Why Princess Laurentien was made small
Why Princess Laurentien was made small
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30-08-2024
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reading time 4 minutes
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Hans van der HorstHistorian
The benefits scandal is not politically sensitive at all. Everyone agrees.
Princess Laurentien is after all caltsolate. On Monday, her husband, Prince Constantijn, stood up for her in an interview with Sven Kockelmann, but her chairmanship of the foundation that quickly helps victims of the benefits scandal get serious compensation is now over. She must have been surrounded by all kinds of tidbits that whispered: “Be the wisest, take credit to yourself”. Wise people know that you should throw such advisors out the door right away, but Laurentien listened to those false voices.
The whole affair in a nutshell: a few months ago, the Ministry of Finance and certain parts of politics in The Hague were told that Laurentien's approach was a bit expensive. Remarkably, Pieter Omtzigt also sang a part in this choir. It didn't help. Then rumors came out that anonymous officials at the Ministry of Finance had complained about the princess's transgressive behavior at the conference table. Note that Laurentien has stated that she never spoke one-on-one with such officials. There were always audience members and witnesses present. It must therefore be easy to concretize these allegations.
Unfortunately, the princess did not insist on that. She succumbed to pressure from the muggers who started talking about “sensitive issues” and “ministerial responsibility”. Such guardians of the constitution did not come forward when King Willem-Alexander spoke out clearly about officials who might have problems of conscience as a result of the Schoof cabinet taking office. According to His Majesty, they should only develop their talents outside the government. This conclusion is widely endorsed in the stupid Netherlands but is contrary to the constitution and civil service regulations. However, Laurentien was “discredited” about what she put forward in what way. would have brought during closed meetings. And that while Videoland will soon show that Prime Minister Rutte sometimes threw chairs through his office in drift. But that wasn't bad “because he made up for it right away”.
The benefits affair is not politically sensitive at all. From left to right, there is agreement that victims should be generously compensated for the destruction of their lives and those of their children by a government that has consistently behaved across borders for years. At least everyone pays lip service to this. It is a scandal that this has not happened long ago. Instead, the victims get caught up in endless, maddening procedures. Princess Laurentien managed to break it. In doing so, she certainly acted as a disturber of peace. That was highly necessary. However, she has not made any controversial statements publicly. She did explain how her foundation worked. That approach was apparently experienced as threatening, which is why she had to learn to tone it down a notch. That worked. She was made small.
And that turns out to be not enough for the Ministry of Finance. Since Thursday, it has been on the NRC site a big article with new complaints from the civil service. This gives the impression that Laurentien may have reacted snibbly when the ministry raised formal and legal objections to solutions that the children of allowance parents put forward for their own situation. Interesting subheading in the NRC article: “Officials sometimes felt disparagingly treated by the princess as if they didn't understand it”. We also read that she may have wanted to let such children join talk shows, which the ministry rejected “because of the children's vulnerability”, which, considering how they were previously treated by the government, should be called a joke. By the way, the princess says that she never intended to do this. She also has all the other vague allegations denied in the article.
Hopefully, there are MPs outside the coalition who, relying on ministerial responsibility, can ask Prime Minister Schoof and Secretary of State Folkert Idsinga firm questions about this. Let them give a hoot or a calf. There is nothing to expect from the government parties in this regard. These days, together with the cabinet, they are working in closed meetings to close everything so that no accidents can happen during the general discussions. It's not Rutte 2.0, it's Rutte 20.0. There is no room for unpredictability. And therefore not for a Laurentien either. And Omtzigt's book about a new social contract is fake.
For the rest, I am of the opinion that the tax scandal should not disappear from public attention, nor should the Groningen natural gas affair, even though the last well is now closed. I also call the PVV an extreme right-wing party.
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