D66 party leader Anry Kleine Deters wiped the floor with ‘together’ with the entire Provincial Council, as advocated by the new coalition. “During the formation, no information came out except something brief through the media. Why didn’t you do it together with PS? Why not make a draft agreement and submit it to the entire PS and interest groups? You promised a newsletter and that too never came. Your new ‘together’ is very disappointing,” Kleine Deters concluded.
Schuinder: “The media was already outside the lines and you know the saying that you should not disturb a brooding chicken. But we learn from this for the future.” Schuinder often has the same solution for many questions from the opposition: we will soon do that together when making plans and policy.
Both the opposition and the coalition have concerns about public transport and finances. The opposition is also disappointed with what the new coalition has written about this. ChristenUnie party chairman Bernadette van den Berg: “You don’t want public transport to become even more impoverished, but shouldn’t we invest?”
BBB’er Schuinder says he wants a bus line in every village, but that that is just not financially possible. “So don’t shrink further and provide alternatives if there is no bus in a village.” “Our public transport has a major shortage and you spend 20 million for Groningen Airport Eelde!” sneered GroenLinks party chairman Sam Pormes.
The ChristenUnie quickly got used to its new role: no longer in the council but in the opposition. Group chairman Bernadette van den Berg: “Important choices have not yet been made in the agreement and the financial substantiation is not yet there. It seems as if the new board has pressed a snooze button on the alarm clock. Get out of bed and get to work! “
There are also concerns with party chairman Simon Zandvliet of the SP. He sees the same ‘ravine year’ approaching the province as the municipalities. There will be a redistribution of the provincial fund. “The agreement is in outline, you have to look through your eyelashes a bit. Figures will lead a life of their own,” formateur Baltes explained that choice.
The new coalition wants to get rid of nitrogen calculations using the Critical Deposition Value (KDW) method. How then, SP party chairman Zandvliet wondered? Party leader Renate Zuiker of the Party for the Animals: “An alternative to the KDW is feint, there is no alternative. Plans that are currently in place do not solve the nitrogen problems. You do not want to reduce the number of livestock. And it must all be ‘feasible’ and affordable.”
She came up with a motion with GL and D66: the new council must completely complete the Drenthe plan to restore nature (Drents Plan Rural Area) before 1 October. In summary, the criticism of the current plan from opposition, nature managers and environmental organizations: no choices are made, and it does not contain any answer to the question of how Drenthe wants to tackle the major challenges. Furthermore, no money is yet being requested from the cabinet, while other provinces are already doing so. The motion on the nature plan did not make it, an overwhelming majority is against it.
Anry Kleine Deters (D66) finds it incomprehensible that the new council does not want to take any new measures in the nitrogen dossier, as long as a new cabinet has not been formed. “So we opt for a standstill, while progress is desired.”
The new agreement states that Drenthe must become a ‘wolf-free region’. However, Schuinder does not dare to give a deadline. “Better yesterday than today, but that is not possible. We need a strong lobby to make this our own towards Europe and The Hague. There is currently a wolf plan, we will continue with that.”
The PvdA in particular had to endure opposition parties from both the left and the right. SP member Zandvliet: “A centre-right bloc, what will the PvdA do if a melon has to be swallowed from something you are against?” PvdA party leader Hendrikus Loof: “Then we will see that at that moment.” “Keep looking for the left parties in PS then”, Zandvliet advised him.
Harry Omlo of JA21 also tried to test “the pains of the PvdA in this agreement” by bringing in Groningen Airport Eelde. Loof was not fooled and says that not much has changed in the PvdA position: “we recognize the airport as essential infrastructure, but on the condition that sustainability continues.”
D66 party leader Anry Kleine Deters also tried: “The PvdA suddenly says nothing about bulbs and lily cultivation. You have worked with us for the past four years, how do you feel about it now?” (D66 is mainly against the agricultural poison, ed.) Loof: “our position has not changed.”
ChristenUnie party chairman Bernadette van den Berg tried it with asylum policy. “Migration was an important theme in your election manifesto, I see nothing of it now.” Loof: “That’s right, we’ll talk about it later.” Van den Berg: “A little direction and tone would be useful.” Loof: “We have talked about it and we agree with each other. We will be hospitable to people who come into our country out of need.”
Part of the Provincial Council fears that the fall of the cabinet will have consequences for the implementation of the coalition programme. “We fear with great fear that a number of files will end up in the refrigerator for a longer period of time or will completely collapse,” said Henderikus Loof of the PvdA. Party leader Nico Uppelschoten of the PVV: “BBB will soon become a major party in the House of Representatives. That means different choices on migration, nature, nitrogen. This agreement here was before the fall of the cabinet. Maybe after one year we should already evaluate the coalition agreement instead of in two years. But this agreement is realistic in nature. Now go strive for the greatest possible agreement from PS.”
Questions came from D66, the Party for the Animals and GroenLinks about the Twitter behavior of candidate deputy Jisse Otter (BBB). According to Anry Kleine Deters (D66), Otter retweets statements and articles that contribute to polarization. This often concerns tweets and articles about nitrogen policy. “How should we read these tweets and how does the BBB see this?”
Group chairman Schuinder indicated that ‘retweets can be on the edge’. “We have screened our candidates well and are aware of their Twitter behavior.”
Kleine Deters pointed out that Otter also lashes out hard at the Party for the Animals, GroenLinks and even coalition partner VVD on his account. Party chairman Vianen (VVD) was not that impressed. “We recently got to know each other at the negotiating table. That went in good harmony. Let’s have faith in each other.”