by Oui
Thu Jul 6th, 2023 at 04:05:13 PM EST
BREAKING NEWS: PM Mark Rutte ends his political career, will not lead the VVD into the forced general election. [Update: 10 July 10AM]
The one man lobbyist for Royal Shell, Unilever, DSM, ASML and multinationals in pharmacy, petrochemicals with shareholders evading taxation on dividends.
Mark failed to impress NATO member states in the campaign for SG as Joe personally appeared to have picked a girl ... ehh female, breaking glass ceiling and all that to prevent any discussion on the wisdom of a proxy war with Russia across the Ukraine.
Rutte on a collision course and threatens to vote on asylum measures: 'Cabinet could fall tonight'
Survival of Rutte's fourth Cabinet uncertain amid asylum policy infighting
The future of the fourth Cabinet of Prime Minister Mark Rutte is uncertain, unnamed sources from both the Cabinet and the coalition parties told RTL Nieuws, AD, ANP, the Telegraaf and NOS on Thursday. This comes in the wake of discussions held on Wednesday night among the coalition parties regarding the influx of asylum seekers and other migration issues. A new round of talks is scheduled for Thursday evening. If a compromise cannot be reached during this meeting, it might lead to the immediate dissolution of the coalition.
Rutte I-II-III-IV coming to an abrupt end as the Netherlands is heading into a recession, new austerity measures, leaving everyone behind in total chaos. The Liberal VVD Party juggling multiple cans as Rutte kicked them forward down the road leading to a cliff.
America’s Proxy War in Ukraine
… will wipe $2.6 trillion off the global economy.
Which European country spent the most supporting people through the energy crisis?
In total the countries of the EU, plus the UK and Norway, have spent or earmarked more than $800 billion (€792 billion) to support energy consumers and customers, according to Bruegel, an economic policy think tank. By far the biggest spender, on most metrics, is Germany, which has allocated a massive €268 billion to support energy consumers.
Here’s how the total spending of some of Europe’s biggest economies looks in euros x 109
UK - 103.3
Italy - 93.3
France - 92.1
Spain - 40.2
Netherlands - 39.2
Personally? Dutch Cabinet of warmonger Mark Rutte pushes higher taxes due to cost of war and military investments, greed inflation, cost of living spiraling out of control, sky rocketing profits in some sectors and announced austerity measures will hit my generation unevenly very hard, living on a meager pension and small investments. Already cost me thousands of Euros and will increase into tens of thousands in 2023-2024. My retirement plan has been torn up and replaced by great uncertainty. The boomers were not at all advantageous as we too have seen the ups and downs of the economy, periods of high inflation, long duration of unemployment, early retirement to offer jobs to younger generation.
During the Purple coalition of Dutch PM Wim Kok, a former head of largest labor union FNV, the social fabric of society was torn-up. Solidarity as common term was dropped in the waste bin.
Interesting read what NATO should have been about …
Statement @NATO by Wim Kok, Prime Minister of the Netherlands | May 28, 2002 |
Jean Monnet, one of the founding fathers of today's European Union, said that Europe will not be built as a complete structure, nor will it be built overnight; it will be built in a series of concrete achievements, creating first of all a de facto solidarity. The same goes for our common aim of creating a transatlantic zone of peace, security and stability spreading from Vancouver to Vladivostok. Today's inaugural session of the NATO Russia Council is such a concrete step forward on the path of ever growing cooperation between NATO and Russia, which we started some ten years ago. I want to congratulate Secretary General Robertson and his staff and the negotiators on behalf of president Putin for their successful conclusion of this agreement.
This success has been brought about by a fundamental change in our strategic security environment: it is no longer each other that we fear.
Both NATO and Russia increasingly have to cope with the same security challenges, such as terrorism, proliferation and regional instability, and we have the same security interests. Former adversaries have now become partners in creating democracy and the rule of law, peace and stability in Europe. A step rightly qualified as historic.
The Netherlands wholeheartedly welcomes the development. Seeing the flagpoles of the 20 countries of the NATO Russia Council standing together is symbolic for our determination to give new substance to our cooperation. It also reminds me of the centruries-old relations between Russia and the Netherlands. For the Russian word "flagshtok", which is flagpole, is a Dutch word. It dates back to our close ties in the times of Peter the Great.
The most important challenge now is to make the NATO Russia Councila strong and result oriented framework for practical cooperation.
So let's all commit ourselves to come up with good results soon, even before the Prague Summit. [became known as a “Transformation” summit]
Success feeds on itself!
The Bleakness of the 80s
Wim Kok was the Prime Minister, and as leader of the Labor Party PvdA (Partij van de Arbeid), it was expected that a left-wing administration would introduce wage increases and that the average citizen could enjoy more access to disposable funds. But, sadly, the economic reality around the world was pretty bleak. In the UK, the mines were closing, miners were striking, and Margaret Thatcher was, well, Thatchering.
Beyond all that, the Cold War was a constant backdrop to world politics; nukes, red buttons, distrust, and a global fuel shortage. This meant Wim Kok couldn’t introduce the expected wage increases at home because the Netherlands was facing an economic crisis just like the rest of the Western world.
The Labor party leader had to meet with trade unions and convince them that keeping wages as they were and, in fact, introducing a cap on wages was the best way forward for everyone. If they increased wages, companies would not be able to afford to keep staff; this would lead to redundancies and layoffs, rising unemployment, and actually creating more poverty than wealth. Keeping wages steady meant people could keep their jobs, and the country might navigate its way out of the economic crisis. Wim Kok was right. His tactics worked, but what about this event was an example of the Polder Model?
The Polder Model is when several political parties agree to a compromise and establish a multi-party policy based on trust and goodwill. The cap on wages and economic caution in 1980s Holland yielded excellent results.
The Netherlands entered the 1990s stronger and more secure than expected. So the Polder Model is when the government does not govern alone but considers the points of view and needs of other parties and affected groups. This manifests itself in so many parts of Dutch life; housing corporations, financial institutes, marketing agencies, school boards, etc. will ask everyone for their opinion.
Came across an interesting debate @EuroTrib
The Dutch turned right? | das monde on Jan 10th, 2006 |