Our monthly review of what’s been making news in the Dutch newspapers begins with the headline that Dutch support for US President Barack Obama may not last long.
Five former Dutch Foreign ministers met recently to discuss the subject of ‘Obama and us’. Despite Obama’s desire for “good relations with Europe”, the Volkskrant newspaper headline pleaded with the Dutch government: ‘Don’t leave Obama out in the cold’. Meanwhile the Netherlands doesn’t want to help the US close Guantanamo Bay. Some countries have offered asylum to terrorist suspects still held there, but not the Dutch government. “Caring for those who won’t be tried but released is the responsibility of the United States,” said Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen. “We didn’t set up or support Guantanamo Bay. We didn’t make the mistakes. I don’t see why we should provide asylum to people released from there.” An Obama spokesman called Verhagen’s comments “disappointing”.
To commemorate its take over of the EU’s rotating presidency, the Czech Republic commissioned Czech sculptor David Cerny to create a EU-themed sculpture for exhibit at the EU Parliament. But not many Europeans countries liked the result: Cerny’s sculpted EU map installation ridiculed all 27 EU countries to varying degrees. Among his ‘humorous’ depictions were Poland represented as two Catholic priests dressed in military uniforms and waving gay-pride flags; Bulgaria as a series of interconnected Turkish toilets; and the Netherlands as completely submerged under water, with only the tops of mosque minarets left showing. Meanwhile, a major scandal hit the Dutch foreign ministry when it was revealed that the ministry’s most senior advisor did not send Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, the then foreign minister, a crucial document stating there was no legal grounds for Dutch support of the US-led Iraq war. The foreign ministry’s secretary-general Frank Majoor wrote on the document: “To be well-hidden in the archives for future generations. The discussion is, for the time being, closed!” Soon thereafter, the US appointed De Hoop Scheffer as NATO’s new secretary general
Somebody at Holland’s Justice Ministry was up to some Wikipedia shenanigans. The wiki entry for the Prophet Mohammed was altered to label him as ‘a warmonger’, and to define Islam as the world’s ‘most murderous ideology’. These wiki changes were traced to a Justice Ministry IP address. Meanwhile, the Dutch government reversed an earlier decision not to investigate recent demonstrations against Israel’s invasion of Gaza, in which demonstrators chanted ‘death to the Jews’ and the name of Adolph Hitler. Israeli representatives complained that the police “did nothing” and thus rendered “threats against Jews as acceptable”, while the police countered that they did noting to avoid escalating the situation. The Rotterdam police have since banned the public burning of Israeli flags.
The new CEO of Dutch Railways (NS), Bert Meerstadt, is showing solidarity in tough economic times taking a 10 percent pay cut, saying “tough times call for restraint”. Meerstadt won’t be going hungry though: he earns 450,000 euro per year. Not so fortunate is Gertjan Verbeek, coach of Rotterdam’s Feyenoord football club, who was fired after losing the confidence of his under-performing players: Feyenoord is in 12th place in the 18-team Dutch league, 25 points behind leaders AZ.
The government has rejected a paternity leave bill proposed by the Green Party. The bill, which wanted paternity leave time increased from two days to ten days, so new Dads would have more time to bond were their newborns, was rejected as too expensive. Fathers can take vacation days if they want more baby-bonding time, said Social Affairs Minister Piet Hein Donner. Meanwhile, the Dutch Tax office finally figured out how to track and tax Internet gamblers, who for years avoided paying taxes on winnings by using fake Internet names. Even though Internet gambling is illegal, the government prefers to tax winnings rather than prosecute people for the illegal activity. And finally, the rage to name newborn babies something ‘interesting’ now extends from Hollywood to Holland. Dutch parents are increasingly giving their kids bizarre and offbeat names, like the Dutch designer duo Lucas Verweij and Hella Jongerius who wanted their daughter to be special, so named her Hammer, because, Verweij attempted to explain, “a Hammer is an object that lasts for a lifetime, it’s strong, and it’s comfortable to hold in your hand. We hope our daughter will grow up to be as strong as a hammer.”
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