Press Interpreter

09/23/05 -- In an attempt at bringing a halt to the plaintive mood in the Dutch nation, the leader of the Dutch Liberal Party (VVD), Mr. Van Aartsen, drew an outline of the Netherlands as ‘Europe’s New York’. In a number of respects an attractive perspective: a sparkling metropolis, with Rotterdam and Amsterdam as leading centers of trade and culture, Holland’s Green Heart as a green lung comparable to Central Park, and with a fast subway connection between the four major Dutch cities that puts an end to traffic jams.

With this perspective, Mr. Van Aartsen reveals himself as a protestant politician to the bone, familiar with the word of the Bible that when the vision is missing, the people grow wild and ferocious. Aside from that, it was fine that the leader of the VVD hinted that there was more than purchasing power stories, on which the political world of the Dutch capital The Hague is more than ever fixated. The parliamentary discussion showed that the Netherlands is very much occupied with itself and, however wealthy it is, mainly with its purse.

All the more regrettable that Mr. Van Aartsen sabotaged his outline by inadvertently dismissing the kilometer tax. Fear of losing support from drivers appears to be stronger for him than the challenge to develop a New York at the North Sea, in view of his gouging on scarce space. A missed opportunity and again a historical mistake. The VVD has already wrongly assessed the willingness of the population to pay a price for the quality of the environment. In 1989, it brought the Lubbers-II government down, because this government wanted to tax commuting more heavily. The electorate punished it harshly for this political act. What applies to the donkey need obviously not apply to the VVD, but Mr. Van Aartsen should know about New York having an electronic commuter tax for almost ten years.

If the VVD sticks to a laissez-faire laissez-passer on the road, instead of becoming Europe’s New York, Holland will become Europe’s L.A. instead, L.A. being the city that gives the road to cars. To be true, Mr. Van Aartsen has come out in favor of a fast light-rail connection in the Randstad, but this is a casual thing. As long as he dismisses a commuter tax, like L.A., he will have to invest in new roads time and over again. In the final analysis, he has missed two opportunities to open new perspectives.

[Full Article.]

--Translated By Cedric Ryngaert

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http://www.trouw.nl/deverdieping/dossiers/article20296.ece/