Politicians are trustworthy and the Fyra high-speed train will run on time. Perhaps not, writes René van Leeuwen.

Not long ago I had to travel to Amsterdam to discuss my thesis. My train of choice was the Fyra. It’s nice and quick and, as people don’t trust it one bit, I would have it all to myself. I overcame my pessimism and bought a ticket.

Of course the Fyra was delayed. I missed my connection at Schiphol and I wanted my money back, my two euro something. Not because I’m a poor slob, you understand. It was a question of principle.

Justice

An NS member of staff conceded that the train had indeed been delayed but that it had run. Therefore I would not get my money back, such were the rules. After fifteen minutes of persistent nagging the member of staff wanted to see the back of me and flung a free ticket at me. ‘Now bugger off’, his look told me.

 Justice at last! And we could do with a bit of justice.

The lying ex-boss of the Dutch Bank, the fat cats in the healthcare sector, the porn watching Christen Unie councillor’s golden goodbye, the bankers still cashing in on bonuses while citizens are replenishing the emergency funds, the postman who is fired while useless middle managers are getting richer: where is the justice in that? I could go on.

Numbers

Most of these people belong to the same cosmopolitan class. Extremely well paid, with expense accounts to match, they hold forth glibly about a United States of Europe, market forces in healthcare, privatisation of public utilities and shouldering responsibility, even if the shoulders in question are already weighed down quite a lot. To them people are numbers on a computer screen, mere variables to be influenced.

 There is consensus on the need to cut back in this country. Parents really don’t want their children to be lumbered with a huge state deficit. And children really don’t want their parents to eke out their final years in dilapidated care homes.

What we need is justice. And we’re not getting it with hare-brained schemes like the commuter tax, limiting the mortgage tax relief but only for first time buyers and a sky high health care own risk. Taxes are not cutbacks.

Smoke screen

The sad thing about it all is that the Kunduz parties know this all too well. With the elections on the horizon their accord is fast losing its initial firmness. It was, after all, a smoke screen to pacify Brussels.

Politicians forget that voters can’t be fobbed off with a free ticket. It won’t be long until people will have as much faith in The Hague as in the Fyra. How many smoke screens are you willing to peer through?

René van Leeuwen is studying for a Masters degree at Erasmus University, Rotterdam. This column was originally published in the Volkskrant