Centre-right politicians are using all sorts of excuses to betray voters and stop tougher asylum laws coming into effect in the Netherlands.
Henri Bontenbal, leader of Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), this week toldDe Telegraaf—which described his party as having “the key in its hands” on this issue, especially because of its position in the Senate—that “we would like to get the asylum laws across the line, but we need a few things for that.”
He pointed to the supposed need for a transition period and argued that measures “must” come into force “at the same time as the European migration pact,” which is scheduled for June next year.
This prompted former MEP Rob Roos to accuse the CDA of “hiding behind the EU migration pact” and of “passing the problem on to Brussels instead of solving it here.” Roos also told europeanconservative.com that the delay amounts to “appeasement over action,” saying that “the real issue lies not with the migrants, but with our political leadership.”
Protected by outdated international agreements and driven by the interests of the so-called “immigration industrial complex”—which profits billions from the status quo—politicians continue to avoid real solutions.
Geert Wilders, who recently pulled his right-wing populist Freedom Party out of the government after establishment parties spent months blocking his asylum reforms, also bashed Bontenbal as a “weakling.”
The asylum laws can only take effect in a year with nonsensical transitional provisions, according to him. This makes them truly toothless laws.
Wat een slappeling die @HenriBontenbal, de asielwetten mogen van hem pas over een jaar ingaan met een onzinnig overgangsrecht. Daarmee worden het echt tandeloze wetten.
CDA zet rem op asielwetten: ’Er zijn een paar dingen die wij niet goed genoeg vinden’ https://t.co/sLMUexfzFK
Typically, this step backward comes after—and so partially counteracts—a step forward by the liberal D66 party, which earlier this week described the current migration system as “completely stuck.”
Het huidige migratiesysteem is compleet vastgelopen. Dat is slecht voor Nederlanders én voor mensen op de vlucht. Ik wil het debat niet langer laten kapen door de extremen, of ingegraven standpunten op links en rechts. Laten we aan de slag gaan met voorstellen die wél werken.… pic.twitter.com/Twign0eLRM
Party leader Rob Jetten prompted a debate on the Right when he accepted that having an uncontrolled border “is bad for Dutch people,” with some commentators expressing hope of a “party-wide consensus on a migration-critical stance in the Netherlands,” while others warned: “It’s election time. Don’t fall for it.” Dutch academic Dr. Jan van de Beek also stressed that the right must “critically question how [D66] plan to make it concrete.”
Michael Curzon is a news writer for europeanconservative.com based in England’s Midlands. He is also Editor of Bournbrook Magazine, which he founded in 2019, and previously wrote for London’s Express Online. His Twitter handle is @MichaelCurzon_.
