The political system in the Netherlands

Parliament, formally referred to as the States General, consists of two Chambers, the First Chamber, which has 75 members indirectly by the Provincal States, and the Second Chamber with 150 members elected by universal suffrage of all Dutch nationals over the age of 18.

 

· Princess’ Day

 

On every third Tuesday of September the head of state of the Netherlands, presently Queen Beatrix, is driven to the medieval Knights' Hall in a gilded, horse-drawn coach to give the "Speech of the Throne". This special day is called "Prinsjesdag" and has marked the opening of the Dutch parliament since 1887. "Prinsjesdag" literally means "Princes' day" and originally referred to the celebrations of stadhouder William the V's birthday on 8 March, which especially during patriotic times was an occasion to display loyalty to the House of Orange. The monarch travels to and from the Knight's Hall accompanied by the crown prince or princess and other royal offspring once they have turned 18. It is thought that this is the origin behind the name "Prinsjesdag". 

 

 

 

The Royal House is the House of Orange-Nassau which has historical links with the Netherlands dating back to the sixteenth century. Queen Beatrix, who has been head of state since 1980 , is married to Prince Claus of the Netherlands, Jonkheer van Amsberg. They have three sons: Prince Willem-Alexander who became Crown Prince in 1980, Prince Johan Friso and Prince Constantijn. Succession to the throne is hereditary in the male and female lines, the firstborn child being first in the line of succession. 
 
 

 

· Queen’s Day

 

The Dutch celebrate their National Day today, a long tradition. On Princess Juliana, the Queen mother's birthday a nationwide public holiday is declared in honour of Beatrix. 

April 30, a celebration of Queen Beatrix' birthday throughout the country. The Queen visits two cities of Holland, where she and her family are welcomed by a large crowd with demonstrations of local crafts. games and specialties. 

 

 

Every country has a government. So does Holland have a government.The queen reigns our country. Our country consists of 12 provinces and every province has a lot of municipalities.

The province and the municipalities have their own government.

The queen and her government control the province and the municipalities.
 

 

· Municipality

 

All our provinces consist of some municipalities. We live in the municipaltity ‘Noordoostpolder’. What a province means in our country will be extend somewhere else in this script.

At the top of the municipality is the town-council. A town-council has to be chosen for a period of 4 years by the people who live in that municipality. 

The mayor is head of the town-council. The mayor can not be chosen, he’s appointed by the Home Secretary, for a period of 6 years. 

There are aldermen in the town-council too, they are together with the mayor responsible for the day-to-day administration of the municipality.

The town-council is the legislature and the ‘Burgemeester en Wethouders’ (the mayor and the aldermen are called like that) is the executive power.

· Province

 

The Netherlands consists of 12 provinces.

Each province consists of several municipalities.

Our school is in the province Flevoland.

 

On the head of the province is the Provincial States.

The Provincial States have to be chosen by the people who live in that province.

The people who form the Provincial States are chosen for 4 years. 

The daily managment of the Provincial States consists of Provincial Executive and the Royal Commisioner.

The Provincial Executive is chosen out of the people who form the Provincial States.

The Provincial Executive consists of six people chosen for 4 years.

The Home Secretary advices the Queen on the appointment the Royal Commisioner.

The Royal Commisioner chairs the Provincial States and the Provincial Executive as well.
 

The sixties in the Netherlands

 

 

· Party’s in the sixties in the Netherlands

 

D66 (Democrats 1966).

As the name says in was founded in 1966. A part of the success of the party was the new politic sound they brought. Their programm was not based on religion or politic ideology but on a more bussinesslike approach for problems. They wanted to underline the party-renovation and several constitutional changes. Their purpose was to give the voter more direct influence on the municipality, the province- and the state-government. Important things were more direct elections for the prime minister and they also wanted to introduce a districtsystem. Attempts of the party to change constitutional things failed. D66 became a normal party, which came into the government several times and made compromises. Emphasized where social problems like environmental pollution, industrial renovation etc.

They chose a progressive-liberal position as startingpoint. Very important was the freedom of the human being.

 

In the night of 13 to 14 October 1966 the Cals-government fell. This night is called ‘The night of Schmelzer’ after Schmelzer who planned the Schmelzer-coup. This was a very strange happening, because the resigning of Cals government was supported by his own party, the K.V.P.. The K.V.P. ( Katholieke Volks Partij, Catholic People Party) thought to have found a deficit into the national budget. One week before the threatment of this budget the K.V.P. prepared an assesment. The liberals also said to disagree with the budget. Schmelzer asked the government questions about this budget. The ministers said that they would make their homework. Schmelzer was not satisfied with the answers of the government and so he asked for ways to prevent extra governmental costs. The government saw this as a feeling of distrust. Schmelzer was supported by the rest of the K.V.P. fraction and the Cals-government resigned.
 

The marriage of Princess Beatrix with Claus von Amsberg:

The announcement of the marriage of princess Beatix with Claus von Amsberg in 1965 brought a lot of revolt, because Claus von Amsberg is a German ,who, as a very yong man, served in Hitler’s Werhmacht during the last world war. The government and the royal family both realised that a marriage between them would recall painful memories of the German occupation.The government had ordered a research of Claus’ past, from which appeared that Claus von Amsberg didn’t join the German war acts. Therefore the government proposed a bill for approval of the marriage, despite protest from jews and the former resistance.

· Culture after 1960:
 

For Amsterdam 1966 was the most boisterous year after the second word war. It began with curious provocators actions in 1965. That the police acted quite hard against the distribution of raisins, a frivolous provocation-act, undermined the authority more as the alternative resistance did. But it all changed, more grim came, when princess Beatrix and prins Claus wanted explicitly to marry in Amsterdam, the Dutch capital. Then anti-German feelings came up and although the government already found out that prins Claus didn’t do anything wrong during the second world war, the marriage led to several severe incidents on the tenth of March 1966.When 9 days later an exposition with pictures of the police-actions was opened, this again led to severe incidents. It weren’t only the provocators then who reacted severely against the police-policy of mayor Van Hall. Holland was shocked because of the number of violent incidents and the government and parlement blaimed the provocators. One year later van Hall was discharged. From America came the “Ban de Bom” (no bombs anymore) and anti -Vietnam movements over to Holland. Students didn’t only study anymore, they also protested against the government. The provocators invented serveral new social aimed plannes ( like the White bicycle plan ) and so the provocation-movement developed itself to an alternative movement, in which Roel van Duyn and cooperatives like Rob Stolk seemed to be the indefatigable creaters of new ideas. Early 1970 they even designed an alternative small state in a state, the Orange Freestate. The provocation-movement was then already known as the “gnome-movement”, with an own national anthem and after March 1970 even an own party , which brought van Duyn a seat in the counsel. His following aldermanship became a failure. 

 

2.3.6

The provocation dream of Amsterdam being the capital of the European alternative living soon changed into a nightmare of heroine, an uncontrolled squatter`s movement and violence. After 1973 the gnome-movement disappeared out of the government, and all of it’s supporters went their own way. Some of these people went to alternative sectarism, others sought the direct political fight in parties like the C.P.N (Communist Party of the Netherlands) and the P.V.D.A. (Labour Party) and others like van Duyn disappeared out of social life, and went to the idealised countryside.
 

The seventies in the Netherlands

 

· The establishment of the CDA

 

In 1960 the Netherlands became an affluent society. With the coming of foreigners and foreign products, the way of life changed in to an easier and luxurious life with lots of more spare time. The influence of television helped a lot, Catholics and Calvinists watched programs from the Liberals and Socialists, and the other way round. Especially in the Catholic Church a lot people changed their values and habits .

The Calvinists also changed their opinion and became more open to other theories. Inside the Church a lot of discussions took place, a lot of people left the Church,. More often people took the freedom to decide about their own problems. Such as divorce, sexual relationships, abortion, suicide and to choose their own political conviction. 

They also lost interest in political religious movements. The three biggest confessional (Catholic) political parties, ARP (AntiRevolution Party), CHU (Christen Historic Union) en KVP ( Catholic People’s Party) lost a lot of members and voters. And then, there came a lot of discord in the parties, the elder people wanted to keep things the same as they were before, but the younger people wanted renewal. After a long time of discussion and deliberation between the parties, the ARP, CHU en de KVP decided to establish a federation with the Bible as guidance. In 1980 they converted the federation in a real party. They called themselves CDA (which means Christen-Democratic Appèl).

 

· The four from Breda

 

Severe debates started several times because of the possible release of the four German war-criminals, Kotälla, Aus der Funten, Fischer and Lages. They were well-known as ‘the four from Breda’; Breda is the place where they were kept in prison. The tumult started in 1966 when the Minister of Justice L. Samkalden, wanted to release Lages. Lages was incurablely sick and he was dying soon. Samkalden didn’t want him to die in prison. So Lages was set free and went home to Germany, where he was operated and lived for five more years. 

 

A lot of people were angry. In 1972 minister Van Agt announced, that he wanted to release the ‘three from Breda’, because they were in prison now for more than 20 years. 

2.3.8

A lot of protest started, there were a lot of emotional demonstrations, it all ended in a tumult hearing in the Tweede Kamer ( Second Room) ,the Netherlands was shocked, and the ‘three from Breda’ stayed in prison. 

 

· The contourennota

 

In the year 2000 the Dutch government will present a new plan called ‘ the contourennota’. In this plan, the kindergarten and grammar-school will become one school for children from 4 - 12 years old. After grammar-school is the High School from 12 - 18 years old. Everybody has go to school until his 18th. The plan is invented in the year 1978 by minister den Uyl. He was member of the Socialistic party. Minister van Agt thought it wasn’t a good plan. He was from the Catholic party. These two parties were always disagreeing. Now it’s the year 2000 and the Contourennota isn’t being used. So the plan of minister den Uyl failed.

 

· The Lockheed affair

 

In 1976 the director of the American aircraft factory Lockheed has declared that Lockheed had paid Prince Bernard, husband of the Dutch queen in those days Juliana, $ 1.000.000. This all with the intention that prince Bernard could use his position to recommend Lockheed planes for the Dutch Airforce to help Lockheed. Prince Bernard was concerned about the production of planes in the Netherlands. Prince Bernard said he never had had some money from Lockheed. Few months later, it appeared by a report of the commission Donner, that Prince Bernard really received $ 1.000.000. Prince Bernard had shown accessibility for indecent desires. He declared that he would break all his contacts with the airforce. Further he would stop all his functions in business. Because queen Juliana had threatened to resign, he has not been prosecuted.

· The Molokai revolt

 

Thirty-three Molokai juveniles occupied the Indonesian office-house in Wassenaar. While a policeman was keeping watch, some juveniles killed him. A while later the Molokai were sent to prison. Later the juveniles have hijacked a train in Drenthe (this in a province in the Netherlands). Four people died.

Train hijackers and occupiers demanded the same: Freedom for the captive Sud-Moluk and recognition of the RMS, a free way to the Dutch airport Schiphol and a aeroplane to East-Timor. After the explosion and the hijacking of the train and the conversations with Mr. Manusuma and clergyman Matiary, the Molokai surrendered. 

In May 1951 there were Molokai professional regular soldiers in the army of the Indonesian government. The soldiers were ‘transported’ to the Netherlands. The soldiers didn’t like it in the Netherlands, so they wanted to go back to Molokai. The government didn’t allowed this, so there became a tumult. The tumult was put down. When the Molokai heard that there former leader would be executed, they were so angry that they couldn’t be stopped. This is the only serious example of terrorism in Holland.

 

· The oil-crisis

 

The Dutch parliament decided on November 18th that there had to come a carless-Sunday. The people were not allowed to use their car on that day, unless they had special permission. Children were playing by the road all day. Nobody was happy about this decision. When the parliament thought back on this decision they came to the conclusion that this day wasn’t nessary. The reason this day was planned was because there was an oil-crisis in the Netherlands. The reason that there wasn’t enough oil, was because the Netherlands and the United States helped Israel in the Jom Kippoerwar. This was a war against Arabia. The Arabian sheik Yarmani didn’t like this, so he didn’t transport oil to the Netherlands and the United States.
 
 

The eighties in the Netherlands

 

· 1980

In December 1977 the cabinet of Van Agt I was appointed. It took 41 days to form this cabinet. Eventually the CDA (christen democratic appel) were the parties which came in the cabinet.

In the period that this cabinet ruled, it had to deal with several problems, such as the growing unemployment and the rising government shortages, as a consequence of the second oil-crisis.

In March Mr.Andriessen ,Minister of the Finance, retired because he didn't agree with the estimates for 1981.

On the 30th of April there was a succession to the throne. Beatrix became the new queen of the Netherlands.

The cabinet Van Agt I retired in September 1981, they ruled for 1362 days.

 

· 1981

In September 1981 the cabinet of Van Agt II was appointed. 

This cabinet wanted to tackle the unemployment by creating new employment. It was called the "Job-plan".

A new religious party ,the EvP (evangelic national party) ,was founded by a group of progressive anti - revolutionaries.

In the socialistic and communistic society The IKB ( international communistic alliance) a radical group of youngsters with the name Rebel appeared.

Later the IKB became the SAP ( social labour party ).

In 1981 was the year when many parties were set up and also the modernizing of the nuclear weapons in Europe.

The cabinet Van Agt II had ruled for 260 days when it retired in 1982.

 

· 1982

lt's the year when the IKB turned into the Social Workers Party (SAP), a political party. lt's a clear name, people knew immediately what you were talking about when they heard the name. This political party is important for the workers, they fight for their rights, but that isn't the only issue for this political party, their target group doesn't only exist of workers, all the people who aren't very rich, they are fighting for, that's a good thing in Dutch politics. You can't miss such as a party in the politic. 

 

2.3.11

lt's the year when the Federation Dutch Trade Unions ( FNV ) are national agitating against the plans of the cabinet with regard to the health service, which has been risen. Another good issue, to talk about and to fight for, the FNV is a trade union in Holland and are indispensable for workers in Holland, but they aren't the only trade union in Holland, so they have to fight for their position in this business, but they are doing a good job, as a worker you don't have to worry about your rights at work, that's what they are doing for you, you can become a member of them, so you have to pay a contribution, but this isn't essential to profit of what they have reached, you need to be a member to get juridical help when you are in big problems. 

lt' s the year that the cabinet-Van Agt is calling the Dutch ambassador in Paramaribo back. Reason for this is the execution of Wilfred Hawker. lt's probably very dangerous in Suriname, this country used to be a colony of Holland. They depend on financial support of Holland. In Holland there are many opponents to this financial support, they say the government can just use that money for problems in Holland, they think Suriname is independent of Holland, they have their own government, so they are arguing. We don't agree with that, because we can always help people in trouble, we only have to worry about the things which are bought with the money they have received of Holland. 

lt's the year that Ed Nijpels is the successor of Hans Wiegel as the leader of a parliamentary fraction of the VVD 

( People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ) in the house of representatives. Wiegel is called to be the Royal Commissioner in Friesland, it is the most Northern province of Holland. The VVD is mostly meant for the rich people, we think, they are always arguing about money and taxation, it's maybe a good plan to argue more about the social things in Holland, but there are other political parties which are fighting for these issues, so it's maybe not so bad to have such a political party in the government, now are all the people represented in the Dutch government, we think that is a very good point. 

Later that year the PVDA ( Party of the Labour ) leaves the cabinet - Van Agt II. The Dutch queen Beatrix, asks W. Scholten to informate to a cabinet that can co-operate with States General. Van Agt, the Prime Minister, also announce that he will leave national politics, which nobody expected. The CDA ( Christian Democratic Appeal ) and the VVD agreed to the programme of a new cabinet. Beatrix appoints Ruud Lubbers as the new person charged with forming a new government. Ruud Lubbers becomes the new Prime Minister. The new cabinet of VVD and CDA is swearing in by Ruud Lubbers.

 2.3.12

· 1983  

The Dutch government, under the leadership of Ruud Lubbers, finishes the first whole year. Van Agt becomes Royal Commisioner in North Brabant. The two Members of Parliament, Scholten and Dijkman, retire from the CDA. So the majority of the government shrinks very much. 

Queen Beatrix has installed the new cabinet-Lubbers, which consist of ministers of CDA and VVD. 

This year was a year of cut-backs, they were the causes of many demonstrations in Holland. lt was also a year in which the social system caves in, that's another cause of many demonstrations in Den Haag, the place where government is registered. In the beginning of the year the welfare mothers demonstrated, because it looked like they came below the poverty line. Later this year the unemployed guys, under 23, demonstrated, because it looked like they would lose the alimony. They both couldn't change the plans of the government.

 

· 1984 

Split in the CPN ( Communist Party of the Netherlands ). Member of Parliament Janmaat (CP) was in a conflict with his own party and from that day the party wasn't called Centreparty anymore. From that date he was announced as group Janmaat . He called it Centre-Democrats himself 

The cabinet held an inquiry into the RSV-company. This worldshipbuilding-company is declared bankrupt. The government had got much influence in this company even though there were many problems, especially with money and things. This year wasn't really interesting so there isn't much information about it.

 

· 1985 

Crown Prince Willem Alexander is sworn in as a new member of the Council of State. 

lt was the last year before there would be new elections, so it was a quiet year. In Holland didn't happen very much, you can just say nothing, it was a boring year. There were some prognosisses for the new elections of the government in 1986, it showing that the CDA would gain 2 seats of government, the VVD would lose 2 seats of government and the PVDA would gain 10 seats of government.

There was a petition of the Dutch people against placing of cruise missiles in Holland. 

 

 

2.3.13

 

· 1986

At the end of 1985 the cabinet introduced a law-bill for an agreement with the United States about the insertion of cross-missiles (middle long distance rockets, which can carry nuclear warheads) in Holland. On the 27th of February, after a debate of several hours, the parliament voted and the majority agreed on the law-bill.

On the 26th of March the Senate also agreed on the law-bill. The coalition parties, CDA (Christian Democratic Party) and VVD (the Labour Party), and the small conservative parties were in favour and the progressive opposition parties voted against.

In spite of the protest of the Dutch population the placing of the cross-missiles was a fact.

 

· 1987

On the 20th of May a new Senate was chosen. That was necessary because of a few changes of the constitution, which had to be dealt with by the new chosen Senate and parliament. The old Senate and parliament approved on the law-bills which came with the changes, but the new Senate and parliament had to deal with it again. 

 

The changes of the constitution contain:

-entering houses; a change that offers a settlement about entering houses against the owners will.

-the defence; a change that will modernise the constitution and shorten it on the terrain of the defences.

-the obligation of ministers and secretaries of state ( the person beneath the minister ) to give information; 

a change that gives a member of the parliament the right to get information from the ministers or state-secretaries if they are asked.

On the 21st of May elections were held to choose a new parliament. The custom is that on the day of the election, the old cabinet tenders its discharge. And that’s what the first cabinet -Lubbers ( cabinet with Mr. Lubbers as Prime Minister ) did. It was likely that a new cabinet with the CDA and VVD, the parties from the old cabinet, would be formed, because at the elections they gained the majority. 

The advises to the Queen were just like they thought they would be. And the second cabinet - Lubbers was formed.
 
 

· 1988

 

06-09-1988 

Minister van Eekelen ( VVD ) resigned, owing to a report of the Inguirycommission Passport Project, which have failed to the object, about his malfunctioning as a State Secretary of Foreign Business in the Cabinet Lubbers 1.

 

24-09-1988 

Minister P. Bukman resigned, because he was very ill and he couldn't do his job any more. His job, Minister of Defence, was given to Minister F. Bolkestein, who finished this job for the remaining time. 

 

Minister van der Meer visited Bulgaria and Israel. This was because there were some problems with these countries and Van der Meer was sent to make this right. 

 

There was a Dutchman, who was captured in Germany for a crime he hadn't commited, so some Dutch cabinet members were sent to Germany to get this man free. His name was Harry Dost and soon he was free again, but he wasn't allowed to come back in Germany, and he did and they caught him, he was thrown in jail again. 

 

· 1989 

 

02-05-1989 

The whole cabinet resigned, owing to problems with the fraction of the VVD about the money you get for the time you are travelling to your work every day. 

 

07-11-1989 

The cabinet was officially gone and the queen and her formateurs ( people with the job to make new kabinets ) had to form a new cabinet. 

 

The cabinet sits 1212 days and there were ministers from the fractions CDA and the VVD. 

 

The little green parties and fractions came together under the name GroenLinks ( GreenLeft ). This is a party with a strong environmental interest. 
 
 

The nineties in the Netherlands

Back in the days of full employment, the elements of the "caring" European system -minimum wages, job protection, generous sickness and unemployment benefits - were designed to help the poor. 

Today such policies just help the working. European unemployment has increased in the past 25 years. 

The long term unemployed, the young and the skillless are the victims. 

 

However, there is a small tiny spot in Europe which did not surrender to the mighty emperor "unemployment". 

Unemployment is only 5,7% in the Netherlands (1998), just over half of what it was in 1983. Dutch reform has not only been persistent and far reaching. It has also occurred with litlle conflict and without sacrificing a national goal of redistributing money from the rich to the poor. 

 

Consensus lies at the heart of the Dutch success. Since 1983 the government, with support of employers and unions, has cut public spending as a share of GDP from 60 to 50%. Some of the money saved has been used to reduce employers' social security contributions to only 8% from almost 20% in 1989 to help job-creation. With the same goal, the bottom rate of income tax was halved to 7% in 1994. 

 

Part-time work was made easier by permitting part-timers to be paid less than full-timers for the same job. This has helped Dutch companies to adjust their workforce to the demand for labour and has helped unemployed to get back into work. At the same time, centralised wage bargaining has helped building a consensus in favour of wage constraint. Dutch wages in manufacturing have been moderate compared to Germany and France. 

In 1991 and 1995 the government made it harder to qualify for unemployment; in 1995 it removed the coverage for those who chose to become unemployed.
 
 

 2.3.16

Employment is only 62% of the economically active population. Many people seem to have dropped out of the workforce altogether. Adding the sick and the disappointed, unemployment may be as high as 25%. But even so, the employment rate is rising which is not the case elsewhere in Europe. 

The Netherlands government has already introduced many measures to stimulate innovation but more is needed to stimulate entrepreneurship in general.

 

Finally, the Dutch poldermodel is not limited to the labour market only. It is the combination of a quiet and flexible labour market with a solid monetary and fiscal policy and introducing more dynamic markets which is the core of the polder model.

 

 IRT affair

· Terrible conclusions for comité “Van Traa”

 

There was in 1996 a crisis in tracing of criminals.

The legality of multiple tracingmethods was uncertain, it wasn’t well fastened.

As a result multiple uncontrolled tracingmethods appeared.

Police and Justice worked against eachother. 

Most of the asked questions were like this:

· Are the Police allowed to infiltrate in gangs and criminal organizations?

· Are the police allowed to let drugs slip over the borders if they are that way able to catch a whole gang, or must every piece of harddrugs immediately caught if the police know where it is?

· May phones be overheard by the police if it is possible that criminals use that phone.

 

During this affair, , so 2 ministers had to retire; Hirsch Ballin en Van Thijn. 

 

 Bijlmerramp affair:

· Problems with citizens of Amsterdam.

 

Until a short time ago there was a struggle between citizens of the Bijlmer (where the El Al Boeing went down) and the minister. The citizens think Uranium was in the plane. They say the minister knew that but didn’t inform the firebrigade nor citizens so many people have healthproblems. The minister said she didn’t know, apologised, that was all.
 
 

· Railroad through the Betuwe?

 

Ministers wanted a railroad through a large “national Park”, called 'The Betuwe'. Much protest was made by people living there.

Now ground is bought by the government to lay the rail, houses have been demolished. The ministers are now saying: we don’t need the rail. Keep the park intact.

As a result millions have been waisted. But no minister had to resign.