Christian Democrats are worried that ‘compassion’ sounds like an anti-government slogan, Trouw reports. The coalition partners are heading for a showdown with Geert Wilders over cutbacks. Health insurance companies have been paying for therapy to ‘cure’ gays. School grades are falling as pushy parents insist their kids should study at top level. And a foul-mouthed councillor sacked by the Freedom Party hangs on to his seat.

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Compassion taboo for Christian Democrats?
The Christian Democrats want to introduce a “social flat tax”, de Volkskrant reports. To simplify matters, says the junior coalition partner, there should be a single tax rate for everyone. But then to complicate matters again, there should be an extra “solidarity tax” for rich people, or it wouldn’t be fair.
This is de Volkskrant’s front-page pick from a brand new ‘vision for the future’ cooked up by the Christian Democrat’s Strategic Council – except the vision isn’t so brand new anymore as lots of it has already been leaked, the paper reminds us. But it’s not the flat tax idea that’s drawing most of the attention. It’s the concern among some in the party that the document reads like an attack on the current coalition and its alliance with Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party.

“Compassion” ought to be the keyword for the Christian Democrat’s future, the Strategic Council says. Now, that might be all very Christian, but it isn’t a word the party shouldn’t be bandying about at the moment, according to one group of party members. After all, says Protestant Trouw, “The term sounds like a dissenting voice directed at the present cabinet.”

Wilders under threat?
Meanwhile, the ruling parties – The VVD, the Christian Democrats, and their pals in parliament, the Freedom Party – are gearing up for what the Volkskrant describes as “interim coalition talks”. An extra 10 billion euros needs scrapping from the budget, so it’s back to the drawing board for the government. But the minority cabinet depends on Geert Wilders’ support in parliament, and he’s already made it clear he’ll be digging his heels in on extra cuts if they’re not his cup of tea.

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