Weisglas believes the CDA is “free to renegotiate”. But Weisglas doesn’t like the way that party is shaping him. ‘They don’t want to negotiate now, but they announce they want to renegotiate when the CDA wants. With that they put a bombshell under the coalition and the cabinet.” Weisglas blames the chaos within the government primarily on CDA leader Wopke Hoekstra and party chairman Pieter Heerma. “You can mostly blame them.” Yet he does not close his eyes to the role of D66 and VVD. “They shouldn’t have accepted it. That’s why I watched the debate with my mouth open.”
“If you want to renegotiate, do it now”
Hoekstra wants to start negotiations only after the provinces have concluded administrative agreements. He also wants to wait for an agricultural agreement, which must be concluded under the leadership of Agriculture Minister Piet Adema. “To be honest, it doesn’t sound that crazy, but it’s very transparent,” says Weisglas. He’s not even very heroic. If you want to renegotiate, do it now.’ Even waiting for the provinces to be ready is not a smart move on Hoekstra’s part, thinks the former Speaker of the House. “Those provinces are waiting for the cabinet and they don’t know where they are.”
“Double keeper
The former VVD leader also understands the anger of the opposition. ‘Such a broad opposition, from left to right, turned against the cabinet in a vote of no confidence. The same opposition will soon be needed in the Senate, because otherwise no politics can be done”. Weisglas therefore believes that the opposition is “much less inclined to support the cabinet”. ‘This means that the cabinet is not only outgoing for a term, due to the attitude of the CDA and the acceptance of the other coalition parties, the cabinet is also tipsy in the Senate. This makes him doubly keeper.’
Weisglas thinks it is a “sad situation” and has little hope for the government’s future. “I don’t see them making it through the summer, or maybe just the fall.”