Princess behavior is a risk for Oranjes

Door Wouter de Winther

Last updated: 10 min ago 41 min ago in Columns

The course “how do I become a minister?” that was given in the Catshuis on Tuesday came not a day too early. Especially after the debacle that led to the debate about the government statement in early July, a lesson in “speaking with one mouth” is not an unnecessary luxury.

The atmosphere in the cabinet is not described very well. The PVV'ers and BBB'ers in particular show that they really want to make something out of it.

The NSC administrators behaved at a distance, sometimes more highly on horseback. There is also doubt in the coalition how independently they operate. NSC group leader Pieter Omtzigt and his assistant Nicolien van Vroonhoven were already reported to the Ministry of Finance last week to equalize the watches with the two NSC state secretaries there. So this is what an extra-parliamentary cabinet with a greater distance from the House looks like if they think no one is watching.

The Catshuis also notes that the VVD, the linchpin in national political power, makes an absent impression. Even Deputy Prime Minister Sophie Hermans, the group leader of the largest ruling party, appeared largely to smooth out the fold in the previous coalition, would not give the impression of wanting to invest much in this cabinet and its people.

Marjolein Faber likes to talk about it

For now, PVV'er Marjolein Faber (Asylum and Migration) is the most appealing. She is rapidly developing into one of the defining ministers of this cabinet and has the potential to take on the no-nonsense role that earned Rita Verdonk a star status among right-wing publications in Balkenende-II.

Where Faber already makes a lot of herself heard in the publicity, she also stands out indoors. As a matter of fact, she can be happy to sit in the talking chair when talking. And while, to the joy of her party leader, she clearly hasn't had an inch to move on the file of an Armenian family that has been litigated and has to leave the country, she shows interest and kindness for her cabinet colleagues. For example, during the first meeting together in the Catshuis, someone noticed how impressed she was by the life of Nora Achahbar, the Secretary of State responsible for the Allowances.

Argument met Princess Laurentien

This NSC member faces the complicated task of finally solving the benefits affair, while she has suddenly ended up in a fight between her officials and Princess Laurentien and her foundation.

As Secretary of State, they must stand before her officials. If the NSC politician knows that her party's raison d'être largely comes from standing up for the allowance parents, the other miracles expect their party to even manage the file in the cabinet.

Achahbar now knows about the “Jeckyll & Hyde” experiences of her people in the department, as the behavior of Princess Laurentien and her foundation are also described. Contact with this Orange started off sweetly, but ended in explosions when she didn't get her way. Then the officials they were talking to would strongly add that they were personally responsible for the problems that benefit parents ended up in. Remarkable, because the current generation of clients in charge of the allowance files has volunteered quite a bit to bring the affair to a successful end.

When it recently became known that internal complaints about Laurentien had been made on Finance, the foundation would have proposed to the ministry to give a collective response that people do not recognize themselves in the reports. So under the carpet. After the ministry had indicated this, Laurentien's foundation would have announced “counter-reactions”. Last week, the Netherlands was able to write it down from the mouths of several old acquaintances of the benefits affair, seemingly making a plea that the 'hunt' for the princess should be removed. When asked, those involved do not want to comment on this.

Although Achahbar is the Princess's Allowance File and the people involved and inherited her foundation from her predecessor, it is of course not her job to correct members of the Royal House for their behavior. That is the responsibility of Prime Minister Dick Schoof, who is not only being investigated for Finance to intervene. But the junior prime minister points to Finance as much as possible, apparently hoping that the community will wait.

Mudfight hits monarchy

Ping pong between departments temporarily motivates parliament to write in the freedoms of the Oranjes. The mud fight thus also works for the king's family and the monarchy as a whole. That's a considerable price for an activist princess's hobby.

The absence of a defense of Laurentien by Schoof and earlier Rutte, as usual among members of the Royal House, is striking. If the allegations are not true, why is this cabinet letting the princess dangle for so long? If they're cutting wood, why isn't anyone intervening?

In The Hague, it is likely that the princess herself understands that giving back is best. Whether that is the nature of the animal is the question.

If the new prime minister likes the royal family, he will sometimes have to protect it from his own members. Like Kok about the marriage with Máxima, Balkenende's deed with Mabel and Rutte to the royal couple in times of corona.

You won't learn leadership towards the Oranjes at a course in the Catshuis.