Family financial worries dominate as lawmakers seek leadership

Prime Minister Mark Rutte and ministers listen to the King’s speech. Photo: Robin van Ronkhuysen ANP

The coalition has welcomed the government’s plan to allocate about 18 billion euros to boost spending capacity, but opposition MPs said in their initial reaction to the king’s speech that the government is still too slow to act. ing.

CDA parliamentary speaker Pieter Heerma described the set of measures as “huge” and, like other EU countries, welcomed the move to introduce price caps on energy bills.

At the same time, he acknowledged the need for solidarity and unity to overcome the crisis.

ChristenUnie leader Gert-Jan Segers described the day’s event as “an old-fashioned celebration of democracy”, noting that two years without a flashy event amid the coronavirus crisis. did.

Nevertheless, the party is being held “against the major economic concerns facing many families and the desperate need for politicians and governments to be there for the vulnerable”.

Prinsjesdag 2022. Het is weereen van de democratie als vanouds.

Maar wel tegen de achtergrond van grote financiële zorgen nu van veel gezinnnen en debittere noodzaak van een politiek en overheid die er meer dan ooit voor kwetsbare mensen moeten zijn. pic.twitter.com/HkvixSSMbk

— Gert-Jan Segers (@gertjansegers) September 20, 2022

Lillian Marinissen, an opposition parliamentarian and SP leader, said on social media that the cabinet is endangering the lives of many Dutch people and thus our society.

“People costs must come down again this year. [prime minister Mark] with Lute [finance minister Sigrid] Kaag can’t cut costs and has to make way for other companies that can cut costs,” she said.

PvdA leader Attje Kuiken said it was too late for the cabinet to act. “A lot of what is being done is short-term,” she said.

delay

“This cabinet is tied in knots,” GroenLinks leader Jesse Klaver said in response to the King’s speech. “Rutte IV is slowing us down on all the big issues: people’s livelihoods, the climate, the nitrogen crisis. The Netherlands needs decisiveness and leadership.

Klaver welcomed the government’s decision to impose a price cap on the energy bill, but said there were still many uncertainties. We have previously proposed the introduction of a price cap.

Both parties will be needed to gain support for the government’s spending plan in a non-ruling Senate.

mirror

Caroline van der Plas, founder of the pro-farmer party BBB, said the lack of trust in politics and the cabinet’s delay in action were her biggest concerns. Many of her supporters live in rural areas, and she feels their needs are being completely ignored.

MP Sylvana Simons, the sole member of parliament for the left-wing anti-racist party Bij1, wore a metal dress for the occasion. , it’s important to turn a mirror on the government,” she said on Twitter.

Het is #Prinsjesdagtijden waar de crises zich blijven opstapelen en het vertrouwen in de politiek lager is dan ooit, is het belangrijk dat de overheid zichzelf een spiegel voorhoudt. pic.twitter.com/yV1dROIYaj

—BIJ1 (@PolitiekBIJ1) September 20, 2022