Belgians protest against political stalemate and the Dutch Senate thinks about an inquiry. The under-3s get a language boost, there’s a call for a fireworks ban and a whodunnit with a Dutch connection, while two brothers come out top. It’s all in the Dutch dailies.

Belgian protest and a Senate first
The Dutch often look to Belgium. Usually, it’s to make fun of their southern neighbours, but today it’s a serious look, although still from a position of superiority.

Three of today’s papers run large, front-page photographs of the “just under 35,000” Belgians who, according to de Volkskrant, marched in protest against the political impasse that has left the country without a government since a general election seven months ago. In Trouw’s picture, a placard with the word ‘shame’ is central. The paper says the English word was chosen so as not to come down on either side of Belgium’s Dutch-speaking or French-speaking divide.

Next to its piece on the Belgian protest, Trouw reports that the Dutch Upper House, or Senate, is thinking about holding an inquiry into privatisation policies introduced over the past two decades. The chamber has never held such an inquiry and has only considered the move once before.

The Senate leader of the D66 democrat party, who also happens to be a professor of constitutional law, says we shouldn’t read anything into the fact that it’s never been done before. He says the Upper House is perfectly within its rights to conduct an inquiry.

He thinks Senators  have more than enough time to devote to an inquiry, even though it's only a part-time position. He also believes that members of the Upper House are less polarised and would not divide along party political lines as MPs tend to do. However, he thinks the question of whether or not to hold the inquiry should be left until after a new Senate is formed following provincial elections in May.

Language skills in the under-3s
De Telegraaf also runs a major piece on the Belgian demonstrations, but chooses to lead with the government’s launch of a nationwide primary education trial. Under the scheme, children who are lagging behind in (presumably Dutch) language skills, will be able to begin special primary school classes at the age of two and a half.

The special ‘play schools’ will hone in on language and should equip the youngsters to make a flying start when they begin primary school in earnest after a couple of years. Test schemes are to be introduced by about 20 local councils throughout the country.

Education Minister Marja van Bijsterveld says children will have more opportunities if they are not behind in language skills when they start full-time education. “Every child deserves that, but students who are able to keep up in class are also a help to their teachers and classmates,” she explains.

Fireworks that go bang
It’s not just the front-page picture in de Volkskrant which has a Belgian connection today. The lead story says Dutch justice authorities are pushing for large ‘banger’ fireworks to be banned by the European Union. The ‘mega-bangers’ are already outlawed in the Netherlands, but not in countries such as Belgium. This makes them relatively easy to get hold of by their Dutch neighbours.

The problem is not the fireworks themselves but what people do with them. The paper says the large bangers are used to make homemade ‘bomb’ fireworks and that these are becoming increasingly popular. While the overall number of people injured by fireworks around New Year’s Eve has been steadily going down over the last few years, injuries due to the firework bombs have been on the increase.

Three people were killed on New Year’s Eve this year: the highest firework death toll since the 1990s. The severity of fireworks injuries also appears to be getting worse. Of the people who went to hospital emergency departments this New Year, 120 were kept in overnight or longer for treatment – the highest number for a decade.

A whodunnit with a Dutch connection
The papers also cover the arrest of a Dutch man who lives in England for the murder of his neighbour, Joanna Yeates. Today’s nrc.next, asks: “Whodunnit: the neighbour or the landlord?” It says the story has all the hallmarks of a good thriller which is why it has been top news in the UK for so long.

The story began with Ms Yeates' disappearance from her home in Bristol, after which her family appealed to members of the public for information. When her body was found – strangled – the family carried on seeking publicity, asking for help in tracking down her murderer. However, says nrc.next, the police are refusing to give details about any motive the Dutch man may have had for the murder.

The Dutch press are prevented from publishing any indentifying information about suspects in criminal cases and the suspect is simply being referred to as Vincent T in today’s papers.

However, the British press appear to have no such restrictions. Trouw says British websites are full of personal photos of the Dutch suspect and British reporters have descended on the town where the man's family live in the Netherlands. Meanwhile, his family are convinced of his innocence. They say they have been “terribly affected” by what has happened and have urged the media to keep their distance. 

Emotional roller coaster
Today’s AD relegates the Belgian protests to an inside page, preferring to run a picture of brothers Ben and Dean Saunders who won separate television pop talent contests over the weekend. It was a “roller coaster of emotion” for the Saunders family, the tabloid reveals.

On Friday, 3.7 million viewers watched Ben become The Voice of Holland. The following evening, Dean won the Popstars contest on a rival channel. But while the winners’ parents were watching their eldest son’s performance on Saturday, thieves were busy burgling the family home in the picturesque town of Hoorn north of Amsterdam.

The excitement and strain, both pleasant and unpleasant, caused Mrs Saunders to suffer a nervous collapse and she was found unconscious. The winners say they experienced “the worst moment” of their lives. “Talent shows don’t mean anything at a time like that,” says Dean.

Mother Lesley is now doing well, the AD reassures us, and her winning brood can get on with enjoying their success.