Coalition offers sweeteners to voters in run up to provincial elections, but will a cheeky video win votes? Press photographers turn out en masse for “animal cops”. Gamblers may find they are being watched very closely and a “unique” gay imam is invited to the Netherlands.

Coalition offers sweeteners in run-up to provincial elections
With the upcoming provincial elections, the government coalition appears to be handing out pre-election sweeteners. According to de Volkskrant, popular measures have been speeded up, while unpopular ones have been put on ice. Normally no-one cares much about the provincial elections, but this time round they are essential for the coalition’s viability. Senators of the Upper House are indirectly elected by provincial representatives and the current minority government desperately needs a majority in the Upper House to get its legislation through.

A ban on smoking in small pubs was lifted almost immediately when the new government came into office. Steps have been taken to raise speed limits to 130 kilometres per hour on motorways. Every week, new plans are announced for a tougher approach to crime. A tax on expensive homes has been withdrawn. The government wants to deport unemployed Poles. Yesterday Economic Affairs Minister Maxime Verhagen suddenly scrapped unpopular plans to store CO2 underground in the Province of Groningen, as it turns out CO2 can be pumped into empty oil and gas fields in the North Sea.

In spite of the conservative VVD’s election promises to liberalise Sunday opening for shops, a debate on the issue has been postponed until after the 2 March poll, as the coalition may need the extra support from the orthodox Christian SGP party, which opposes Sunday opening. Cuts in the incomes and jobs for the handicapped have not been presented in parliament. Similarly the opposition has reminded the coalition that it is still waiting to see its pension plans.

The only minister so far to introduce unpopular plans is Education Minister Halbe Zijlstra, and he got pelted with tomatoes at a student demonstration after he announced fines for students who take too long over their courses.

Press turn out en masse for “animal cops”
The press turned out in big numbers yesterday to photograph two new “animal cops“ in Capelle and den IJssel on Tuesday. The local council has appeared to have beaten the Freedom Party to it this time, as  Mayor Joost Eerdmans announced a plan to introduce the special animal welfare officers over a year ago, back when real influence in government seemed a far off thing for the Freedom Party.

Since then the Freedom Party has persuaded the minority coalition government to introduce 500 "animal cops" as part of a deal for its parliamentary support. Just to put the record straight. The two animal welfare officers in Capelle will not have the same powers as the proposed animal police.

Admittedly there might not have been as many press photographers interested in the animal welfare officers, who posed somewhat awkwardly in front of a field of healthy-looking sheep, if it were not for the Freedom Party’s plans.

De Volkskrant calls the sight “absurd”. A passer-by has difficulty believing that “the press turned out for such a trivial event”. According to Trouw, the Dutch society for the protection of animals fears the government plans are just “window dressing“, because there is no extra money for back up, once animal abuse has been discovered.

Should addicts be banned from gambling machines?
A report on gambling by the Dutch Audit Office recommends banning problem gamblers from arcades full of one-armed bandits as well as from casinos. Nrc.next writes that there has been a lot of criticism on the Dutch state-run gambling establishment Holland Casino recently in parliament. MPs say the casino focuses too much on its entertainment function, while it should use its monopoly position to tackle problem gamblers.

Since 1997, Holland Casino has had a computer security system in all 14 of its establishments. Visitors are required to identify themselves and visits are registered. Aggressive or nervous behaviour is noted as are increased visits. At first potential problem gamblers are invited for a chat at the bar about their behaviour. If things get worse they are interviewed in a separate room. Sanctions include limiting visits to the casino or a total ban. In 2010, Holland Casino banned over 4000 gamblers. But the problem is there is nothing to stop gambling addicts walking into an arcade full of fruit machines.

Therefore the Audit Office wants Holland Casino to cooperate with fruit machine arcades and introduce the same computer system. The report says the casinos should not be made more attractive to gamblers. But at the same time, it is unclear whether the government can stop Holland Casino from advertising itself as a place of entertainment.

in January, Finance Minister Frans Weekers announced plans to privatise casinos, seems like a bit of a gamble, don’t you think?

Gay imam invited to the Netherlands
The Dutch gay rights organisation COC has invited an openly homosexual imam to visit the Netherlands “because his expertise is unique” writes de Volkskrant.

Muhsin Hendricks is visiting the Netherlands for a week in which he will give a workshop for Muslim gays, attend a congress for migrant organisations and speak with Christian organisations about the acceptance of homosexuality.

The South African understands that people are surprised by a Muslim imam who is openly gay and about to marry another man. Especially as homosexuality in Africa is still a taboo. The paper compares the scenario to “a poor-quality B film”. Mr Hendricks admits that the fact that his boyfriend belongs to another religion does make things difficult, not least because his boyfriend has not come out yet. That is why for now they will only have a “Muslim” wedding and not an official one.

Muhsin Hendricks studied the ultra-orthodox denomination Salafism. He explains the sins in Bible and Qur’an stories, like Sodom and Gomorrah, refer to the sexual abuse of men who rape other men and not to homosexuality as such. He says there are Qur’an verses which describe “men who are not attracted to women”. His message is simple he wants to persuade Muslim homosexuals that there is nothing wrong with them.

Will a cheeky election video win votes
A Christian Democrat (CDA) candidate for the provincial elections in Limburg has made a rather cheeky election video. AD reports, the video shows a scantily dressed woman and a heavily tattooed man making out. When he asks her whether she has a tattoo she gets up turns around and lifts her see-through dress to show a CDA sticker on her right buttock.

The candidate, Ger Driessen, had been left off the election list, but was added after protests by local Christian Democrats. Mr Driessen explains, “The party thought I was too old. The video shows I’m young at heart.”