The Labour Party leader is under fire, while the tide may be turning against social democratic parties in general. There’s zero tolerance for youths in The Hague, food for youth riots in Sassenheim and a Children’s Books Ball in Amsterdam.

Labour Party troubles
Labour Party (PvdA) leader Job Cohen is under fire from within his own party for his allegedly lacklustre performance in parliament and in front of the cameras. Both de Volkskrant and AD have front-page pictures of him facing the microphones after outgoing Labour chair Lilianne Ploumen went public with her criticism.

“At the moment, Job [Cohen] is our leader,” de Volkskrant quotes one party bigwig as - rather ominously - saying. In an analysis, the paper reckons Ms Ploumen could be trying to push Labour towards a more progressive – leftwing – stance before she steps down. It reminds us that, although she is now criticising him, Mr Cohen became leader while Ms Ploumen herself was chair.

AD tells us Mr Cohen is remaining cool, at least outwardly. He explains the criticism is nothing new and that he will “carry on with what I’m doing”. However, elsewhere in its coverage, AD says the Labour Party is crying out for Lodewijk Asscher. The relatively unknown Amsterdam councillor is described by the paper as Labour’s “crown prince”.

Turning tide against Labour
This morning’s nrc.next says Mr Cohen is not the only problem Labour is facing. It believes the tide has turned against traditional social democratic parties in general and lists five traits of modern Dutch – and global – society which are pushing these traditional parties towards their demise.

These include modern individualism (sounds a lot like old-fashioned selfishness to me) which leads to less solidarity with other people. The transience of modern political affiliations, with politics seen as a form of theatre, is also on the list.

Politicians are said to be forced to be perpetually on campaign. As a result parliament is changing from a meeting place where the best policies are thrashed out to a theatre for political campaigning.

The question of globalisation – for example more European integration - is said to divide traditional Labour voters into two camps – the highly educated (for) and the less well-educated (against).

The paper also says voters increasingly want politicians to mirror their anger and that being reasonable rather than populist tends to lose votes. Finally, the traditional Labour voters, the “downtrodden masses”, are said not really to exist anymore.

Zero tolerance in The Hague?
Girls and boys who belong to notorious youth gangs in The Hague may soon be removed from their homes, says De Telegraaf on its front page. Local police, prosecution authorities and youth welfare agencies are drawing up a raft of measures to be used if parents can’t or won’t keep their children under control.

The paper explains that a number of gang members have already been placed under official supervision in an attempt to curb the criminal and anti-social behaviour of some youngsters in the city.

“...We want to ensure that these girls and boys stay on the straight and narrow and don’t follow in the footsteps of older family members,” explains a police spokesperson.

The police clamp-down follows a number of recent cases in which local people, including one gay couple, were forced out of their homes in The Hague after long-term harassment by local youths.

Food for riots
Still on criminal youngsters, AD saves part of its front page for a background report on Monday’s riot at a youth detention centre in the small town of Sassenheim.

The paper explains that the nine youths behind the disturbance had a very particular reason for causing trouble: they didn’t like the food they were given. They had only been in custody a few days when they went on the rampage, occupying a prison office, barricading doors and generally vandalising the place.

A security ministry spokesperson describes the motives of the youths, aged from 15 to 21, as puerile. “They were angry that they had been imprisoned. They had trouble with the tough rules and didn’t like the food,” she explains.

Dozens of firefighters and police officers in bullet-proof vests were deployed to tackle the riot which ended after negotiation. Justice Minister Fred Teeven says “no promises” were made to the offenders.

Children’s books – a ball
As if to let us know that not all Dutch youngsters are criminal, Trouw is one of the papers that devotes part of its front page to yesterday’s Children’s Books Ball in Amsterdam.

The theme of this year’s Children’s Book Week is superheroes. A number of the youngsters who went to the ball are pictured in their costumes. Two of them are dressed as their particular superheroes, Zorro and Batman.