Oxygen For Rutte II

By rpersad on June 27, 2013 - 02:52
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The government is looking, according to Prime Minister Mark Rutte, ‘constantly for the opportunity to get extra oxygen into the economy’. Rutte said this Wednesday during the parliamentary debate on the 6 billion euro in cuts, that the government is still searching for.

Rutte joins with his comments the PvdA leader Diederik Samsom, who on Tuesday made a plea to let pension funds, housing associations and citizens, among others, use their potted money to invest in the Dutch economy. "We are working on measures that cost little or no money to boost the economy. That can contribute to mitigate the crisis," said Rutte.

He added that the new cuts of the government must ensure that the bill for the government deficit is going to be distributed fairly over the society. Vulnerable groups should be spared as much as possible, without giving the impression that not everyone will feel the effects of the cuts.

Rutte argued that the government should cut spending and reform, and that in combination with the 'extra oxygen', this will lead to economic recovery and it will bring order to the public finances. The two cabinets that bear his name will cut in 7 years time, about 52 billion euro. Rutte admitted that the people will not stand with flowers aside the road for this government policy, but he also had not expected that.

The opposition clearly not agreed with Rutte. According D66 leader Alexander Pechtold, the government delays necessary measures. "The government is in a leaky boat on a dry river." According to SP leader Emile Roemer, the policy of two cabinets Rutte has had the opposite effect and the government is on a dead end road that deepens the crisis.

In response to questions from ChristenUnie leader Arie Slob, Rutte said he has no regrets about his previous call to people to no longer wait to buy a car or house if they were already planning do so. Rutte said that, while making this call, he had always envisioned people who had no debts themselves, were not unemployed or whose house is not 'under water'.

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