Still in office: PM Rutte barely survives motion of no confidence in Groningen debate
After two days of facing severe criticism from all sides of parliament in a debate on natural gas extraction in Groningen, Prime Minister Mark Rutte is still in office. Almost the entire opposition supported a motion of no confidence against him, personally. But the coalition parties managed to keep him in his seat, NOS reports.
Every single political party in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament, criticized Rutte for the gas extraction in Groningen and the damages locals suffered - and still suffer - under his responsibility as Prime Minister. The various factions wanted Rutte to say explicitly that he hears and accepts the criticism.
Rutte admitted that his Cabinets and he himself made some “unprecedented” mistakes with gas extraction in Groningen. He feels shame and anger at himself for that, he said. “Shame because you know what the consequences were and are.” But he would not resign. “My absolute conviction is that I want to be part of the way forward,” he said.
That was enough for the coalition parties VVD, D66, CDA, and ChristenUnie. But all of the opposition except for the SGP supported a vote of no confidence against Rutte. The no-confidence was for Rutte himself, not his Cabinet.
“An entire province has been sacrificed for the State’s lust for money under the responsibility of this Prime Minister,” said SP parliamentarian Sandra Beckerman. “This Prime Minister must go.” According to her, it is an extra shame “that a vote of no confidence is needed at all.”
“My faction is shocked by the way in which the Prime Minister looked back,” GroenLinks leader Jesse Klaver said. He found Rutte’s expressed regret insufficient.
Next week, the Tweede Kamer will vote on several motions to do even more for the people from Groningen than the Cabinet promised. GroenLinks, for example, wants to establish in writing that subsequent Cabinets will also have “a generation-long responsibility without financial limits.”
The PvdA wants the government to promise that no more swimming pools, sports facilities, or public transport will disappear from Groningen.
And several parties want Shell and Exxon to pay extra taxes to compensate for the billions they earned from gas extraction in Groningen while ignoring the people who suffer the consequences.