According to the king, the Dutch economy is strong, but there is a “permanent task to continue working on equality of opportunity, social security and prospects”. Hardly anyone can disagree with this, but there are plenty of organizations that believe that they are being shortchanged by these plans. Students and young people, for example, are faring poorly, says the National Student Union (LSVb). “The basic grant will be lower and the rents higher. The outcome of that sum is quite simple: we will not make ends meet like this,” writes LSVb chairman Elisa Weehuizen, who attended the speech from the throne today in The Hague. “Inflation will not decrease, but the basic grant will. Thats crazy.”
Social security as a common thread in the speech from the throne, but is 2 billion enough?
