To the rest of the world, Dutch politics seem sane and stolid — and most of the time it is. Every few years, however, The Netherlands is gripped by a Cabinet crisis.

To the rest of the world, Dutch politics seems as sane and stolid as a Rembrandt burgher — and most of the time it is. Every few years, however, The Netherlands is gripped by a Cabinet crisis that leaves the country rudderless for even longer than customary in Italy or pre-Gaullist…