Speech by Job Cohen at the Election Congress
Speech by Job Cohen, Party Leader, at the PvdA Dutch Labour Party election congress in Nijmegen, 25 April 2010 (translation into English)
Let me start by thanking you, on behalf of all the candidates, for the confidence you have placed in us today. Because confidence is at the heart of things. It is what binds us. This is not something we do on our own; we all pull together.
It is on the basis of this feeling that I would now first like to address Wouter Bos. Wouter, when the crisis hit, you showed your worth: we did not sink into a long, painful recession; you and your colleagues in the Dutch government took firm, purposeful action; you saved us from worse. The fact that we are now in a good starting position for post-crisis action is primarily thanks to you. Wouter, you took the leadership of our party upon yourself in a difficult period and you shouldered responsibility for it. As the leader of our party, you recognised that internal change would be needed as well, and you have been an indefatigable and fantastic source of inspiration, always in contact, always alert – always putting civic commitment and sharing the pain in first place. The way you view social democracy – “don’t be patronising, but give people the opportunity to develop” – held an appeal for many.
But the sum total of being vice-premier, minister of finance in a time of crisis as well as party leader put considerable strain on your home and family life. And we all understand that you felt you had to make a choice. You made your choice and I have the utmost respect for it, a respect that has only grown in the past six weeks. The dedication you showed when you taught me the ropes during this period – which, as we all know, was not an easy one for you – was magnificent and I personally am extremely grateful to you for this.
Today we are taking our leave of you as leader of the Dutch Labour Party PvdA, but we are not saying goodbye to Wouter Bos: we will continue to draw on your acumen and your commitment. We thank you for all you have done in the past few years for us and for this country.
My friends,
It was with conviction that I decided to stand for the leadership of our party. And now I stand before you ready to accept this leadership.
The leadership of the PvdA. I find this more moving than I can say. My parents made a well-considered choice to join the Dutch Labour Party when it was founded in 1946. They saw it as a new beginning after a very black period – a period during which they had felt, quite literally, what it means to be excluded, what happens when hatred is given free rein. The way in which my parents gave their life new shape and how they talked about this with my brother and me, the way they were able to talk, made me the person I am today. Shortly after the war, my parents showed no evidence of embitterment or disappointment. They spoke of the hopeful prospects they saw, of a chance for a better world. The were determined to contribute to it. No matter how difficult a situation, there is always some prospect: you just have to find it. This is what they passed on to me.
Today, too, it is difficult for many people to see the prospects. They hear politicians on television outshouting each other in calling for cutbacks. They are concerned about their jobs in times of economic crisis. They feel unsafe on the street. Society seems to have become harder, rougher. Many people feel excluded. They see this world without borders, one full of rapid change, not as a promise, but as a threat.
Just now, in these difficult times, I find it extremely motivating to be able to offer the prospect of a decent life for one and all – the prospect of being able to take part in that society in a way that is fulfilling. This is why I decided to stand for election, so that we – you and I together – can make the difference.
I know our tradition. Social democracy is built on the concerns and ideals of people, on the awareness that together we can do a great deal more than each of us individually. This is why people are ready and willing to contribute, why they are open to others. This attitude is now more necessary than ever before.
The Netherlands is experiencing the consequences of the worst economic recession in the past 80 years. In the past months, the cabinet with the PvdA has guided the Netherlands through the deepest point of the crisis. I am proud that, at the crucial moment, members of our party helped to keep the banks in business, so that our savings did not go up in smoke. I am proud that we were able to help tens of thousands of employees to keep their jobs by offering part-time unemployment benefits. And it was my party that supported the economy by not immediately reducing spending, but by investing in homes, schools and healthcare. In the Lower House, it was Mariette and in the government, Wouter, who did their best for this. We can be proud of that too.
We face huge challenges in the time to come. In politics and in the media, all we hear is ‘cut spending, tighten the purse strings'. Yes, the housekeeping book has to be put back in order – and we will do that – but there is much more to it.
Which is why I say: be careful. Don’t be reckless. The consequences of the crisis will affect all of us, of course. We will have to cut our coat according to our cloth. It is inevitable. But we should do so sensibly. Because the economy is still extremely fragile. One ash cloud from Iceland or some other unexpected event can slow recovery. The European economy showed almost no growth in the past quarter. Recovery will not be quick. Many businesses want to invest but have a hard time obtaining loans. People are still losing their jobs every month. Financial markets are unstable, and not just because of Greece.
And so I say: be careful. Don’t be reckless. It’s about people, about their jobs. If we cut back our spending too hard and too fast, we will cripple the beginning recovery of the economy, we will fall back into the depths of recession, and it will take even longer before we climb back out, the measures will be all the more painful, and even more people will lose their jobs.
If Wouter Bos had introduced spending cutbacks in 2009 the way [Liberal leader] Mark Rutte wanted him to, we would now have a new army of jobless as big as the entire city of Utrecht. Then Corus, where I was last week, would have had to dismiss people who are still there now, and who are now better trained. Thanks to active government intervention. Wouter was right not to listen to Rutte. And I won’t listen to him either. We must act sensibly, not recklessly.
The crisis has taught us what happens if you trust the market blindly. That recipe resulted in the derailment of the world economy: the market was given complete freedom and not enough supervision. Generosity was shown for greed and little attention paid to poverty. And if we aren’t careful, the blind devotees of the market will simply go on the way they did. They will continue to offer the very high incomes very high mortgage interest relief, while at the same time decreasing public provisions. They will choose not to share out costs in relation to income, but will ask people to foot the bill who don’t have much to start with. This will take the form of rent increases, higher medical costs, fewer provisions, and lower benefits. This is the neoliberal cocktail that is responsible for the crisis.
They now want to serve up that same cocktail once more. It’s just like the mediaeval quack doctor: no matter what the ailment, the doctor has one and the same remedy: let it bleed. And this is why I say: we must not leave the solution to the crisis to those who caused it!
Some politicians make a game out of being the ‘cutback champion’. But the elections on the 9th of June are not about who can economise the most. They are about who acts with the greatest wisdom in a situation in which public finances need to be put in order while major social issues are tackled at the same time. That is the task we face!
And this is why we will put our household book in order as quickly as is fitting to the present state of the economy, using measures from which following generations will also be able to benefit. So: yes Mark Rutte, you are right that we need to get things moving. But being both a cyclist and a skater, I know that you only win the team pursuit if you keep things together.
Dear friends,
I am not a stranger to you. You have seen me in the past several years as the burgomaster of our capital, a city with problems all its own. You know that, despite meeting with opposition, I have always taken an approach that I believe in, an approach that works. I believe that problems are primarily resolved by dialogue, by seeking to connect, by paying attention, by seeking shared interests. But my approach is not only one of consultation and collaboration. Another part of my approach is setting limits. We do this at home, when we raise our children. We need limits in public, in communities, in workplaces, in the way countries deal with one another. Because setting limits is simply part of living in a community. Without limits, there is no safety. People can only feel at home in a safe society. And feeling at home is something every one of us wants. Because a society is only truly social if it is safe.
This is why, as burgomaster, I did my utmost to make Amsterdam a safer place: measures from preventive body searches to camera surveillance, street coaches whose presence has a settling effect, who point out to parents that they are responsible for their children, who remove drug addicts from the street and solve crimes and nuisance caused by youth groups. A combination of repression and prevention gives the best results. Reach out when you can, be tough when you must. A safe country and a society in which people are considerate of each other. That is my objective.
I want to live in a country where civilisation is not an old-fashioned word. Where ambulance personnel can do their work without being attacked, where older people can feel confident on their way to visit their children, where there is no name-calling – not of Jews, not of gays, not of Muslims. This is why I believe so strongly in the rule of law. The state under the rule of law sets limits and offers opportunities, respects the freedom of one and all, respects freedom of speech, freedom of religion and all other basic rights. The rights of one person are not worth more than those of another. We must cherish this rule of law. What is more, we must defend this rule of law against anyone who wishes to violate it.
Friends,
I am convinced that the Netherlands can look forward to a good future. What kind of future is that? One that offers prospects to one and all. Because despite the crisis, the Netherlands is in a good starting position. Our country is full of people with knowledge, ambition, creativity, expertise, with a mission and with the will to achieve something. People are ready to take part, to tackle the challenges of our time. We may be a small country, but one that is able to do great things. Let us develop all the talent we have, and let one thing be clear: everyone has his or her own talent. Let us do our best not to allow any part of it to be lost, because we will need every one of us badly. We must invest in education, which means investing in good teachers, ensuring that people get the best out of themselves, not making do with mediocre quality. More and more, knowledge is becoming the motor for jobs. If we don’t want knowledge to become outdated, if we want people to take active part in the new era, then the mantra is: go to school, get educated! This will bring us to a new era.
Because our population is ageing, there will soon be more elderly people than young people. People are living longer, husbands and wives both work and share in the care of their children. There is much less heavy physical work than in the past.
Our society is not yet equipped to deal with this, and it will cause our perspective on work to change radically.
In this new era, people, young and old, will be offered jobs rather than having to write hundreds of letters of application. We have not yet reached this point, but it is coming, and faster than we think. So we had better get used to the prospect – and take sensible decisions that prepare us for this new age.
We must now first work our way out of the economic crisis. To this end, we have proposed a Social Accord – one that will bring us together, help us discover where our interests coincide. Realistic wage developments are needed to resolve the problems of today. This asks something of employees, but also of employers.
At the same time the Social Accord gets us lined up for the new day and age: greater scope for education, sharing care and household tasks, strong participation in the labour market.
The way in which we economise must also fit in this new perspective. And so we have made proposals for a realistic and durable old age pension, for effective mortgage interest relief and conversion of student grants into a social lending system, so that everyone who is able to, actually goes on to study further, but gives back part of the benefit thus gained to society. These are each of them choices that fit in the tradition of social democracy. Because they are fair choices.
Friends,
As we put our economy on the road to recovery while taking into account the ageing of our population, perhaps our biggest task is to leave behind a cleaner world for our children and grandchildren. We must find a sustainable equilibrium between people and the earth. No other task makes such an appeal to our ingenuity, our creativity, our perseverance. And precisely for this reason there are opportunities here for our country. With our knowledge and expertise we can make a fantastic contribution in this respect. With our engineers, hydraulic engineers, offshore industry, with our accessible ports and with the North Sea at our front door, we have matchless opportunities. The Netherlands can be a world player in the production of wind energy at sea, which will allow us to furnish power, perhaps even to large parts of north-western Europe. This is merely an example; there are many others.
If employment as well as export opportunities are to be found somewhere in the coming years, then it is in the enormous area of sustainability and energy supply. The choices that we make in the coming years will be decisive for the future of our country. Countries such as China, India and Brazil are shooting forward, and we really need to do our very best to keep up with them. The Netherlands always plays a striking role in this type of international competition: small in a geographic sense, but big in an economic one. This is because we have always opened our eyes on the world. A large part of our income is earned in foreign trade. And so I say to you: we must not ensconce ourselves behind the dikes.
Solidarity between people does not stop at the border. In the first half of the previous century, when nationalism was the norm and European countries were fighting bloody and ruthless wars against each other, socialists were rallying people to internationalism. Because they knew that workers in one country could never continue to lead good lives if workers in another country were oppressed. The world has since become more complex, a smaller and a much busier place. If life somewhere else becomes unbearable, people always find an opportunity to take themselves to places where things are better. These flows of people are a source of concern for the country they leave behind and for the country where they choose to settle. The people who leave a country are its strongest and smartest, and by leaving they lessen the chances of improvement for their own country. They are a source of concern in the countries where they arrive as well. People there have not asked for it, and have seen their surroundings change: it is as if they have moved house without ever going beyond their front door.
Their sense of solidarity is undermined when it is asked of them but is not given in return.
Our answer to this is the combination of a strict but just Aliens Act and the offer of prospects in the countries of origin. By maintaining long-lasting peace, stimulating democracy and offering economic prospects, we will not only improve the fortunes of people in those countries, but also remove some of the concern and unrest in our own society.
Friends,
Many voters have become dissatisfied with politics and have turned their backs on it. They no longer trust politicians and feel that their voices are not heard. Politicians must take this seriously. In present-day politics a culture has emerged in which name-calling and defamation seem to be considered normal. Politicians are more interested in winning than they are in principles. And when there is a lack of action, they use big words to make a big impression. Voters do not want to be part of this. Nor do I.
Voters want to be taken seriously. And rightly so. We live in a new age, an age with Twitter and Facebook. In this information society, we must make better use of such means to hold a true dialogue. And so I say: have the courage to strengthen representative democracy. Do not be afraid of forms of direct democracy. Because if you have good arguments, you can convince others. Our democracy is in urgent need of strengthening, and so we are working on a National Democracy Accord so that we can truly increase confidence in our democracy by taking steps forward.
Friends,
I have sketched for you the prospects I see before me: climbing out of the depths together, sensibly and responsibly, and adapting our society to this new era. Making the Netherlands safer and maintaining our world by investing in sustainability. Giving people confidence in our democratic rule of law. This, to me, is the considerate society. “Everyone matters” is more than just a slogan for me. It is something that has driven me all my life. In my past few years as burgomaster, when I could give all the citizens of Amsterdam, no matter where they came from, the feeling that what they do matters, it matters that they contribute to our society, by cleaning the streets, by delighting us with music, by teaching, by building houses and maintaining railways, by causing ideas to become reality, by allowing their talent, no matter what it is, to develop.
Today I accept the assignment you have charged me with: to make sure that the Netherlands is truly a country in which everyone matters.
Documenten