Parliament leader says gas debate "much ado about nothing;" apologizes

The spokesman for lower house of parliament leader Anouchka van Miltenburg issued an apology for Van Miltenburg’s claim that Tuesday night’s natural gas debate was “much ado about nothing.” The VVD politician made the remark after a debate on the Dutch safety board’s recommendation for overhauling natural gas extraction in Groningen, believed to be the cause of hundreds of earthquakes in the northern province. Tuesday night’s debate began with a “no confidence” motion against Economic Affairs Minister Henk Kamp, filed by Esther Ouwehand, an MP from the animal rights party PvdD, writes Nu.nl. The motion won the backing of two parties, anti-Islam PVV and embattled 50plus politician Henk Krol. The comment was made into a hot microphone at the close of the meeting. Socialist MP Eric Smaling called it a “significant slip of the tongue,” Nu.nl reported. In December 2013, eight different political parties anonymously criticized the parliament leader when she was overcome with emotion after CDA leader Sybrand Buma accused her of a lack of independence, and playing favorites with her own party.