“How is it possible for someone to confuse cause and effect?” and ‘Parliament no longer consists of representatives of the people’: these are some reactions to news topics that interest readers. Below are the letters that appeared in the newspaper of Monday 30 May. You can send in a response yourself via [email protected].
Schiphol | Taxpayer pays for mismanagement at Schiphol
It is chaos around our national pride, Schiphol Airport. Corona, the war in Ukraine and the staff shortage are mentioned as reasons. Good solutions are not found, however, because it all has to be done for a dime in the front rank. Schiphol is a company and, like other companies with a public function, it should therefore be run commercially and not by lost politicians. When will politicians have the guts to drop this strategy and only hire people with proven capabilities. The taxpayer is used to fill the gaps.
Jan Timmermans
Asylum Policy | There is no housing shortage, there are too many people
‘Failing policy hinders support for asylum reception’ (AD 28-5). How is it possible for someone to confuse cause and effect? There are not too few homes to accommodate asylum seekers and status holders. Too many people have been let in. One million additional homes will be needed in the coming years. Provide more balance, then major issues, such as pressure on housing, healthcare and the climate, are suddenly no more than points for attention.
R. van Dijk, Veenendaal.
Asylum Policy II | 15 million people can live here, that’s all
Wybren van Haga puts his finger on the sore spot with regard to the excess migration. All the major political parties, from the right to the left, have turned the knobs in varying compositions over the past 40 years. They have destroyed this country, indeed, thanks to the VOC mentality. We have only a small country at our disposal, not a continent like the United States. So choices will have to be made. You cannot have the largest airport in Europe and the largest port in the world, be the world’s second agricultural exporter, accommodate the big tech giants with their data centers, bring back the strategic manufacturing industry from China, complete the energy transition and ‘just’ have a million homes build with it. This country simply does not have that capacity; this country can accommodate at most 15 million people in a structured manner, that’s all. I call on the government to finally act on this knowledge.
M. Beijer-Korzelius, Dordrecht.
Members of Parliament | Politicians lack critical self-reflection
‘Kim Putters: ‘Problems in this country still the same as 9 years ago’ (AD 28-5). There is little confidence in politics among the Dutch population. So there is something fundamentally wrong with the people’s representatives. There will be no question of any self-reflection, except for a good few. The ‘new administrative culture’ is a big farce for all those sweet talkers. The word representative of the people has completely lost its value.
Alex Nieuwenhout, Delft.
People’s Representatives II | Stay true to your roots
The parliament no longer consists of representatives of the people. They are all office men, selected by a select group of party members. There are few MPs who have gotten their hands dirty in the workplace or have earned their spurs in business. You see the same thing with officials from the ministries. No wonder they can’t think and look outside the box. The possible merger of GroenLinks and PvdA is another proposal from the elite. Where has the Labor Party gone that passionately stood up for the weaker in society? Merging with GroenLinks indicates a denial of the roots.
Raoul Hendriks, Breda.
Gasoline prices | The money is leaking across the border
I always wonder whether politicians in The Hague see the big picture. With that huge price difference of petrol across the border, an enormous amount of VAT and excise duties also have to leak away with other purchases across the border. There is also a limit for excise duty on petrol that must be guarded, we do not live on an island. Or would the border lie outside The Hague’s field of vision?
André Pouw, Nieuwegein.
Daan Rot-de Launay | The column stirs to tears
After reading Jan’s columns, I now follow his wife Daan’s columns. What a great sadness for her and their four children. What a beautiful and pure word she can say. I wipe away a few tears with each of her columns. Her husband said ‘you can do it’ and that is absolutely true!
Astrid Leijs
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and never miss a thing from the stars.
#Reactions #asylum #policy #country #simply #capacity