Universities hope for last-minute miracle in Senate

Halfway through the very last debate on the education budget, universities are demonstrating outside the Senate. “Don’t do it!”, they shout. Is the Senate still capable of a political miracle?

Senator Daan Roovers from the GroenLinks-PvdA opens the final debate on the education cuts by once again explaining to the minister what is at stake. Whether he is listening is not entirely clear. Education Minister Eppo Bruins has just entered and is busy sorting his papers and typing on his phone.

Roovers uses grand language: “Free academic research and reliable information uphold the archway of the rule of law.” It is easy to guess what happens when you gnaw too much at these pillars of support, Roovers says.

Procession

As the House of Representatives kicks off the debate on 1.2 billion euros in cuts, demonstrators gather outside the House of Representatives for a procession and protest, ending at the Senate.

What happens if the cuts go through? “Then the structure that currently helps society find solutions for societal problems will collapse”, says Caspar van den Berg, chair of the universities’ association UNL.

Before the procession heads to the Senate, members of the House of Representatives encourage the approximately one hundred attendees. After all, the chance that the Senate will vote against the cuts is small: it last happened in 1907.

But this cabinet will not be around for long, predicts GroenLinks-PvdA leader Frans Timmermans. “We can ensure that instead of cutting, we invest in education!” Laurens Dassen from Volt knows how much: ‘Not 1.2 billion euros off, but 1.2 billion euros extra!”

Miracle

Sandra Beckerman (SP) holds out hope for a miracle in the Senate: ‘You need to pressure the parties that can make a difference”, she urges. In the House of Representatives, the Christian parties and JA21 have struck a deal to soften the education cuts. “Let those parties know: don’t do it!” Beckerman chants together with the crowd. “Don’t do it!”

Students and staff from the University of Twente are also present. They know that the chances of success in the Senate are slim. But Twente has already been hit hard by cuts. “We need to make our voices heard”, says one of them. “The fact that they are meeting for so long today means they are not making hasty decisions.”

At the Senate, the demonstrators present a manifesto. Several senators are in attendance, including those from the coalition. The gist of the manifesto: don’t do it.