Start 1861: I just inherited the Dutch throne

Chapter 704 The Imperial Prime Minister of the Netherlands
"The author believes that although he has the power to appoint and remove personnel and make decisions on issues, the position of Prime Minister of the Netherlands is not a real power wielder."

In the "European Times", Hermann Van Peron, a world-renowned political commentator and principal of the Sydney election who has always been known for his boldness, spoke out and spoke his mind in an interview.

“Yes, in my opinion, the Dutch prime minister does not have real power in the appointment and dismissal of cabinet government personnel and decision-making on issues.

On a practical level, the Prime Minister's power is also restricted from many aspects.Whether in the process of running for the leadership of the ruling party and forming a cabinet government, or in daily decision-making and political activities, the prime minister has to endure many checks and balances. "

He pointed out in the "European Times" that the current leader of the Dutch Liberal Party and the current Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Gerrit de Vries, accepted the formal appointment of His Majesty William IV at the New Netherlands Palace in Melbourne on February 1871, 2, and started the first After serving as prime minister, he became the new prime minister.And on February 20, 1875, he served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands for the second term.

When Gerrit de Vries succeeded Tolbeck, the most powerful former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, it can be said that he came to power with the personal support of the other party. The actions of former Prime Minister Tolbeck made people see the crisis.Yes, with the Liberal Party in power for a long time, where is the survival ground for other parties in the Netherlands?
As a model for conferences, the Netherlands has always been known for its stable government after following the British implementation of the Westminster model. This is in sharp contrast to the instability of parliamentary systems in other continental European countries and American countries.

The Second French Republic had three supreme leaders in six years. In the end, Napoleon I succeeded in proclaiming himself Emperor of the First Empire of France after he came to power.Even in many countries in the Americas, the head of the cabinet government has been replaced almost every two years for more than ten years. This situation is incomprehensible in the Westminster model.

The secret of the stability of the government under the Westminster model is that the prime minister, as the core of power, is the leader of the majority party in parliament and the leader of the cabinet.

As the core of power, the Prime Minister is responsible for both the legislative and executive branches of power. The Dutch Prime Minister, who has such great power as the British Prime Minister, can change the country's rulers as frequently as in South American countries.But if there are any, are these changes a manifestation of the self-repair of the Westminster model, or are they signs of changes in the i model? "

Hermann Van Peron ultimately denied that the Netherlands would change rulers as frequently as South American countries.

"Because of this, in the Netherlands, people once described the President of the United States as an 'imperial president' to describe the huge power wielded by the President of the United Kingdom. In fact, the power of the Prime Ministers of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom is no less powerful than that of the President of the United Kingdom." From an institutional perspective, the American president only controls the executive branch, while the Dutch and British prime ministers control both the executive branch and the legislators."

"But the United Kingdom and the Netherlands are not only the heads of government, but also the leaders of the majority party in the House of Commons. If the Christian Party and the Socialist Party succeed in forming a coalition this time, the leaders of the ruling coalition will be the same. In short, the Prime Ministers of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, from internal affairs to In diplomacy, from parliament to cabinet, the prime minister has absolute power and status, almost an "imperial prime minister"

He further pointed out, “As the head of the government, the British Prime Minister, like the Dutch Prime Minister, enjoys the power to form the cabinet and appoint and dismissal. These powers give him absolute leadership over the cabinet. In contrast, the American President, who is also the head of the government, has no authority over the cabinet. Ministers of various ministries only enjoy the power of nomination, and they can only be appointed with the approval of the American senators.

The prime ministers of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom are appointed and dismissed, which means that cabinet ministers and non-cabinet ministers can be appointed and dismissed directly with the consent of the king of their respective countries. The king's consent is basically symbolic. Of course, it depends on the king's attitude." Ministers can only express their opinions at cabinet meetings, but the final decision rests with the prime minister.

On some major issues, the Prime Minister also narrows the scope of discussion and controls the direction of policy through cabinet committees and policy groups.

All these make it difficult for the political opinions of ministers and the prime minister to diverge from each other, thus strengthening the power of the prime minister.

As a result, the prime ministers of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom have absolute leadership over the domestic and foreign affairs of the entire country.

As the leader of the party, the Prime Minister has gradually strengthened his control over the parliaments of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. In the Netherlands, if you want to become the Prime Minister, you must become the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives or the leader of the ruling coalition.Although the House of Representatives has a Speaker, he only has procedural functions such as presiding over meetings, and has no actual power to affect the outcome of the proceedings. Although the Prime Minister sitting in the front row cannot nominally dominate the Parliament, he can manipulate the members through his political party identity. Behavior.

Regardless of whether it is the ruling Liberal Party, the Christian Party or the Socialist Party, there is a party whip within the parliament that is directly responsible to the Prime Minister. The party whip is responsible for supervising members of the same party and maintaining party discipline.

The political party label of a member of parliament is both a 'golden key' and an 'iron chain' that restricts his representative behavior.

Although members are elected from various constituencies, because they carry the label of a political party, members must remain consistent with their party's views when exercising power in the new era. Otherwise, if they are expelled from the party, their status as members may not be preserved. "

Herman Van Peron pointed out at this time: "However, although the Dutch Prime Minister holds huge power and has the power to make decisions on personnel appointments, dismissals and issues, in reality, the Prime Minister's power is also restricted from many aspects, whether it is In the process of running for the leadership of the ruling party and forming the cabinet, he encountered many constraints.

First of all, becoming the leader of the ruling party is a prerequisite for becoming the prime minister of the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. This means that in order to stand out in the competition within the party, a certain political foundation and leadership charisma are essential.Secondly, after forming a cabinet, it is equally important to win the support of cabinet colleagues. On the one hand, cabinet members are the most solid supporters of the prime minister during his administration. On the other hand, the departure and retention of cabinet members also reflects the prestige of the prime minister. Former Prime Minister Thor During Baker's second and third term in office, no cabinet members resigned, so the cabinet efficiency was very high.

However, I am not damaging the UK. In the past 1850 years from 1878 to 28, the UK experienced a large-scale incident involving the backbone of the cabinet. More than 50 cabinet members resigned. The resignations of these people made the then The Prime Minister is miserable and alone, and some cabinet members have to resign sadly. The British Prime Minister election has begun again, at least it is an internal re-election within the party."

(End of this chapter)