parliament in June.
A kinder, gentler explanation (that comes, remarkably, from Frits Bolkestein, the former Liberal Party leader, European commissioner, and no friend of the socialists, who began writing in 1991 about the enormous challenge posed to Europe by Muslim immigration):
"The multi-cultis just aren't making the running anymore. It's a brave step towards a new normalcy in this country. "
Hm... nanne... what is your reaction to the piece?
I find it all rather sad. It's a rational political logic for the left - who ever really lost votes by picking on immigrants?
At the same time, the immigrant population doesn't seem that large and has there really been that much stifling of "criticism of cultures and religions"?
Obviously I don't know because it's now years since I lived there...
So I think that this position paper, from Vinocur's reporting at least, is muddled. If you think about communities it is obvious that you will have some level of separation in a society. You also have Jewish, Chinese, Indian and Indonesian communities in the Netherlands and these are not seen as problematic. So in dealing with the Turkish and Moroccan community you will have to address the aspect of where the problems lie, and in that sense trying to eradicate parallel societies and force full assimilation will not work.
There were some taboos in talking about immigrants in the ninetees, in the sense that the political top and much of the press stayed away from it, following a model of multiculturalism. But that was exploded long ago.
This change in the party's strategy has been decided at the top, by Wouter Bos. The Minister of Integration and Housing, Ella Vogelaar, fell as a result.
The Netherlands has in practice been trying confrontation for the past eight years, the only new thing being that the labour party is now also on board. I don't think it's brought much improvement over the soft approach of the ninetees.
If they allow themselves to embrace immigrants two things will happen:
Muslims' obligations to their new homes in Europe
Why only Muslims, why only obligations (there are, say, opportunities too), and why only on the part of immigrants (as if integration would depend on the immigrants only)? And why take Islamophobe Bolkestein at face value when he talks about an "enormous challenge"?...
Ah, you forgot to mention the author: who else, John Vinocur...
Still, like Metatone, I wonder what you think about the actual Ploumen position paper, and how it played in the Dutch-language media. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
Or as I'd prefer to say it, the Dutch have become a nation of navelstaarders with no beliefs, no vision for the future. This too I already addressed in my piece on the Dutch government programme. Things have not improved since. At least in Germany there is a change going on, there is a viable community working on making the country sustainable. The Dutch have been busy letting the rest of the world catch up and pass them by while they focus on distractions for the past eight years, and they show no sign of improving.
