‘Reforms must be made’

The idea is that members of the movement, now more than 750, join the PVDA, the VVD and the CDA. At party conferences they can then compel politicians to embrace change. Fifth-year Biotechnology student Kees van der Ark is one of the few WUR students in the G500. What was your main motive for joining? ‘I am frustrated by the lack of good decisions in politics. Over the past ten years, politicians have made a mess of things. Reforms must be made, and now is the time to make them. Otherwise we will have to work until we die.’ Which points do you think are the most important? ‘A fixed amount should be earmarked for education, and that amount should be increased. In addition, the housing market should be reformed; the tax relief on mortgage interest has to go. And the job market must be made fairer.’ But if mortgage interest is no longer tax deductible, will today’s young people be able to buy a house any time in the next five years? ‘It will be difficult for a while, sure, but the real issue is the long term. We have to look ahead 20 or even 40 years. In Sweden this reform was drastic and that really knocked things out of kilter. But 10 to 20 years down the line it turns out to be for the better.’ Which points are you not so sure about? ‘I am not so keen on sustainability; I don’t see it as an aim in itself. Of course, the use of resources must be regulated, but that isn’t going to stop the oil from running out. It does not make that much difference whether that happens in fifty or sixty years’ time.’ The first conference at which the G500 is going to vote is on 30 June. The CDA event. Which leader gets your vote? ‘Well, certainly not Bleker. He has no grasp of the issues. He argues on the basis of his own feelings, and that’s the end of that. Van Haersma Buma and Wintels are down-to-earth and businesslike. That appeals to me the most.’