Dutch MPs are today holding an emergency debate on a glossy magazine published by the agriculture ministry. Well, rather by outgoing Agriculture Minister Gerda Verburg.

It’s simply called Gerda and the minister is pictured on the cover and elsewhere in the magazine looking more like a fashion model than a serious politician. It is being distributed with a number of popular Dutch women’s magazines.

Ms Verburg defends the publication, saying it is intended to fill in as many people as possible about the work of the agriculture ministry which is celebrating its 75th anniversary. She also argues that it celebrates the work of farmers and those in the fishing sector.

The trouble is that the run of 830,000 copies is costing the Dutch taxpayer 400,000 euros. A reasonable amount, says the minister, pointing out that the cost is a mere 50 euro-cents per Dutch household.

But there is also an election coming up and it looks very like the Christian Democrat minister is campaigning on her own and on her party’s behalf. According to Ms Verburg the timing is pure coincidence: the magazine was planned months before the government fell and early elections were announced.

MPs are accusing the minister of glorifying her policies and herself at the expense of the tax payer in the run-up to an election. They are demanding the magazines be removed from the shelves and that the Christian Democrat Party pick up the tab for the whole fiasco.

In the words of a Socialist Party MP: “Christian Democrat journals should be paid for out of the party’s campaign budget”.

© Radio Netherlands Worldwide