DWARSe politics: Bas and the Provincial Councils

Politics is often compared to a play. We only see what takes place on stage: the debates, the speeches, the campaigns. So too for the Provincial Council, where GroenLinks is now the largest party for the first time. As a DWARSer, this makes you wonder: what happens behind the scenes in these Provincial States? What do the Provincial Councils involve at all? DWARS sat down with our own Bas de Boer and got a special look behind the scenes.

Bas says: "I initially joined the campaign team for Groningen city council. Politics had always interested me. At some point I wanted to get more involved, really make a difference. Eventually I applied for the Groningen city council. At the time, I was told I wasn't experienced enough, so it wasn't going to happen. Someone from the candidates' committee then said I might be better off trying out for the provincial group, but at first I didn't know if that would suit me. I am a native of Groningen and know the province, but the body "Provincial Council" was not very familiar to me. I then started researching, I looked at what they did and I thought: yes, that does fit better with what I am currently capable of and what I have knowledge of. At the very last moment, I then decided to stand as a candidate.

"I am now a group member with the portfolios of Public Transport, Internationalisation, Democratisation and Citizen Participation, Spatial Regulation, ICT and Digitalisation, Public Order and Security, and Sports. When we started as a group, there were six of us. That was a surprise for everyone, it was all new. Everyone was asked the question: what portfolio would you like to have? What subjects attract you, what do you like? In my list, I had mostly indicated the above things. Coincidentally, there was no one else who really felt drawn to these topics, so my final tasks match my wishes quite well. I do feel very grateful that I thus have the things that I like myself and that people grant me that."

Age
He continued: "I am the youngest Provincial Council member here in Groningen and you do notice that a lot. The image that the Provincial Council has is that it's all old men with grey hair who think things. The reality is slightly more nuanced, but it does come close. Especially in other groups, you see that age is creeping up. So there is a gap between younger members of the States and older members of the States, but they get along reasonably well. This certainly applies to the coalition partners (GroenLinks, PvdA, ChristenUnie, VVD, CDA and D66, ed.), where you are taken seriously. The stumbling block is mainly that you are still inexperienced and you still have to find your way a bit. That's the case for everyone, but I think it's even worse for young people, because you don't have a lot of experience with things yet anyway. I am starting to find my footing find and it gets better and better.

Operation
All well and good, but how do these Provincial Councils actually work? The Provincial Council decides how big cities and towns can become, where roads and railways will go and is responsible for nature in the province. The States also oversee municipalities and water boards. For this, the States consist of two parts: the Provincial Council, whose members are elected by us every four years; and the Provincial Executive, say the cabinet of the province. The States work in so-called cycles: time periods in which one set of issues is dealt with. How these cycles are arranged and taken up is up to each province, and Groningen has chosen its own arrangement for this. Each cycle lasts five weeks and begins on the first Wednesday of the month with a States Information Day.

Week 1: The State Information Day
For this day, the registry, the secretary of the States, arranges a number of presentations by people involved in the topics covered in the cycle. These are usually people from the government. Is gas extraction being discussed in this cycle? Then, for example, there will be people from the Ministry of Economic Affairs to explain the economic impact of gas extraction. Afterwards, the Statesmen go to the large hall of the Provincial House, where various stands have been set up by officials to provide the Statesmen with information on the topics they will deal with in the committee. This will allow the Statesmen to ask technical questions and go into the political part of the cycle well prepared. At this event, called "Talking to the States", citizens can also drop by to speak to the Statesmen.

Week 2: Working visits (but actually mostly hearings)
Nothing is scheduled from the States the following Wednesday. This is theoretically an opportunity for the Statesmen to go on a working visit. Will gas extraction be discussed in that cycle? Then the Statesmen will go to Loppersum, for example, to talk to earthquake victims. In practice, this does not always work out, because (necessary) political current affairs mean the day is still filled with hearings and presentations.

Week 3 & 4: The commission meeting
On the third Wednesday of the month, all members of the States meet for committee meetings. Some provinces have different committees for different topics (think nature, traffic and administration), but Groningen has one big committee. The agenda includes many all themes from the cycle, which all States members can discuss. This meeting gives the Provincial Executive the opportunity to inform the Provincial Council about important themes and let them vote on some practical matters, such as the province's administration. It is also where parties can still have matters they consider important to discuss put on the agenda. At this committee, a group gets limited speaking time (usually 8-10 minutes in total) to freely discuss the issues on the agenda. Groups are also given the opportunity to put questions to the Provincial Executive. This gives the Provincial Executive the opportunity to make commitments on actions they want to implement. If, as a group, you do not agree with the answers given by the Provincial Executive, you can table an amendment or motion before the State Assembly that takes place in week 5.

Week 5: The State Assembly
After the various topics have been discussed in substance in the committee meeting, it is time for the State Assembly. This is the political part of the cycle, where you can make your mark in the political theatre as an MP and as a group. This is where the real decisions are made: the nominations of the Provincial Executive are voted on here, having already been discussed in the committee meeting. Sometimes these are so well discussed in the committee meeting that further debate is not necessary. If you did not manage to convince the Provincial Council of your points during the committee meeting, there will often be a debate and this is the time where you can table amendments and motions. If you have the majority of the Statesmen behind you, you can thus politically force the Provincial Council to take action. After the States meeting, all issues are closed and the next cycle starts again from scratch.

Conclusion
From the construction of the so-called cycles to Statesman Bas' own experiences, a lot happens in the Provincial Council and it is a good way to experience the political process without travelling to The Hague. Have you become curious? You are welcome at the Provincial House to attend the proceedings of Bas and the other Statesmen.

written by Tanno Van de Kamp