There is a widely held view that the Dutch are unswervingly good Europeans, have a successful economy and are keen on economic reform - and that all this makes them a model for others to follow.

Nearly all these assumptions are wrong. The Dutch economy is in trouble. The Dutch public is hostile to economic reform. The Dutch have among the shortest working hours of all industrial nations and one of the lowest rates of productivity growth. Official unemployment is still low but the reality is masked by an extremely high proportion of part-time workers - not all voluntary - and a large number of people on disability allowances. Most ominously, the Dutch economy has become volatile since the introduction of the euro.