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== Politics == | == Politics == | ||
Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the [[Party for Freedom and Democracy]] | Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the [[Party for Freedom and Democracy]] is highly [[Russophobia|Russophobic]] and is strongly backing [[Ukraine]] to be used as a [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization|NATO]] proxy against [[Russian Federation|Russia]]. With the exception of the war in Ukraine, he has highly limited government spending,<ref>{{Web citation|author=Sonja van den Ende|newspaper=[[CovertAction Magazine]]|title=Netherland’s Scandal-Ridden Prime Minister Mark Rutte Embodies Hypocrisy of Global Ruling Elite|date=2022-10-05|url=https://covertactionmagazine.com/2022/10/05/netherlands-scandal-ridden-prime-minister-mark-rutte-embodies-hypocrisy-of-global-ruling-elite/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221029200516/https://covertactionmagazine.com/2022/10/05/netherlands-scandal-ridden-prime-minister-mark-rutte-embodies-hypocrisy-of-global-ruling-elite/|archive-date=2022-10-29|retrieved=2022-12-23}}</ref> causing numerous political crises, concerning, among others, housing, education, healthcare, energy, refugees and nitrogen compound pollution. | ||
=== Current crisis === | |||
As mentioned in the "Politics" section, the Netherlands is currently experiencing an economic crisis, and multiple political crises are resulting from this. | |||
==== Housing ==== | ==== Housing ==== | ||
Arguably the most severe political crisis the Netherlands is currently experiencing, the Dutch housing crisis is a consequence of decades of capitalist housing policies, as started by the turn away from social democracy in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The crisis is quite severe, with there being 100.000 homeless people and about 900.000 extra houses needing to be built. What is interesting is that despite the massive shortage, about 90.000 houses are empty. This shows that the crisis is caused by capitalism, as a socialist system would immediately allocate these houses to the homeless. | Arguably the most severe political crisis the Netherlands is currently experiencing, the Dutch housing crisis is a consequence of decades of capitalist housing policies, as started by the turn away from social democracy in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The crisis is quite severe, with there being 100.000 homeless people and about 900.000 extra houses needing to be built. What is interesting is that despite the massive shortage, about 90.000 houses are empty. This shows that the crisis is caused by capitalism, as a socialist system would immediately allocate these houses to the homeless. | ||
==== Education ==== | ==== Education ==== | ||
The Dutch education system can also be considered to be in a state of crisis at present. In the primary school system, there is a shortage of between 7.000 and 10.000 teachers. Wages in all levels of education are also too low, owing to austerity measures of the neoliberal government. The tertiary education system is experiencing problems also. For about a decade, the Netherlands had a university system similar to that of the United States of America, where students had to lend money to go to university. This policy left all students in debts north of 20.000 euros, and such the policy will be reversed in 2023, with the previous system of government-funded tertiary education being reinstated. | The Dutch education system can also be considered to be in a state of crisis at present. In the primary school system, there is a shortage of between 7.000 and 10.000 teachers. Wages in all levels of education are also too low, owing to austerity measures of the neoliberal government. The tertiary education system is experiencing problems also. For about a decade, the Netherlands had a university system similar to that of the United States of America, where students had to lend money to go to university. This policy left all students in debts north of 20.000 euros, and such the policy will be reversed in 2023, with the previous system of government-funded tertiary education being reinstated. | ||
==== Healthcare ==== | ==== Healthcare ==== | ||
The Dutch healthcare system is one based on compulsory insurance at a private insurance corporation. This causes significant inefficiency, as these insurers are for-profit corporations. Beyond this, though, the Dutch healthcare system, having suffered under the stress of the COVID-19 epidemic, is currently experiencing shortages and long waiting lists, especially in healthcare for transgender persons. The situation is similar to (though not quite as severe as) the UK, though the Netherlands has no fully private healthcare providers as an alternative. | The Dutch healthcare system is one based on compulsory insurance at a private insurance corporation. This causes significant inefficiency, as these insurers are for-profit corporations. Beyond this, though, the Dutch healthcare system, having suffered under the stress of the COVID-19 epidemic, is currently experiencing shortages and long waiting lists, especially in healthcare for transgender persons. The situation is similar to (though not quite as severe as) the UK, though the Netherlands has no fully private healthcare providers as an alternative. | ||
==== Refugees ==== | ==== Refugees ==== | ||
The Dutch refugee absorption system is notoriously inefficient, to the point that human rights organizations such as Doctors Without Borders having to assist in the refugee camps to prevent a humanitarian crisis. Civics education is compulsory for immigrants, though this system is, again, inefficient, with the privatized civics education plunging many financially vulnerable refugees into debt. | The Dutch refugee absorption system is notoriously inefficient, to the point that human rights organizations such as Doctors Without Borders having to assist in the refugee camps to prevent a humanitarian crisis. Civics education is compulsory for immigrants, though this system is, again, inefficient, with the privatized civics education plunging many financially vulnerable refugees into debt. | ||
==== Nitrogen compound pollution ==== | ==== Nitrogen compound pollution ==== | ||
The Dutch central government has for a long time been avoiding European Union regulations on pollution from nitrogen compounds, specifically ammonia and nitrogen oxides. From 2019 onward, EU authorities and the Dutch Council of State have disallowed this policy, which in 2019 caused all construction projects to cease. This has also led to large scale protests from farmers who produce most of the pollution, but do not want to change their ways for fear of it cutting into profits. | The Dutch central government has for a long time been avoiding European Union regulations on pollution from nitrogen compounds, specifically ammonia and nitrogen oxides. From 2019 onward, EU authorities and the Dutch Council of State have disallowed this policy, which in 2019 caused all construction projects to cease. This has also led to large scale protests from farmers who produce most of the pollution, but do not want to change their ways for fear of it cutting into profits. | ||
== References == | == References == | ||