The Dutch want a ban on swear words in parliament

The largest parliamentary groups in the Netherlands are calling for a ban on obscenities and insults in parliament. The call is above all aimed at the right-wing populist Party for Freedom (PVV) and its leader Geert Wilders, writes De Volkskrant: "We must ask whether it is right to deprive Wilders of the right to speak if that brings with it the accusation that his detractors do not dare to call a spade a spade. The Dutch aspire to being a country of clergymen. But unfortunately very few politicians are granted with the gift of the gab. People have been making up for that, however, now that it has become fashionable just to say what you think. A command of words can heighten the level of a heated discussion. Feeling offended just kills debate. The last thing that will convince Wilders is to say his language damages parliament's reputation. The leader of the PVV doesn't orient himself on his colleagues in parliament but on his supporters, for whom parliament no longer holds any authority at all."

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