Press Review Thursday 18 February 2010

The latest cabinet crisis is in all of this morning's papers and many are speculating that Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende's fourth cabinet won't see out its full term either. The argument about extending the Dutch mission to the Afghan province of Uruzgan has been rumbling for months now but was brought to a head when NATO formally requested that the mission be extended. The Dutch mission to Uruzgan was originally scheduled to end at the end of 2010.

The papers don't agree on how close to collapse the government is: de Volkskrant's front-page headline reads "Fierce row over Uruzgan," AD writes, "Cabinet at breaking point over Afghan mission," and De Telegraaf goes with "End of Balkenende IV in sight".

AD sums up the positions of the three parties in the cabinet as follows: "the Christian Democrats are in favour of extending the mission, Labour is fiercely opposed and the Christian Union is sitting on the fence".

De Volkskrant writes that the Christian Democrats and the Christian Union are furious with the Labour Party but the leader of the parliamentary Labour party tells the paper, "The last Dutch soldier must be withdrawn by the end of 2010. We're keeping our promise to the voters".

Gulf between politicians and voters growing
Trouw reports that the gulf between politicians and the public is "unacceptable," while AD writes that the divide is "wider than ever". On Wednesday the Council for Civil Administration (CCA), a government advisory body, presented a report warning of a "complete break between electors and the elected". According to Trouw, the council says just a small proportion of the public feel connected with politics and politicians.

AD writes that voters feel sidelined by politicians and political parties believe they can "just go their own way after being elected". CCA chairman Jacques Wallage tells the paper "ordinary people want to be taken seriously and be consulted about major decisions, but politicians just play their own game after being elected".

Disappointing growth for Dutch Rail
AD reports that Dutch Railways (NS) failed to achieve the projected five percent increase in passenger numbers in 2009. However, Transport Minister Camiel Eurlings praised the 1.2 percent growth during the first six months of 2009 as, "not a bad achievement during these economically challenging times".

On Wednesday, Minister Camiel Eurlings presented a series of new measures designed to entice people out of their cars and on to the trains. The new measures come on top of the government's 2007 railway action plan, which AD says was funded to the tune of 62 million euros.

De Telegraaf is far more scathing in its assessment of Mr Eurlings' measures: "NS action plan a complete fiasco," headlines the paper. According to the populist broadsheet, Mr Eurlings allocated 200 million euros to the railway action plan, which was supposed to increase train use by five percent annually.

According to Mr Eurlings and the NS Board of Directors, "the disappointing growth is due to the economic downturn and passenger numbers will increase once the economy picks up".

Oddly enough, no one connected the relationship between passenger numbers and the daily irritation called travelling to work on the train: overcrowded and uncomfortable carriages, trains that are late or cancelled, misleading, incomplete or simply no information about when the next train may arrive and the ever-increasing costs.

Carnival hangovers
The carnival is over and AD has a roundup of carnival-related items including excessive alcohol use, brawls, a missing finger and the row between the bishop and the gay Carnival Prince. The paper says the number of children and teenagers admitted to hospital after drinking themselves stupid increased to 66 this year.

Twelve people were fined for urinating in public (known here in the Netherlands by the delightful term 'wild pissing'), general misbehaviour and playing on the train tracks and three people were arrested after a man had the top of his finger bitten off during a brawl in a bar.

A few days ago, several papers reported that a Catholic priest had refused communion to a gay man who had been elected Carnival Prince and AD writes that the meeting between the priest and the Narrendonk carnival society failed to resolve the situation.

The priest says his refusal is in keeping with Catholic regulations. "It's a pity," said the prince.

Sven Kramer Ltd: turning Olympic gold into cash
"Coming soon to a shop near you: Sven K. bicycles, sunglasses and skates," headlines AD on its front page. The paper reports that Sven Kramer, "currently the Netherlands' most successful Olympic sportsperson," will soon be Sven K. Ltd and will lend his name - and fame - to a host of products including bicycles, sunglasses and of course, ice skates.

"Thanks to advertising and sponsoring deals, an annual income of at least four million euros is possible," writes the paper above a photo of the jubilant sportsman holding an Olympic medal aloft.

According to manager Ron Mulder, Sven K. won't be launching his own brand, but will be endorsing other goods because an own brand would be "too arrogant". However, he won't be lending his name to anything and everything: "You won't see Sven promoting shampoo, he's got no affinity for shampoo," clarified Mr Mulder.

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