100 days later

It's almost a 100 days after the Dutch election of March 2021, and there is very little to show for in terms of a coalition. So what has happened? In a nutshell: VVD, CDA and D66 have a good amount of seats after the election, but are having trouble to find the actual majority;Rutte (VVD) …

Now the actual election starts

I was thinking to write something before the actual election, since that would have made sense. Myself, I was very much busy trying to figure out who or what to vote. Seeing how the results were not going to highly surprising, there was also not a huge amount to say beforehand. Most debates and conversations …

Fall of Rutte’s coalition

Actually, the title should be more geared towards the actual rebate affair that is behind the fall of this coalition. The actual resignation of the cabinet is not that interesting. Since there are new election in March, the government was going into election recess in about 3 weeks anyway. The current resignation is a bit …

Debacle on the right

So, amidst the current pandemic, there have been some other interesting political events in the Netherlands, which might be a good distraction for now. One particular issue that was in the news: Forum voor Democratie (FvD). I feel as I've referenced the party before. However, for a short summary: FvD in the last few years …

What’s for 2021?

Just like everyone else, I've been exhausted by the pandemic. Although trying to be critical, there is too much going on, and I find it important to remain somewhat positive towards the approach that governments take. Overall, we see a lot of different methods used to combat Covid, and very little seem to work. Although …

Re-opening the Dutch economy

While in many places the battle against Covid-19 is nowhere near it's peak; the Netherlands has seen infection numbers dwindling in the last few weeks. Without a very strict lockdown (many stores have been open continuously), the government had hoped to gain a level of infection (and immunity) that would help restore normality soon. However, …

Latest murder shocks Dutch ‘Rule of Law’

Yesterday's murder of lawyer Wiersum only adds a new chapter to already alarming situation in Amsterdam.  Derk Wiersum, the lawyer of a crown witness, was executed in front of his own home. Wiersum and his client were part of a massive investigation into the excess of executions that have taken place in the last decade …

European Elections Results

Preliminary results for the European Parliament elections in the Netherlands last week showed: PvdA (or the Labour Party), doubled their current seats from 3 to 6. Forum for Democracy 3 seats, from 0 before (did not participate before). PVV (Geert Wilders) loses all seats (held 4 before). Other parties saw slight wins or losses, but …

Housing troubles in the capital

Where the Dutch housing market 10 years ago was in a downward spiral, today the opposite is true. For years the prices have been soaring. The lack of construction during the crisis has created  a shortage in almost the entire country. Amsterdam's housing market in particular has become the main focus of the discussions. Living …

Climate Truants

Ditching class in order to protest politics; it was probably not the first time it was allowed . Last week, it was the main topic of many in the Netherlands. All of this has been driven by the national discussion around climate change. The issue being; that many feel that politicians, who made promises in …