Dutch government falls over Afghanistan

[Speelgoedmannetje]

This morning, our government has fallen over the promise of getting out of Afghanistan by 2010. The Christian democrats (CDA) wanted to break that promise with obeying the NATO request to stay longer (I think to keep the good relation with the US), but the socialists (PvdA) wanted to keep that promise (because that promise was the very reason they agreed for continuation in the past).
Everyone saw this coming a long while ago. That promise was already a farce, and personally I think the PvdA is partly to blame for this because they chose to 'take the responsibility' to govern this country together with the Christian Democrats. They could as well have chosen to join in a left wing coalition with the SP and Groen Links, but no, they preferred the Christian democrats, who already had proven not being able to keep a government together with falling twice with the LPF (a new right wing party, nowadays non-existant) and later with the D66 (a liberal party). After that they continued with a minority government which main goal was to manage the upcoming election. Even that fell. So this is the 4th time in a row Balkenende (our soon-to-be ex-prime minister) shows his incompetence! Very nice to know that such 'able' persons lead the country through the crisis (not). I'm furious furious furious! :evil:
With the upcoming of Wilders, I fear our government will soon be as unstable as the Belgian government.
And I, as taxpayer, can pay for this incompetence. :evil:

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[cecilia]

i saw this the other day. is it really this dangerous to the stability of your entire government?

how very sad.

stupid {bleep} war

 

[FluffyMcDeath]

@Speelgoedmannetje

So the Dutch troops ARE likely to be leaving?

 

[Speelgoedmannetje]

@Speelgoedmannetje

So the Dutch troops ARE likely to be leaving?

I dunno whether someone will stand up and 'take the responsibility to ensure a proper withdrawal' (in other words: let us stay there forever).
This whole coalition which now is fallen, was shoddy to say the least, at the very beginning. The PvdA (socialists) was unwilling, but considered a non-governed country to be worse. The rule was that the NATO should be informed when there was political agreement on this subject, but the CDA (Christian democrats) completely ignored the PvdA and informed the NATO all by themselves that there was consensus. Which obviously wasn't, and they knew it.
Now if there were reasons to elongate the Afghanistan mission against the agreement, and with the fact of the coalition being brittle, especially on this subject, they should either vote about it in the government (and with that, fully informed), or let the people decide about it in a (legally binding) referendum.

Added to this all, JP Balkenende's brother, Ronald Balkenende, has a function in Tenaris, a company which makes oil tubes. Now it happens that Uruzgan, the provence NL is active in, is a key route for oil tubes.

 

[Speelgoedmannetje]

i saw this the other day. is it really this dangerous to the stability of your entire government?

how very sad.

stupid {bleep} war

Well, it's more the way too obvious corruption in our government that's to blame. I can't blame any foreign government for meddling in our politics.

 

[FluffyMcDeath]

Added to this all, JP Balkenende's brother, Ronald Balkenende, has a function in Tenaris, a company which makes oil tubes. Now it happens that Uruzgan, the provence NL is active in, is a key route for oil tubes.

Ah. I see.

 

[Speelgoedmannetje]

Added to this all, JP Balkenende's brother, Ronald Balkenende, has a function in Tenaris, a company which makes oil tubes. Now it happens that Uruzgan, the provence NL is active in, is a key route for oil tubes.

Ah. I see.

Yes, but I don't see exactly what's going on here. It seems to me they let this coalition fail on purpose, but what benefit it has in his case is far from clear to me.

 

[FluffyMcDeath]

Ah. I see.

Yes, but I don't see exactly what's going on here. It seems to me they let this coalition fail on purpose, but what benefit it has in his case is far from clear to me.

I guess they played it as long as they could. Probably gambling that they could reach some kind of deal rather than have the government fall. It's just the regular political brinkmanship.

 

[Speelgoedmannetje]

Ah. I see.

Yes, but I don't see exactly what's going on here. It seems to me they let this coalition fail on purpose, but what benefit it has in his case is far from clear to me.

I guess they played it as long as they could. Probably gambling that they could reach some kind of deal rather than have the government fall. It's just the regular political brinkmanship.

Hmok, you have a point.

I wonder if a politician can be sued for extremely bad politics.