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As the debate about the country's direction runs its course, the Dutch will probably hew to their tradition of tolerance and choose a path somewhere between unfettered libertarianism and rigid social control. It could even be that in matters of social and private morals, the Dutch will move in yet more liberal directions. "Sure, pressure has been swinging against our freedoms, but there can be no turning back," insists Jeanne van Velse, leader of the 15,000-member Netherlands Federation for Sexual Reform.
On the other hand, a more conservative trend is emerging on law-and-order issues, even among those who applaud the spectacular social freedoms that their country champions. "I am a lifelong socialist, and I am very proud of my country's tolerant philosophy," explains Sociologist Herman Vuijsje. "But I live near the Zeedijk, and I am so offended by the drug scene there that I have surprised myself by abstaining ((from voting)) in protest."
Such shifts point to growing realism about what society should and should not tolerate. "In many ways, experimentation has been valuable," says a senior government official in the Hague. "We have a very live-and-let-live daily existence. But the major waste, the drugs and the crime, will have to be stopped." On the questions of drug abuse and unsafe streets, at least, there appears to be an increasingly vocal consensus: enough is enough.