The Debate of the South is the opportunity for the national party leaders to persuade Brabant voters to vote for their party. Seven of them seized the opportunity with both hands and put their best foot forward. Which of them is worth your vote?
Dilan Yesilgöz (VVD)
“We are there for the city and for the rural areas. We should not devise the plans for the region in The Hague. We should not portray companies as the culprit, because they provide jobs that lift people out of poverty. We see that the prices are rising, but this cabinet has also invested in a poverty package. At the same time, we should not forget the middle groups.”
Caroline van der Plas (BBB)
“We are prepared to take responsibility. Work must pay. Less tax and premiums must be withheld from more hours worked. A higher minimum wage makes no sense, because it is only passed on in products. Companies are not an ATM. only talking about money for strong regions, but we must invest in weak regions.”
Lilian Marijnissen (SP)
“400,000 people need food aid, but corporate profits have never been so high. Costs for people must be reduced: deductibles, rent, VAT on groceries. We must take back control over basic services. Health insurers are not allowed to decide whether a hospital should close. Transport and energy companies are also a basic provision.”
Henri Bontenbal (CDA)
“We choose the family. Families are having a hard time. We want to increase child benefit by tens of percent. People who are slightly better off can contribute to families who are having a harder time. We want a community fund for citizen initiatives in villages. Construction an additional street in every village or city. That can easily be done if we remove some rules.”
Esther Ouwehand (PvdD)
“Public facilities are being cut back, health is being ignored. Mega stables cause odor nuisance. The Hague determines how many animals can be kept. We think about the health of children who play next to a field where glyphosate has been sprayed, while this agricultural poison causes the Parkinson’s disease. We have to stop that.”
Geert Wilders (PVV)
“Many households have difficulty making ends meet. We are a rich country, but we spend money on the wrong things. I don’t promise mountains of gold, but we have to give families a little more breathing space. The southern provinces are ignored in The Hague, while they actually have major problems. Think of the roads and drug crime. Give provinces money and let them do it themselves.”
Rob Jetten (D66)
“The south is not a sad area, but actually has a strong economy. We earn our living with strong family businesses and innovation. We must create jobs and not scrap the growth fund for the Eindhoven region. Intolerance is bad for the economy. Companies like ASML have foreign workers are actually needed.”
Pieter Omtzigt (NSC) and Frans Timmermans (GroenLinks-PvdA)
Notable absentees were Pieter Omtzigt (NSC) and Frans Timmermans (GroenLinks-PvdA). “If you are not there, you cannot say meaningful things,” concluded presenter Tessel Linders.
Watch the entire Debate of the South here: