Le Monde spreads the rumour that Dutch Prime Minister Balkenende might become European Commission President instead of Barroso.
I never really believe those political rumours, but this is the first good news since the starting of Anyone but Barroso!.
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2 comments:
As a Dutch citizen having to live with this lousy prime minister for almost seven years, I cannot take this rumour serious.
I support "Anyone but Barroso", but certainly Balkenende would not be any better than Barroso.
Like Barroso and Blair, Balkenende has been one of the most reliable Western-European allies of George W. Bush in his war on Iraq.
Today, Balkenende is under increasing political pressure in the Netherlands over his longstanding refusal to allow a parliamentary investigation of the Dutch involvement in the Iraq war (which happened under the first Balkenende government).
Balkenende gave a press conference yesterday to announce an indepedent research group to investigate Dutch involvement in Iraq. But this has only strenghtened the calls for a parliamentary investigation.
(See for example Dutch PM agrees to Iraq inquiry, Radio Netherlands Worldwide News, 02-02-2009.)
Under these circumstances Balkenende seems a very unlikely candidate to become the President of the European Commission.
Erik,
I must admit that I am not the biggest follower of Dutch national politics (apart from certain visible issues); so I believe your assessment.
Nevertheless, the fact that there are any rumours around the EC President's post is a good sign, because this means that Barroso is not 100% secure in his chair.
And everything <100% leaves some hope... ;-)
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