At the VVD, the objections to a fireworks ban mainly come from the fireworks industry itself

During the national fireworks consultation of the VVD in Rotterdam, a debate about the national fireworks ban on Thursday evening, opinions already seem divided in advance: half of the VVD members present are before a ban, the other half against. “I have seen five police cars riding into the neighborhood,” says VVD member Thomas Friedhoff when he gets the floor. “A fire truck did not even go into the neighborhood. My girlfriend was terrified. And we ‘celebrated’ New Year in a neat VVD neighborhood. ” From the room, applause and laughter sounds, also from the VVD people who are for fireworks.

On February 19, the House of Representatives will be a debate about an initiative law of GroenLinks-PvdA and the Party for the Animals over a general fireworks ban, two weeks later there is a vote. If the VVD agrees, there will be a majority for the total ban on fireworks. But what the party will do, justice spokesperson Ingrid Michon-Derkzen says, it will only be decided after this debate evening. The group is currently against a ban, but the party could make the turn, depending on the course of the debate.

The fact that the VVD first needs a mutual interview evening about fireworks is because the fireworks discussion is an annoying split for the party. The liberals are in principle against patronage and the purchase of liberties, even if those freedoms entail social costs. But now the costs of old and new for many VVD people are getting out of hand. Every year, 268 care providers are injured by fireworks, and the party of law and order Would like to protect them.

Politics cannot act

According to Ruud Verkuijlen, former VVD MP and police commissioner, a general fireworks ban is the way to do that. Currently, the police cannot act against fireworks. Verkuijlen: “If there is a total ban, the focus of the police will shift from maintaining enforcement to tracing and input.” It is a point that has been made by the police for years, and now it is decisive for the majority of VVD members: 61 percent of the members are for a national ban.

For many local VVD fractions in large cities, Security is getting it from freedom and entrepreneurship

During the debate evening, however, the relationship is more equal, and that is because the discussion attracts another type of VVD member: the fireworks entrepreneur. Such as Bart Pronk, who has a garden center and rod sports shop in Schagen. In the winter months that yields little, while the costs just continue. “With the sale of fireworks, I earn sales for about four to five months.” Like Pronk, there are more in the Netherlands: regular entrepreneurs who earn extra with fireworks sales.

Another VVD member, Jeffrey Peters, is a loud voice during the debate. He finds a total ban nonsense because, according to him, care providers are bombarded with heavy illegal fireworks such as Cobras. “It is said: legal fireworks are focused on police officers. That may happen, but that is not common. What I read everywhere is that the police are mainly pelted with heavy illegal fireworks. ” Moments later Peters, Chairman of the trade association turns out to be the fireworks lovers. Pronk belongs to the Stichting Vuurwerkdealers Dutch consumer fireworks. And the panel is Leo Groeneveld, chairman of Pyrotechniek Nederland.

Safety

The industry is therefore well represented at the VVD, but for many local VVD fractions in large cities, Safety still wins from freedom and entrepreneurship. This is also the case in the Rotterdam VVD. Dieke van Groningen, chairman of the law, says that she had the debate in the council earlier on Thursday about the course of New Year. “Our police chief was present,” says Van Groningen. “When you hear him talk, you realize that we have to make a choice.” According to Van Groningen, “let our care providers go with New Year’s Eve in a kind of war zone.” She recently called on the House of Representatives to support a national fireworks ban.

The person who is about that, Member of Parliament Michon Derkzen, keeps herself quiet all evening, she is in Rotterdam to listen. When former VVD senator and ophthalmologist Jan Keunen, signed by more than 450 members, hands over to Michon Derkzen, keeps them on the plain. For her, the discussion served as a ‘tightening and refinement’ of the considerations in the Lower Chamber Group. For Michon Derkzen it is important that compensation comes for entrepreneurs, if there is a ban. “I hope to continue this discussion at a different time,” she says. “Because there is not something to come up with that everyone thinks: I would have liked it that way.”

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