>**Prime Minister Rutte prefers to form a government with the King again**
>
>After three formations with the Lower House at the helm, outgoing Prime Minister Rutte wants to restore the coordinating role of the king. He thinks Willem-Alexander could have sped up the process a little. Not that it suddenly takes three months shorter if you bring him back, but it would help.’
>
>Rutte said this on Friday in an interview with De Telegraaf. He opens the debate on the formation process that is to be held next year. Since the House of Representatives decided in 2012 to scrap the involvement of the monarchy in the formation process and to take the reins themselves, there was one lightning-fast formation in 2012 between VVD and PvdA. This was followed by the two longest formations in Dutch history in the run-up to Rutte III and Rutte IV. The intention of the Lower House is therefore now to reconsider the procedure.
>
>It is not surprising that Rutte sees a role for the King. In 2012, the VVD opposed the new procedure and has maintained this position ever since. At the time, the VVD said in the amendment of the Rules of Procedure that the Head of State “has always had an important stabilising effect in a process that is, by its very nature, turbulent”. The change was implemented at the time under the leadership of D66, PvdA, PVV, SP, GroenLinks and the Party for the Animals. That camp has not shrunk so far, as most of the new parties in the House are also against interference from the palace.
>
>**Encouraging role**
>
>In the old style formation, the head of state had an encouraging and coordinating role. Until 2012, Queen Beatrix invited her permanent advisors – the Presidents of the Senate and the Lower House, plus the Vice-President of the Council of State – to the palace soon after the elections to evaluate the results. She also received all party chairmen of the Lower House. After that, a cabinet negotiator was appointed who regularly reported to the palace.
>
>The House was generally satisfied with this procedure. Nevertheless, there was always a nagging feeling of discomfort about the times when it seemed that Beatrix, without democratic legitimation, interfered with the course of events. In 1994, for instance, when she fiercely resisted the arrival of the first ‘purple’ government for some time because she did not want to get rid of the CDA. In 2010, there was great discomfort between the House and the Palace when VVD, CDA and PVV passed informateur Ruud Lubbers, and with him Beatrix, in their search for a minority government.
Might as well give the royal family something useful to do
Had this discussion with my (German) wife several times before: but Dutch to an English speaker is so uncanny. When it’s read aloud, there are so many cognates, that you can *almost* understand what’s being said — it’s like straining to hear a song that you know, and you can nearly sense what it is, but not quite.
Norwegian and Scots are a bit like that too.
“the head of state had an encouraging and coordinating role.”
For ignorant Republicans, what does that mean exactly?
Hot chocolate and waffles for the government in the Paleis op de Dam when things are not going well.
What exactly has to be coordinated in the Netherlands by the palace that the government cannot?
I actually thought of Rutte as a quite reasonable politician until now. But who in their right mind would want to increase the role of a monarch in the 21st century? Actually a liberal politician should work for abolishing the monarchy alltogether.
This coup of staatsgezinde is over! long live the king! send these republicans to the groene zoodje…flip em upside down ill bring the sambal and garlicsauce.
Well if we already pay our king, we might actually try to make him use full too
9 comments
>**Prime Minister Rutte prefers to form a government with the King again**
>
>After three formations with the Lower House at the helm, outgoing Prime Minister Rutte wants to restore the coordinating role of the king. He thinks Willem-Alexander could have sped up the process a little. Not that it suddenly takes three months shorter if you bring him back, but it would help.’
>
>Rutte said this on Friday in an interview with De Telegraaf. He opens the debate on the formation process that is to be held next year. Since the House of Representatives decided in 2012 to scrap the involvement of the monarchy in the formation process and to take the reins themselves, there was one lightning-fast formation in 2012 between VVD and PvdA. This was followed by the two longest formations in Dutch history in the run-up to Rutte III and Rutte IV. The intention of the Lower House is therefore now to reconsider the procedure.
>
>It is not surprising that Rutte sees a role for the King. In 2012, the VVD opposed the new procedure and has maintained this position ever since. At the time, the VVD said in the amendment of the Rules of Procedure that the Head of State “has always had an important stabilising effect in a process that is, by its very nature, turbulent”. The change was implemented at the time under the leadership of D66, PvdA, PVV, SP, GroenLinks and the Party for the Animals. That camp has not shrunk so far, as most of the new parties in the House are also against interference from the palace.
>
>**Encouraging role**
>
>In the old style formation, the head of state had an encouraging and coordinating role. Until 2012, Queen Beatrix invited her permanent advisors – the Presidents of the Senate and the Lower House, plus the Vice-President of the Council of State – to the palace soon after the elections to evaluate the results. She also received all party chairmen of the Lower House. After that, a cabinet negotiator was appointed who regularly reported to the palace.
>
>The House was generally satisfied with this procedure. Nevertheless, there was always a nagging feeling of discomfort about the times when it seemed that Beatrix, without democratic legitimation, interfered with the course of events. In 1994, for instance, when she fiercely resisted the arrival of the first ‘purple’ government for some time because she did not want to get rid of the CDA. In 2010, there was great discomfort between the House and the Palace when VVD, CDA and PVV passed informateur Ruud Lubbers, and with him Beatrix, in their search for a minority government.
Might as well give the royal family something useful to do
Had this discussion with my (German) wife several times before: but Dutch to an English speaker is so uncanny. When it’s read aloud, there are so many cognates, that you can *almost* understand what’s being said — it’s like straining to hear a song that you know, and you can nearly sense what it is, but not quite.
Norwegian and Scots are a bit like that too.
“the head of state had an encouraging and coordinating role.”
For ignorant Republicans, what does that mean exactly?
Hot chocolate and waffles for the government in the Paleis op de Dam when things are not going well.
What exactly has to be coordinated in the Netherlands by the palace that the government cannot?
I actually thought of Rutte as a quite reasonable politician until now. But who in their right mind would want to increase the role of a monarch in the 21st century? Actually a liberal politician should work for abolishing the monarchy alltogether.
This coup of staatsgezinde is over! long live the king! send these republicans to the groene zoodje…flip em upside down ill bring the sambal and garlicsauce.
Well if we already pay our king, we might actually try to make him use full too
Based. Long live Monarchies!
Good