Who is Mark Rutte, the New Secretary General of NATO?
And what do the Dutch think of this flamboyant character? A profile
The moment has arrived for NATO to welcome a new secretary general, and this time it's Dutch politician Mark Rutte stepping into the role. Known by his nicknames "Teflon Mark" and "Rubber Rutte," Rutte has earned these titles due to his remarkable resilience. Serving as Prime Minister through four different cabinets, he has adeptly navigated numerous crises, dozens of no confidence motions, and three cabinet collapses over the past fourteen years without sustaining lasting reputational damage. This is a significant accomplishment, especially considering his close involvement in every major crisis during his tenure.
Who is this smooth operator? A profile.
Highlights
1. Mark Rutte: The Netherlands' Longest-Serving Prime Minister Since WWII
Mark Rutte became the longest-serving Prime Minister of the Netherlands since World War II. His tenure began in 2010, at a time when the country was grappling with a severe recession triggered by the financial crisis of 2008. To mitigate the crisis's effects, the national debt and budget deficit had surged. The euro crisis had yet to emerge, but it soon became evident that the Netherlands needed to implement significant budget cuts to comply with European fiscal rules.
Rutte responded by assembling the largest austerity package in Dutch history, amounting to nearly €13 billion. However, the lack of support from his key coalition partner, the Party for Freedom, ultimately led to the downfall of his first cabinet.
During his second term, Mark Rutte implemented extensive austerity measures over five years, significantly downsizing government institutions, stripping down public facilities, and increasing costs for citizens. Financially, these cuts were successful: the national debt and budget deficit returned to normal levels. However, the economic and social consequences were severe.
The austerity measures led to structurally lower economic growth and prolonged economic recovery, with little benefit to the nations’ subjects. Socially, the impact was disastrous. Instead of reforming the welfare state, Rutte opted for deep cuts in public services and welfare. His vision of a "participation society" encouraged less reliance on government and more self-sufficiency, but in practice, it translated into reduced government support and increased financial burdens for its citizens. The cuts resulted in citizens paying far more for less, with many, especially the elderly, facing financial hardship.
Additionally, the reduction in government workforce led to a loss of knowledge and expertise, causing governmental organizations to stumble and fall, leaving citizens caught in bureaucratic gridlock.
Reform Begins by Removing Regulations
To encourage citizens to take responsibility, it's essential to provide them with the freedom and space to do so. Reform starts with eliminating unnecessary rules, not increasing their burdens.
After seven years of austerity, Mark Rutte's third and fourth cabinets marked a significant shift in approach. Previously committed to strict budget discipline, these cabinets redirected efforts towards addressing a multitude of crises and scandals engulfing the country. The gas extraction crisis, COVID-19 pandemic, nitrogen crisis, asylum crisis, housing market crisis, climate crisis, energy crisis, and childcare allowance scandal severely overshadowed daily affairs, effectively putting the entire country in a state of lockdown.
These crises highlighted the Rutte administration's inability to address problems at their core, leading to a growing public distrust in the government.
While citizens struggled to stay afloat, the last two Rutte cabinets prioritized diversity, inclusivity and climate change. Billions were spent on COVID-19 measures, climate packages, and financing the war in Ukraine, leaving the national budget deficit and debt even higher than during the crisis years of 2010-2014. This time, however, there is little room left for further cuts without causing severe harm to citizens.
After leading four cabinets, three of which collapsed due to crises, Mark Rutte has resigned. He kisses goodbye a deeply divided country, with unresolved crises and diminished autonomy, as much control has been handed over to the European Union during his reign.
2. Mark Rutte: Also The Longest-Serving Outgoing Prime Minister Since WWII
Mark Rutte also has the distinction of being the longest-serving outgoing prime minister since World War II, having had to offer his resignation three times. The first resignation occurred when his coalition partner, the Party for Freedom, refused to support his severe austerity plans. The second was triggered by the childcare allowance scandal – more of that later in this article-, and the third happened when, after years of allowing unhindered asylum for thousands of migrants, he abruptly decided that his own cabinet's asylum and migration policies were no longer sufficient.
Typically, when a cabinet falls, there is a brief period of elections and formation of a new cabinet, during which the outgoing cabinet manages current affairs while deferring controversial issues to the incoming administration. However, Rutte took a different approach. For him, resignation meant continuing to govern without needing to consider opposition. After all, what can they do if you've already resigned? Rutte used these caretaker periods to swiftly push through numerous controversial legislation without resistance.
3. Mark Rutte: A Prime Minister in the line of fire
Mark Rutte has faced more parliamentary investigations and motions of no confidence and censure than any other Dutch prime minister. His tenure is marked by an unprecedented level of political challenges and resignations of ministers and state secretaries. Here are some notable facts:
Over 100 motions of no confidence and censure have been submitted against Rutte's cabinets. No other prime minister has faced so many motions and managed to survive them all.
Five parliamentary inquiries and nine parliamentary investigations have been initiated, probing various government abuses during his administration.
Twenty-seven ministers resigned prematurely during Rutte's tenure.
Of these, twelve resigned due to untenable positions following various abuses.
Nine left their posts for other positions.
Three were forced out due to scandals.
Three resigned due to health issues.
One minister was personally dismissed by Rutte after criticizing the government's COVID-19 policy, criticisms that were later largely validated.
Lows
1. Introduction and Abolition of the Advisory Referendum
In 2015, Rutte's second cabinet introduced an advisory referendum, promising more direct democracy and greater public involvement on important issues. However, this enthusiasm waned quickly once the public voiced their opinions. The referendum was used only once, in 2016, regarding the European Union's association agreement with Ukraine. When the public voted against it, Rutte ignored the result and ratified the agreement anyway. A year later, the advisory referendum was abolished, having failed to meet the ministers' expectations.
2. Childcare Allowance Scandal
In the Netherlands, working parents can receive compensation for childcare costs. Due to an overzealous approach to fraud prevention, almost 70.000 parents were falsely accused of fraud and forced to repay all their benefits at once. This pushed many families into acute financial distress, leading to high debts and the removal of hundreds of children from their homes. For years, these parents faced government and judicial unwillingness to resolve their issues until persistent efforts by two opposition members led to a parliamentary inquiry. This inquiry revealed that the tax authorities, ministries and cabinet repeatedly misinformed Parliament, ultimately causing the fall of the Rutte III cabinet.
3. Asylum and Nitrogen Crisis
Starting in 2015, large groups of refugees began arriving in the Netherlands, initially due to the Syrian war and later from various countries without immediate conflict. The continuous influx overwhelmed asylum centers and prolonged asylum procedures, placing immense pressure on social services and exacerbating the housing shortage. Simultaneously, European regulations and court rulings required the Netherlands to drastically reduce nitrogen emissions, severely impacting farmers and halting housing construction. This created a paradox: European and UN treaties mandated accepting asylum seekers, while European rules restricted housing development, causing house prices to skyrocket and making housing unaffordable for many.
Despite the obvious strain, the Rutte cabinets did not take measures to curb the influx of asylum seekers for years. Only when asylum seekers had to sleep outside due to lack of accommodation did the government act, introducing a dispersal law forcing municipalities to accept large numbers of asylum seekers. Meanwhile, Rutte's attempts to stem the influx of asylum seekers are met with so much opposition from his own coalition that his last cabinet failed. Still, the asylum influx continued and the dispersal law was passed in a caretaker manner that same year.
4. Gas Extraction in Groningen and the Energy Crisis
The Netherlands has significant gas reserves in Groningen, exploited since 1959 to supply both domestic needs and for export, significantly boosting government revenue. However, gas extraction caused soil subsidence and frequent earthquakes, damaging homes. A major earthquake in early 2012 prompted Rutte's first cabinet to recognize the unsustainable nature of continued gas extraction. Despite verbal commitments, little was done, exacerbating subsidence and property damage. Instead of compensating Groningen residents, they faced bureaucratic obstacles and minimal compensation.
In 2021, Rutte's third cabinet decided to phase out gas extraction within three years, despite ample reserves, opting to purchase Russian gas instead. However, Russia's invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 led to EU sanctions, drastically affecting the Netherlands. Energy prices soared, making gas and electricity unaffordable for many. To alleviate the crisis, the government announced a price ceiling, capping residents' gas and electricity costs while the government covered the excess, resulting in massive profits for energy companies and depleting the treasury. Even with the price ceiling, energy costs for an average family doubled in a year. Post-ceiling, Dutch energy prices remain much higher than in neighboring countries.
Mark Rutte, A Dichotomy of Perceptions
Those who know Mark Rutte personally often describe him as an exceptionally friendly and cheerful individual, socially adept with an impressive memory for historical facts. Pragmatic and willing to compromise, Rutte is known for his flexibility and eagerness to engage in conversation, rarely finding himself in conflict.
However, the broader Dutch public holds a contrasting view. Many see him as a politician who frequently breaks election promises, an opportunist skilled in evasion through half-truths. They perceive him as adept at distorting and withholding information, consistently misleading both allies and opponents. Rutte is often seen as a master manipulator, capable of extricating himself from any situation.
A Dutch character map of Mark Rutte highlighting his perceived features. The most important are: unreliable, liar, slick and smiley.
This perception is rooted in several key factors:
1. "I cannot actively remember this…"
Despite Rutte’s famously strong memory, which allows him to recall historical facts and personal details with ease, this sharp recall seems to falter under scrutiny. When faced with accountability, his memory often fails, particularly regarding his own involvement. This selective recall is often bolstered by incomplete information, silent civil servants, and ministers willing to take the blame, enabling Rutte to consistently evade repercussions.
2. The Rutte Doctrine
In 2020, the term "Rutte doctrine" emerged, encapsulating a systematic approach characterized by providing the House of Representatives with incorrect and incomplete information, concealing and withholding relevant details, and deleting hundreds of text messages. The Rutte doctrine implies that ministries neither record nor release important information and discussions between civil servants and ministers remain confidential. This approach results in an exceedingly opaque political process. Policy decisions are backed by information that is accurate most of the time but always incomplete, presenting half-truths that systematically omit critical points. Consequently, the House of Representatives has struggled for years to effectively monitor the cabinet, allowing various abuses to remain hidden.
The Rutte cabinets have been adept at concealing information.
3. Where the wind blows, Mark Rutte goes.
Principles and ideals? Unnecessary. Vision? Like an elephant obstructing the view. Agreements, commitments, and promises? They only hold as long as they are convenient.
Mark Rutte, a born pragmatist, frequently shifts his positions—not due to new insights but because political expediency dictates it. Throughout his fourteen years as Prime Minister, Rutte has broken nearly all his election promises, shifting from a relatively liberal stance to a more socialist one. The economically conservative agenda he championed in 2010 has, by 2020, transformed into a profligate approach with high budget deficits and escalating government debt. His initial vision of a smaller government and increased civic participation has morphed into a larger government with greater intervention in private affairs. Once a critic of European integration in 2010, Rutte has become a staunch supporter, ceding significant national autonomy. If Rutte is consistent in anything, it is in his ability to pivot, leaving both allies and opponents who believed in his words empty-handed.
4. Close Ties with the European Commission and the World Economic Forum
Mark Rutte is a regular and welcomed guest at both the European Commission (EC) and the World Economic Forum (WEF). For years, he has acquiesced to the often contradictory and stalling demands imposed by the European Union. Rutte also frequently travels to Davos, engaging with politicians and large corporations away from parliamentary oversight and public scrutiny. Persistent efforts by opposition parties and multiple motions have revealed that Rutte has made legally binding agreements with the WEF, entirely out of sight of his own government and parliament. The specifics of these agreements remain unclear, as both Rutte and the WEF adhere to a policy of opaqueness, sharing only selective information.
Why Do People Keep Voting for Rutte?
Despite widespread awareness of the issues surrounding Rutte, many people continue to vote faithfully for his’ People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy. Even after the notably ineffective Rutte IV cabinet, the PFD secured 24 seats, with over 1.6 million supporters still backing the party after fourteen years of his leadership. How can this be?
When I asked a friend, one of those 1.6 million, about her motivations, she snapped back with palpable frustration:
“I don't agree at all with the direction of that party, but what should I vote for?”
Among the 24 parties available, she found no viable alternative…
This phenomenon is understandable. Traditionally, the PFD has been seen as a conservative liberal party advocating for the middle and upper classes, in contrast to the numerous socialist parties in the country that favor extensive welfare programs funded by higher taxes.
However, reality is that the PFD has been drifting leftward for over thirty years. Although new right-leaning parties have emerged, their past blunders make voters hesitant to support them. Consequently, politicians who have repeatedly failed to deliver on their promises continue to be re-elected.
I also explore this phenomenon in my book, ‘Coddled Children’. In the book, I argue that most people prefer to stick with the familiar, even if it's flawed, rather than venture into the unknown. Additionally, many are too easily swayed by eloquent words. To enhance our country's leadership, the primary responsibility rests with us to elect only those who truly merit it. This task is often simpler than it appears.
Don't be swayed by their words; observe instead their actions.
A strong democracy can only sustain when we make more informed choices.
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