Leave us alone
by
MARCEL VAN SILFHOUT |
Dutch MPs must not jump on people with their politics
It’s all up to us, voters. On Sept. 12th the national elections will be held in The Netherlands. Never before have we seen so much political activity in the midst of summertime. While people are yearning for a smooth and easy holiday, politicians are worrying about their seats in parliament.
I’m glad to be abroad for a short vacation. Families who will visit a Dutch campsite or beach, risk being confronted by campaigning politicians, most probably in short trousers or even a swimming suit, acting as if they’re nice and distant family relatives. I wish those MPs luck, but it would be good if they did not jump on people with their politics in these days of crisis and misery. They might then risk facing public anger.
Many recent analyses, by various political scientists and trend-watchers, have something in common; a worrisome baseline that echoes a sad and perhaps even dangerous development. The Netherlands, always a country of ‘high trust’ is moving towards becoming ‘a low-trust-society.’ People are fed up with politics, fed up with bad economic tidings and fed up with the media, and more specifically, fed up with the ones that bring all the bad news.
Even worse, people tend to trust other people less than they did before. In a high trust society, one can easily sign a contract or do business. One can rely on payments. In a low trust community however, people mistrust each other too much, which in the long run means less business, less entrepreneurship. The final outcome of a sort of national distrust is foreseeable and this means even more economic loss. In times of crisis this is not a nice development at all.
Amidst the anger and despair, there’s an intriguingly large amount of initiatives from people who try to create new businesses and alternative systems of help and care. A certain part of the Dutch public – or do we have to say many individual entrepreneurs – don’t want to rely on the welfare state or other government facilities anymore. There is too much hostile bureaucracy. And many commercial insurance companies have become too expensive for the growing group of individual entrepreneurs. Many people can’t afford an insurance. Some of them invented a ‘broodfonds’ ( bread fund), a new fund on a small scale to help each other in times of sickness or unemployment. Others have united neighbours who have started a small energy-supply chain by creating solar-energy-shields on their shared roofs, making them no more dependent on giant, expensive energy-companies.
Another positive development, and yes, something that belongs to a high trust society, are parents who help their children with education and other activities. In times of crisis, creativity and positivity are, luckily, also popping up. Yet, it’s difficult to give an answer on the question if these activities are enough to change the country for the better. Whatever one can say about all this positivism, faith in politics and government is lacking.
At the same time, real politics, the upper-level quarrelling about the never ending euro crisis doesn’t make it all easier. So much economic despair is too hard to handle, too hard to understand.
Nevertheless, one might say, life has to go on. And indeed, it does. So please, MPs and other political campaigners, do leave us alone for a while. After summer we will have plenty of time to worry again. Or, to see what we all can do by ourselves to find the path to a high trust society. A good holiday to free our senses and have the love and care of our families and friends,will help. After that and before Sept.12th this year, there will be enough time for democracy and politics.
Oman Tribune |
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