Tough Times For Samsom

Labour leader Diederik Samsom is facing tough times. Recently two Labour MPs resigned in a time that the party has to make difficult choices. The newest poll shows that the Dutch citizens have not much trust in the Labour party. If elections were held now, the Labour party would get only 12 seats, according to a poll by Maurice de Hond, which he published on Sunday. The party currently has 38 seats in parliament, according to the poll. Coalition partner VVD is also not doing well in the poll. The party lost 21 of the current 41 seats. This means that the current coalition would have a total of 32 seats only. There is also good news for Samsom. Vice Prime Minister Lodewijk Asscher thinks that Labour leader Diederik Samsom will be strengthened by the criticism of his leadership and the unrest in his group. Asscher said this on Sunday in Buitenhof. Asscher called the departure of MPs Myrthe Hilkens and Désirée Bonis incredibly unfortunate, but keeps confident in Samson. "A political leader sometimes gets a lot of praise, sometimes a bit exaggerated, and later on will be widely criticized, also often exaggerated. A good leader comes stronger out of such a situation and so it will be with Diederik Samsom," said Asscher.