The Dutch exodus

Here’s an absolutely riveting article by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard on how the middle class in the Netherlands is leaving for foreign shores. There’s a general fear about immigration, punctuated by two high-profile murders, and resentment over a society that fails to reward hard work:

Ellen, 43, a lawyer and banker who votes for the free-market Liberals, said the code of behaviour regulating daily life in the Netherlands was breaking down.

"People no longer know what to expect from each other. There are so many rules, but nobody sticks to them. They just do as they want. They just execute people on the streets, it's shocking when you see this for the first time," she said. "We've become so tolerant that everybody thinks they can fight their own wars here. Van Gogh is killed, and then people throw bombs at mosques and churches. It's escalating because the police and the state aren't doing anything about it.

"There's a feeling of injustice that if you do things right, if you work hard and pay your taxes, you're punished, and those who don't are rewarded. People can come and live here illegally and get payments. How is that possible?"

Can the European social system endure if talented professionals (i.e. the taxpayers) leave for America and elsewhere? I can’t see how.