In Holland we now have a public row over a shorthanded Sailorette.

The minister does not want her to leave.

13 year old Laura Dekker wants to set of on a 2 year circum navigation of the globe in order to be the youngest sailor ever to achieve this. And as always in Holland, politicians fall all over each other to have their say. But in a rare unity they all think she is incapable of doing something like this and actually want the parent to be declared unfit for parenting so child support can take over raising Laura.

Of course it is an important question to ask if a child can steer a sailboat over the seas safely. As always, the politicians do not know anything so they ask their advisors. Where this is usually a good step, this now has a fatal flaw. Whilst the experts may have great knowledge on children's development, they are total nitwits on sailing.

They say stuff like "A 13 year old is incapable of overseeing the consequences of her decisions" and "She will be blocked from her education" "Letting her leave would set a precedent"

So they took her (parents) to court. And I'm afraid for the outcome. If a judge has to make a ruling, he looks at the rules. And the rules will probably say that as a parent you are not allowed to take a child out of school. And maybe even declare the parents unfit so child support can step in.

But what would make a parent unfit?

In this case, Laura's parents themselves have actually sailed around the world. Laura has done a lot of sailing herself and actually convinced her parents to let her go. And they are well aware of the dangers that may come up during such a voyage. But unfortunately the dangers are all the experts are focussing on.

Sure, the dangers are such that Laura may die during her trip. She may go bonkers and jump overboard. But a voyage like this may also give her a confidence and a strength that is totally unrivalled by anyone in the world. It could turn her in to person that is way to big for the Netherlands.

And there you find what I think is the main problem. The Dutch have a habit of weeding out any kind of individuality. Please, do not let anyone grow taller than the rest. God forbid that we actually set a precedent where young people start doing remarkable things. That is not good for a nation. We have to stay mediocre!

I salute you, Laura and parents, for daring to stick out your neck!