DUTCH SOCIALISTS, PEOPLE, CATTLE

Some time ago Mr. Jan van Zanen from the Partij van de Arbijd arrived to a great conclusion and promptly published it on the PvdA website. His concept of what needs to be done for us the people of the XXI century is somewhat condensed and that exactly makes it interesting. See for yourselves: Leden zijn het levenselixer voor politieke partijen. Mensen zijn immers nodig voor draagvlak, opvattingen, ideeën, centen en bepalen het gezicht. Politieke partijen zijn vervolgens het middel om tot iets te komen - daden bijvoorbeeld - in een parlementaire democratie. Iemand moet het namens ons doen: in de gemeente en in het land. De straten schoon en veilig, het werk bereikbaar en het gras gemaaid. Weet u iets beters? Zo ja, ik hoor het graag. See, the guy invites us to speak up.

Interesting, but it seems that the cattle in a parliamentary democracy get just the same attention. The cows, bulls and calves are provided with a safe (from wolves, coyotes and the like on one side and from braking their expensive feet in potholes, on the other) passage to grazing and milking locations. Nobody makes them walk for miles or standing in a stuck traffic for hours. That's a fact. Now, what happens when people, unlike cattle, ask for transparency of the decision-making processes, when they want to influence more than the frequency of grass-mowing of the greens around their bedrooms? What happens when at least some of the people want strict accountability from those who were elected to spend public moneys?

Forget the gras: it will remain neat throughout march, respond to other questions. Say, on what ground did the PvdA employ in its think-tank Ayan Hirshi Ali, a person who could not have spoken the truth to the immigration officer when she applied (in Somalia or elsewhere in Africa) for a visa (of what kind) to enter Canada or whatever other country? Did she tell her family, the beloved father of her true intentions before she jumped off the flight in Frankfurt?

My point is that no political party can evade the real questions without falling in the gutter of either cattle-level perspectives or kitchen-sink chit-chat. If for nothing else then for its own sake this society needs to address the burning questions of the day. It just happens to be that the justice ministers take the brunt of the public dissatisfaction with brazen evasion of truth or disdain on the part of the political establishment. It is to be expected that the VVD will again pay dearly for the arrogance of some of their front-row members. Especially Rita Verdonk who, I must remind you, needs to momentarily resign. Especially after we are slowly and painfully given more and more thorn beats of what was happening in the detention center (under her and Donner's command) when the 11 met their terrible ends. In my view she epitomizes the shortcomings of all the public figures in this land if not much wider.