Universities hoping for a last-minute miracle from the Senate

Senator Daan Roovers (GroenLinks-PvdA) opened the final debate on the budget for education, culture and science by explaining to the Minister of Education, once again, what is at stake. One can't know for sure if the minister heard him: he had just entered the room and was busy organising his papers and typing on his phone.

Roovers used big words: ‘Free academic research and reliable information support the rule of law. It's easy to guess what happens if you gnaw too much at those pillars of support.'

Protest
As the Senate kicked off the debate on the budget, which includes a 1.2-billion-euro cut, demonstrators gathered in front of the building to warn the senators what could happen if the austerity measures went ahead. 'The structure that is currently helping society find solutions to social problems will collapse,’ says Caspar van den Berg, chair of the association of Dutch universities, UNL.

Members of the Lower House encouraged the approximately one hundred people present before they headed towards the Senate. After all, the chance that the Upper House would vote against the cuts was small. The last time they blocked a budget was in 1907. However, GroenLinks-PvdA leader Frans Timmermans said this cabinet will not be around for long. ‘We can soon ensure that instead of making cuts, we invest in education!’ Laurens Dassen, from Volt, knows exactly how much: ‘Not 1.2 billion less, but 1.2 billion more!’

Miracle
Sandra Beckerman (Socialist Party) was hoping for a miracle: ‘You must pressure the parties that can make a difference,’ she calls out. In the House of Representatives, the four Christian parties and JA21 made a deal to mitigate the education cuts. ‘Let those parties know: 'Don't do it!’ Beckerman chanted along with the audience. 

Students and staff from the University of Twente were there, too. They knew that the chances of succeeding in the Senate were slim, but Twente is already being hit hard by the austerity measures. ‘We must make our voices heard,’ says one of them. ‘The fact that they are meeting for so long today means that they are not taking this lightly.’

The demonstrators presented a manifesto to the Senate. Several senators were present, including those from the coalition.