Each year the Dutch government releases on the 3rd Tuesday of September their financial plans and work strategies for next years. As usual the major topic is how to make ends meet, how they will save money at cost of who and what. In past years Dutch citizens had learned that right on privacy is just depending on fashionable crisisses like ‘war on terrorism’ and the social system continued to vaporize in ‘smart’ budget cuts. Meanwhile the Dutch government planned to give Dutch ministers a significant income increase more competitive with world industry top income…In pale contrast to their own household budget they made very clear that most income will be freezed or lowered, unpopular change in laws will be drafted, to make up for the national budget loss. Social security and health system, arts, early retirement and so on are just a grain of sand in their diabolic calculator, get rid of it.

On October 2nd, the unions organized a major demonstration against the government plans. More than 200.000 people participated in what has become one of the largest union demonstrations in the Netherlands. The crowd was so enormous and diverse that it became an ongoing party in Amsterdam town centre, from Museum Square up to Central Station, people waved their banners. Most people mixed their protest with fun shopping. A man reported he had watched so many people using their mobiles at the onset and during the demonstration that the total sum of phone calls could compete with the budget cuts. It is no misunderstanding that the persons who are most affected by the government plans were outnumbered by the mega-crowd. As I watched the emptying of the squares, a silent cry was heard. Some lone protestors with a long list of budget horror stories continued the protest until the wee hours.

Mathilde μP