People who organize the financial household with enthusiasm and accuracy are real gifts to types like me, who would rather throw themselves off a cliff with a questionable parachute than sit at a desk to make journal entries. I therefore think it is quite right that the national budget is presented with such respect; if you can puzzle together the billion-dollar accounts of an entire country, you can probably present them with fairytale carriages and a fascinating hat parade.
Unfortunately, Prinsjesdag is not very festive this year either. I suspect that our king will present the Speech from the Throne with a serious face now that the list of problems facing the Netherlands is quite depressing. Winter is coming, hopefully without an Elfstedentocht-facilitating cold. In order to maintain morale and solidarity, the Speech from the Throne will probably speak of ‘everyone’s effort’, so that we can face these difficult times together with confidence. The government is already doing its utmost, see the historic package of measures to support purchasing power, but it simply cannot solve everything. Certainly not given the complexity of all the crises that have presented themselves at the same time. These are difficult times, with complicated matter and a lot of challenges that all interlock.
Minister Kaag already had such texts recorded and Minister Weerwind had a similar message regarding the crisis in youth protection in last Thursday’s parliamentary debate. After an empathetic foreword about how bad it all felt for the youth workers, parents and children involved, Weerwind warned that directing does not mean that you can determine or solve everything. A concerted effort is needed.
Now the complexity of the problems is undeniable and the government can indeed not solve everything, but it would already make a big difference if they didn’t always make such a mess of it themselves. The fact that it is difficult for the government to make adjustments in the energy market is partly due to the privatization of the energy supply. During the corona crisis, the privatization of healthcare proved to be a barrier for the government to act effectively. Increasing privatization has also proved to be a problem in the housing market. It is the government that has handed over our primary basic facilities. And then didn’t intervene for years when things went wrong.
The fact that today we are dealing with a multi-headed crisis monster should therefore not lead to pitiful cries from the government about its oh-so-difficult position while, splattering, doing its best. The current problems did not arise in one budget year, they have covered a fairly well-organized start-up process. In addition, there was no shortage of inspection reports, evaluation committees, identifying case law, fire letters and cries for help. However, the successive Rutte governments continued to plod on without vision, after all: according to the prime minister, we had to go to the optician for vision.
The term ‘joint effort’ indicates a reciprocal relationship. I wonder if the government realizes how little reciprocal it has shown in recent years and how misplaced its current appeal to citizens may feel.
A good budget must not only be accurate from an accounting point of view, but also anticipate a more distant future. You cannot avoid developing a vision. I sincerely hope that the current Rutte cabinet can achieve that. No hat parade can compete with that.