Even with taboos such as the mortgage interest deduction Harvest Bontenbal Hard Applaus

Henri Bontenbal says that the CDA wants to increase taxes for citizens and companies and in the WTC building in Rotterdam more than fifteen hundred CDA people clap in their hands. Although that is perhaps because of the word that the CDA has come up with: a “liberty contribution” that would be needed for more money to defense.

Bontenbal also says that the CDA wants to reduce the mortgage interest deduction. And you might think: then there will be boo call now. The tax benefit for homeowners has been sacred for the party for years, even if you want to change it, just as long a taboo, totally unspeakable. But in the Rotterdam congress room this Saturday will be held hard again.

Milestones

For the first time in years, the parliamentary elections for the Christian Democrats are not something to be reluctant. In the party, milestones are kept: first they became larger than NSC and BBB, the two parties who were still called ‘the new CDA’ in the previous elections. Then they climbed to the top five. And now they are virtually larger than the VVD.

Initially that led to disbelief in the party, which now has five seats in the Lower House and lost elections after elections, national, local, European. In the meantime that has turned into self -confidence.

‘Criticism will increase’

No, says Jan-Peter Balkenende after the speech of Bontenbal. He didn’t have to try it twenty years ago as a CDA leader: talk about the mortgage interest deduction. “But you can’t compare my time with now,” says the former Prime Minister (2002-2010). A lot has changed in the tax benefit since that time.

Balkenende calls that the CDA now wants to say goodbye to it “the example of courage.” And that the party agrees, “says a lot about the power of argumentation of Henri.” Incidentally, CDA people did not agree. The draft election program had only stated that the mortgage interest deduction had to be reduced and members then submitted an amendment: they wanted to delete the measure from the program. The congress finally agreed after the party board promised to attach a period of thirty years to it.

Earlier in the day on stage, Balkenende had expressed praise for Bontenbal. He had pulled the CDA “from the political swamp”, he had again made “a political factor of significance” from the CDA.

“Friends,” Balkenende had also said, “We are at the start of the campaign. Criticism is going to increase, the criticism is going to increase enormously.” If the CDA people were to see that happening, he said, it would mean that the party went ‘well’.

That Balkenende was on stage is already significant. Since his premiership ended in 2010, he did not give speeches on election congresses for years.

Video message

The fact that the CDA is gaining relevance was also apparent from the arrival of Manfred Weber, leader of the EPP, the Christian Democratic Party in the European Parliament. Only a few years ago, the CDA had to do it during a congress with a video message from the influential politician. In the EVP, it was mainly eagerly awaiting new ones BBB and NSC.

On Saturday weber takes the time to compliment Bontenbal extensively. Weber calls him “a real European leader,” who “did not preach, but listened.”

He also places Bontenbal very emphatically on the international stage. At meetings of the EPP, Weber says, Bontenbal sits at the table with Christian -Democratic European government leaders: Kyriakos Mitsotakis from Greece, the German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz. And also with Ursula von der Leyen, chairman of the European Commission and Roberta Mesola, chairman of the European Parliament. A welcome image for CDA people, Bontenbal has no international experience, that could be a weakness in the upcoming campaign weeks when it comes to geopolitics.

Weber also wonders aloud “who should do it”, other than Henri Bontenbal. “The socialists? They lose everywhere.” He also doesn’t have a good word for “liberals” and “populists.”

Chaos in The Hague

In his speech, Bontenbal himself chooses to stay away from direct reproaches to his political opponents. Yes, if The Hague would continue ‘on the current foot’, it would lead to ‘continuous chaos and disorder’. And no, “Dutch politics can never be fruitful if it is based on enlarging contradictions and deliberately driving the division in society.” But Bontenbal does not say to whom he is referring to.

It does not fit the story about ‘decency’ that the CDA has been telling for months now. After the elections, says Bontenbal, parties will have to “work together over party borders.” He already gives a pass for that.

The CDA, says Bontenbal, believes that the number of asylum migrants and labor migrants “that come to the Netherlands and can stay here should be considerably reduced”. “Fortunately, most political parties want the same thing.” He mentions the CDA in a row with GroenLinks-PvdA and the VVD. All three of these parties “want to focus on moderate population growth, as the state committee advised”.

Is that a guide for coalition formation after the elections? Bontenbal says not after his speech. He only wants to rectify the image: “It is pretended that the differences between those parties are very large.” According to him, that is not too bad.

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