After a lengthy formation, CU decided at the end of last year to rule again with the VVD, D66 and CDA. Earlier, party leader Gert-Jan Segers had indicated that he no longer saw this because of the role of Prime Minister Mark Rutte (VVD) in the ‘function elsewhere affair’. CU made a turn after all, but not all members are comfortable with that, it turned out on Saturday during the congress in Zwolle.
Because the new cabinet did promise ‘new impetus’ and a new administrative culture, but the supporters still see little of this. Reference is made to CDA minister Hugo de Jonge, who made a word game about his involvement in Sywert van Lienden’s mask deal and to the prime minister, who, according to various CU members, still has a selective memory.
CU member Antonie Fountain therefore wants to see a change of course in the CU faction in the House of Representatives. “If the management culture does change, we as CU can be proud of that. Not? We are partly responsible for that,” he warns.
His motion was generously embraced by his party members. The question is whether the party leadership actually sees it as a change of course. CU also did not shy away from supporting a motion of censure as a coalition party when the evacuation of interpreters and embassy personnel from Afghanistan went horribly wrong. The then ministers Kaag (Foreign Affairs) and Bijleveld (Defence) resigned as a result.
Despite the motion being adopted, several CU members want to ensure that the stricter control from the CU does not turn into a different direction, which is also observed in the House of Representatives: that of a culture of accountability. During a discussion about the new governance culture and what it should entail, a panel member expressed the struggle within his own ranks this way: “We are not the party of an unmerciful accounting culture, but we are not the party of a culture of covering up either.” He would rather see a ‘grace culture’.
Earlier this week, the House of Representatives also cracked hard. Prime Minister Rutte received a vote of no confidence because he had not archived text messages on his old Nokia. Rutte bit off during that debate. He indicated that he believes he has not broken any rules and that there is very little confidence in him. “If the confidence is not there, I will do something else.” It led to disgruntled faces in the opposition. Rutte has contributed to the lack of trust itself, it says. And it’s their job to check Rutte closely.
The state of politics worries CU leader Segers. According to him, The Hague has ended up in ‘a destructive role-playing game’. “We’ve had a miserable political year,” he outlined in his convention address. “We are facing each other. We see the opposition say in advance: that will not work. And a cabinet that says about the House: those are just difficult people.”
At Segers it feels like ‘a desert trip’. He sees only one solution as a way out of the trap: a return to ideals in politics, away from incidents. “I long for cooperation, reasonable consultation. That’s what made this country great. I want us not to be busy with ourselves, but to do what we are called to do.”
He indicated that his party will not shun taboos during this term of office. He mentioned matters such as the possible contraction of aviation and tackling the use of laughing gas.