(s. guraziu – ars poetica, 24 sept. 26)
Believe it or not, in the news today (24 September, 2026) they were talking about “onvoldoende draagkracht” (for Prime Minister Jetten). Again… yes, I’m not kidding : )
It’s known, Dutch political acrobatics often involve spectacular, showy stunts that require great agility or complexity. Lately we’ve had a political crisis around the Budget for 2027, we had to negotiate very hard, and right now we are so tired… luckily it is over. When you expect total expenditures of €516.8 billion, it is never easy. The government unveiled its tax plan, which includes several legislative proposals aimed at both businesses and individuals. These changes are expected to take effect on January 1, 2027.
In today’s news context, “onvoldoende draagkracht” is best understood as “insufficient political support” or “not enough backing to remain viable.” Thus (what politicians mean when they use it), “onvoldoende draagkracht” means that a proposal, government, coalition, or prime minister does not have enough support, backing, or political legitimacy to continue effectively.
In other words, “draagkracht” is the ability of a government or politician to withstand pressure and keep functioning. Sure, we have a lot of “pressure”, it’s clear. Therefore “onvoldoende draagkracht” suggests not merely that “people disagree,” but that the political structure may no longer be strong enough to carry on.
I heard many politicians myself (with my own ears, they were commenting for the news reporter) – so if politicians are saying there is “onvoldoende draagkracht voor premier Jetten” (he’s in the USA… United Nations), they mean “Jetten no longer has sufficient political support”, or, more idiomatically, “Jetten’s position has become politically untenable”.
Even “new elections” were mentioned today, so the question arises – will the Dutch cabinet collapse… again?! Truly, are the politicians kidding or something : ) are we going to “fall” again, are we going to endure a new election process all over again? Who knows. A year ago I wrote “…in my opinion this ‘history of falls’ can be considered now a ‘tradition’, as if we’ve ‘become accustomed’ to cabinet acrobatics” : )
Last year, in the 1st week of June 2025, the right-wing Dutch cabinet collapsed, just 11 months after ministers were sworn in, and after months of “heavy negotiations” (after the last elections). The cabinet took a record 223 days to put together – almost 1 year. The problem is, this “tradition” is almost two decades long.
I hope we take a “break” this time and ignore the “tradition.” Of course, we’re happy the Budget crisis is over, but we’re “politically” tired. We could truly use some political sleep. I hope we forget the “tradition” : )