The PVV wants Drenthe politics no longer the words poison, pesticides and toxins used in debates of provincial states about agriculture, lily growing and nature. Almost the entire politics then fell over PVV Staten member Tjip Koopmans. “You want to limit freedom of expression and that is violation of the constitution,” it sounded frequently.
The warning by Staten member Sam Pormes (list riges) prior to the debate on the PVV was clear: “Do not transfer here in debate and pull in your motion in advance, because you violate the constitution.” But PVV member Koopmans still ventured and that criticized him from the Provincial States but also chairman Jetta Klijnsma.
According to Koopmans, the media and politicians always use the words poison, agricultural poison and pesticides such as about crop protection products in agriculture and lily cultivation and not the “correction of legal terminology”. According to him, that must stop and so he wants a ban on the use of those words in the political debate in the States. The PVV motion states that “this incorrect name in many cases achieves an undesirable effect, which leads to confusion and unrest among many people in Drenthe”.
In the first instance, Koopmans was still carefully questioned. Maybe he would think? He was asked if he could give a definition of the word ‘poison’. Koopmans could not. “Gif can be anything. Even sugar and salt are toxic, yet we eat small amounts of it every day.”
SP party chairman Simon Zandvliet was then mild for Koopman. Zandvliet: “In this room we have freedom to find the word that fits us in the political debate. That is freedom of choice of words and freedom of expression.”
PvdA member Rudolf Bosch added a little extra. “Have you also looked up the word pesticides in the dictionary? It says that the means are toxic.” With which Bosch means: toxic is toxic. The last clear warning came from VVD party leader Cees Vianen. “You will use the time of the Provincial States with this.”
Then it was patience. Among others at SP’er Zandvlied. “Will the PVV be used asylum seeker and status holder in the future, instead of those other terms that we hear from the PVV?” His colleague Bosch of the PvdA thought that Koopmans wants to limit freedom of expression. “This is not possible.”
ChristenUnie-Voorvrouw Bernadette van den Berg even made the book 1984 from George Orwell. In that book, a political system has been given total grip on the actions of the subjects. “This looks like the New Speak (new language), by the rulers in 1984 prescribed. “
Anry Kleine Deters from D66 was already completely done with it. She asked chairman Jetta Klijnsma to respond to Pormes’ warning in advance, because it would be a violation of the constitution. Klijnsma also finds something of it then grabbed the constitution and read the complete Article 7, which is about freedom of expression and the prohibition on censorship.
Klijnsma gave another lesson: “When I was State Secretary for Social Affairs, one Member of Parliament used benefit recipients and the other benefit recipients. Both are in the Dikke Van Dale, everyone is free to choose their own words.” Even though it is a request from the PVV, according to Klijnsma it is “really too far to ask of the Provincial States to no longer use the words poisonous and pesticides.”
The Provincial Executive was asked what they thought of the PVV idea. Deputy Gert-Jan Schuinder (BBB) said it was a shame that the motion was a question of the PVV to the Provincial States. “But if he was addressed to us, we would certainly have discouraged him.”
PVV member Koopmans then moved into the GIF motion. But actually he was already too late. He was already helped by chairman Klijnsma who had already ‘retained’ the motion. CDA leader Bart van Dekken also wanted to discuss the issue in the upcoming group leadership consultation. Klijnsma also felt something for that. But the vast majority of the Provincial States was completely done with it.
Finally, small Deters (D66) and PvdA party leader Hendrikus Loof expressed the feeling: the motion is contrary to the constitution. “Article 7 is clear and ready.” That led to drum roll on the tables in the Statenzaal.