Posted by Henri M
on 9/10/2009, 8:39:27, in reply to "Re: The Oranges need a court jester again.."
212.61.75.245
In the debate the Premier directed any suggestions of a miscommunication with the Prince to Fairytaleland.
According to the Premier he was involved from the very first beginning, there was a deep investigation on beforehand, many talks have been between him and the princely couple, reports were ordered by the intelligence- and security services and las but not least the Landsadvocaat has investigated the legal setting of the whole process.
Any claim as if the Prince would not, or not completely, have informed the Premier was fiercely denied. The Premier became quite irritated when some members of the Chamber quoted anonymous sources from unknown places which 'would have said' this or that. The Premier urged the Chamber to stick to the facts as these are.
The Premier also made clear that it was not the Prince or Princess' own choice to have security around them. Like it was not the choice of Geert Wilders (one of the MP's) to be protected all the time. Like there is no limit to the freedom of Geert Wilders to travel and stand where he wants, the same counts for members of the Royal House, or ministers or any other who face security.
For the rest the Premier made clear that the responsibility for the project was given to a legal entity (a foundation) and that the Board of that foundation is responsible for all decisions and matters in the Machangulo Project. It remains open to the princely couple to end their participation in the Machangulo project. The Premier has pointed to the fact that no any fraction in the Chamber has contested the freedom the princely couple has to choose their own holiday destination and/or to make their own private investments.
The Premier promised the Chamber to limit the free use of Government planes to only those who are named in the Act on the financial statute (the present, the former and the future King and their spouses), with the notion that the Queen has always free use and the others until a certain limit.
The Premier also was willing to give the Chamber an annual report on the expenditures of the Royal House. This is already for years available but now it will be done more or less in the British way.
The Premier was not willing to give a new Note On The Kingship. He referred to the Note by Premier Kok in 2000 which was still relevant. He remembered the Chamber on discussions about the Note On The Kingship 2000, the Act on the membership of the Royal House 2002, the Act financial statute Royal House 2008, the various discussions in between and urged that the Royal House is not 'static' but 'dynamic'.
He referred to the fact that Queen Beatrix is a total different monarch than Queen Juliana. And Queen Juliana also was total different than Queen Wilhelmina. But all of them were Queen in the same constitutional system. This proves how flexible and ongoing changing the monarchy is, so stated the Premier.
The PVV (the right-wing populistic party of Geer Wilders) issued Motions to urge the Government to start a reform of the Constitution to get the Queen out of the Government, to review the tax regime of the head of state, to cut the Budget of the Queen with 20%, etc.
None of these Motions will meet enough support in the Chamber.
D66, SP and other parties made a plea for a purely ceremonial kingship. The Premier answered that the kingship already is ceremonial: the King is inviolable, the ministers are responsible. This means that the Queen has no polticial influence but is a part of the processes in the state. The political influence lies in the States-General. And not with the Queen.
The Premier was also not convinced that a strict separation will end 'little troubles'. He refers to other monarchies where the King is no integral part of the monarchy itself but where it is also not 'all quiet'. The argument of separating the membership of the Government or the presidency of the Council of State could not convince the Premier.
He pointed to the Chamber that the Netherlands have a hybrid system. The legislative powers lies with the States-General ánd the Government. The powers of the justice lies with the independent 'sitting magistrature' (judges) and the under ministerial responsibility 'standing magistrature' (the prosecutors). The Netherlands constitutional system is full with these hybrid forms of powers. And as the King is always under ministerial responsibility the Premier saw no need for drastic changes and declared that he was fully conviced for the 'added value' of the monarchy is it is today.