SP, DENK won't let planning office check their election programs

For the first time in over 20 years, the SP won’t let the Central Planning Bureau (CPB) calculate the plans in its election program. A spokesperson confirmed this after reports in the AD. Wednesday was the last day on which parties could register for this. DENK also announced on Wednesday that it would waive the CPB check.

“The CPB calculates the costs of everything, but the value of nothing,” SP leader Lilian Marijnissen explained her party’s choice. According to her, the planning office’s calculations overlook the human dimension. “We need a battle of ideas now, not a bookkeeping debate.”

The SP’s plans for healthcare won’t come out well in the calculations, for example, said the politician. “We want a different healthcare system without competition and therefore save a lot of money through less bureaucracy, among other things. But this does not fit into the CPB model.”

Marijnissen also thinks it is unfair that the figures do not calculate plans that conflict with EU laws. That while, according to her, laws can be changed “under pressure.”

Another point of criticism is that encouraging people to work more always has a positive effect on the models, and less work has a negative impact. That gets in the way of a good political debate, according to the SP. “With these models, child labor would never have been banned, the 8-hour working day never introduced, social security provisions never introduced, and old-age pension never introduced,” said Marijnissen.

DENK’s main reason for not participating in the calculations is that the situation has changed little since the previous calculations. “The Cabinet has hardly made any major policy changes since taking office,” said a spokesperson. In addition, it is “a very time-consuming process” for a small faction, he said.

It is a tradition for political parties to have their plans for the elections calculated by the CPB. Participation is voluntary, and the parties do not always accept the offer. For example, BoerBurgerBeweging (BBB) won’t have its program calculated because it would take too much time for the young party. The PVV and Partij voor de Dieren (PvdD) have also invariably said no thank you in recent years.