The parliamentary year has come to an end and ministers are heading for the beach. Will they fret or brave the waves without a care after a job well done? Here’s what the papers say.

The Volkskrant heads its contribution ‘A year into Rutte’s cabinet: ‘We do things differently’. ‘Rutte’s cabinet does not only distinguish itself by its rightwing course, it also has its own style’, the paper writes. Apparently Rutte is no fan of email but likes to contact people directly by phone. His ministers are encouraged to have a coffee with the opposition. The SP’s Ronald Raak, still not quite used to ministerial visits points to the chair in which Justice minister Ivo Opstelten sipped his latte: ‘He was sitting right here! In this red chair.’
Rutte’s strategy is born of necessity: ‘A minority cabinet needs al the goodwill it can get’, the Volkskrant says.
Not impressed
SP Emile Roemer for one is not impressed by the ministerial visits: ‘It’s all very well chatting with the ministers but what is the good of that when they are implementing terrible policies. Rutte is selling the division of the Netherlands with a big grin on his face. He is definitely not the ‘prime minister of all citizens’.
CDA junior environment minister Joop Atsma thinks the cabinet has shown ‘guts’. ‘You can be for or against but at least the job gets done.’
Marc Chavannes in Nrc thinks some jobs have been done rather too quickly. The last parliamentary week remind him of a ten minute super market dash: ministers take a last chance of filling their political cart and rushing them through the check out. Chavannes is referring to the last minute decision to go ahead with the controversial electronic patient file. In spite of the Senate’s privacy warnings, the file is to be tinkered with further, ‘a holiday trick which is not good for parliament’, he comments.
Ideological identities
The year has also been marked by parties trying to find their ideological identities, with varying results.
The PvdA is delving into ‘what we consider valuable in society’ (job security, education, work, cohesion) while the Christian Democrats are trying to please both those who want to close the borders and those who think immigration should be embraced.
‘Rutte has decided to ‘join the ‘anti elitism’ and ‘shut the doors’ instinct of the PVV. But the VVD will also have to revert to a liberal vision’, Chavannes predicts, ‘because ideals come before budgets.’
Rutte better than Balkenende
Several papers carry the results of Maurice de Hond’s poll on Rutte’s performance this year. 54 percent of the 6,000 respondents think Rutte is doing better than his predecessor, Jan Peter Balkenende, and a quarter don’t think there’s much to choose between them.
The present coalition would not win a majority if elections were to be held now, a result of the Christian Democrats’ loss of seven seats in the poll.
The SP’s Emile Roemer was voted the best opposition politician.