Everything you need to know about Dick (the new Dutch prime minister)
... who?
There are three things you need to know about Dick Schoof, the next prime minister of the Netherlands. First, “schoof” is Dutch for “pushed” or “shoved.” His name is Dick Pushed. And that is ridiculous.
The second thing: it’s also ridiculous how much he looks like Billy Bob Thornton, who played the U.S. President in Love Actually.
And the third: before last week no one had heard of this guy, aside from the most insidery of insiders. Schoof was the former head of the Intelligence Services (AIVD), National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV), and the Secretary General of the Ministry of Justice and Security.
The quick background on this: far-right PVV party-leader Geert Wilders got the most votes in our last election. Under normal circumstances Wilders would be prime minister. But he’s so far right that other parties would not consider forming a coalition with him unless he agreed not to take the top spot.
And that’s why they’re appointing this completely random man as our prime minister.
I wrote about how much I hate this idea here.
Back to Dick, as an individual. His bio freaks me out. The ex-spy chief as prime minister? Like they have in... Russia?
Perhaps Schoof was super chill in these roles? I wondered. Maybe he, I don’t know, repeatedly sided with the civil rights of Dutch citizens over the power of the state? And maybe that’s why he’s an excellent candidate for prime minister?
Alas, he was not chill! During his tenure at the NCTV, the organization illegally spied on citizens - like political campaign leaders, religious leaders, left-wing and right-wing activists. Internal documents show that officials warned him that there was no “legal basis” for this spying. He continued with the program anyway. The NCTV also illegally spied on mosques during his tenure.
Naturally, the right-wing coalition putting him in office isn’t bothered by a civil rights violation or two, in the name of national security. On the contrary, they’re focusing on how he is magically devoid of politics. See how Geert Wilders praised him:
Dick Schoof is extremely experienced, he stands above the parties, is partyless and has the confidence of all four parties.
Oké... except School was a member of the Labor Party (PvdA) for more than thirty years. He ended his membership in 2021. “I no longer felt related to it,” he said.
This kind of thing, as I keep saying, only fuels the fire of the far-right. As extreme-right FVD party leader Thierry Baudet said of Schoof last week:
The Netherlands voted for Geert Wilders and we get a former PvdA official who has been spying on people for years.
... And he has a point!
And, I would argue, partylessness is not a good thing! Schoof is a life-long civil servant with no political experience. This is attractive to the right-wing coalition putting Schoof in office because they want a technocrat, an administrator, who will simply implement their policies. That is, rather than a politician, whose role would be complicated by the... people. As Schoof told de Groene Amsterdammer:
In principle, as civil servants we have no political views. Personally yes, but officially no.
There is a reason prime ministers usually come from politics rather than the civil service. In democracies prime ministers are usually—obviously, God!—elected. By voters. Which means that the prime minister is accountable to the people. As cynical as we might get about politicians, being elected—having contact with party members and voters, over a career—connects a politician to the people who they are in office to represent.
Even Donald Trump has rallies.
The big question in the Dutch media right now is whether or not Schoof will be Wilders’ puppet, or somehow maintain his independence. As Maarten van Rossem writes:
His position within the coalition is also a mystery. He was of course appointed by Wilders, but praises himself for his independence and emphasizes the importance of the rule of law. It remains to be seen whether he will function as Geert Wilders’ puppet or will fight for his independent position. It is also difficult to predict whether Schoof will succeed in keeping the coalition parties together. Because you never know what Wilders will do in the media.
Isn’t it, though, entirely predictable? Of course he’ll be a proxy of the coalition? Of Wilders? He’s been a civil servant for his entire life? His career is all about implementing policies? He doesn’t set agendas? Why would he start now? Didn’t the coalition choose Schoof in particular for his willingness to go the extra-so-what-if-it’s-illegal mile?
Schoof proclaiming his politics-less-ness is another way of saying he doesn’t stand for anything. Except the rule of law, which he says he does stand for. How? Well, he’s flexible on that.
The rule of law and democracy are always subject to change. For example, with regard to terrorism legislation, we view privacy and freedom differently than twenty years ago... The constitution is amended on a regular basis. Article 1 was recently amended to also apply to the LGBTQ community. There are all kinds of developments in and outside our society that we have to adapt to. Take the balance between freedom and privacy. It is not cast in concrete.
First: no one clever enough to group LGBTQ rights with illegally spying on citizens like this is devoid of politics.
Second, and more importantly: the “we” he’s talking about there is the state. As opposed to the people.
The point is that with Schoof in office, Wilders will be prime minister by proxy. As GroenLinks-PvdA member Jesse Klaver said the other day:
If there is anyone who can deliver, it is Dick Schoof. He can push through legislation that is on the edge, or perhaps over it. That’s exactly where my concern lies.
Finally, Schoof is has so little international experience that they’re giving him media training and English lessons over the summer. This will be quite a change from Mark Rutte, who developed such a significant international profile after thirteen years as Dutch prime minister that he is likely going on to become president of NATO. Putting someone like Schoof in the top spot indicates just how isolationist and inward looking this government might be.
🔥 Hot Linkjes
Society
An unusual amount of news out of Schipol this week. First: the airport will ban loud night flights. This is the latest move to reduce noise pollution; the airport, EU, the airline industry, the government, area neighbors, and environmental activists have been battling about the reduction of flights for years. (Reuters)
Nicki Minaj was arrested at the airport with weed in her luggage. They fined her 350 euros and let her go. (BBC)
And a person died after falling into an airplane engine. Het Parool reports that the victim was an airport employee, and it was likely a suicide. (CNN)
A parking garage in Nieuwegein collapsed. The Daily Mail has some English coverage; the NRC has all the details—it happened at 22:00, no one was hurt, no one knows what caused it yet.
Politics
Brussels and French police raided the home of Guillaume Pradoura, parliamentary assistant to far-right Dutch EU lawmaker Marcel de Graaff. Police say Pradoura played a ‘significant role’ in a suspected Russian propaganda operation. (EuroNews)
Arts & Books & Design
Dutch settlers violently displaced the Lenape Indigenous people residing in the present-day New York area in the 1600s. The exhibit “Manahahtáanung or New Amsterdam?: The Indigenous Story Behind New York,” now at the Amsterdam Museum in NY next year, examines this history. Which they definitely weren’t teaching in East Coast American schools when I was growing up. (New York Times)
The debut novel The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden, a post-war domestic story, got a good review from the Guardian.
Sport
The Athletic named the 1988 Dutch home European Championship shirt the “greatest football shirt of all time.”
Crime
Dutch police have recovered from two gemstones from a multimillion-dollar jewelry heist at an art fair in Maastricht two years ago. They’ve also tracked the robbers down to Serbia. I wonder why they are reporting this before making any arrests? (AP News)
🥳 Leuke Dingetjes
In today’s episode of “Everything is Actually Dutch”
The word “drugs” comes from the Dutch word for “dry.” From the very interesting Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich by Norman Ohler.
A new track from ISHA
📺 Kijk/Lees/Luister List
What I enjoyed watching, reading, and listening to this week.
TV / Movies
I’m obsessed with Hacks, a comedy about an older, famous comedian’s complicated professional relationship with a millennial writer. It’s one of those shows where the characters start feeling like your friends. The first season is on Netflix, the next two, including the just-released third season, are on HBO Max.
I watch a lot more movies than I recommend here because I don’t like most of them. You can follow me on Letterboxd if you want to read all of my (ridiculous) reviews.
Music / Podcasts
Beth Gibbons, the lead singer of Portishead (one of my all-time favorite bands), as a dreamy new album, Lives Outgrown.
Articles / Books
This story on the “largest Ponzi scheme in Hollywood history” is insane. “Master of Make Believe” by Evan Osnos in The New Yorker.
“In Praise of Long Conversations in Film” by Sean Minogue in LitHub
Thank you for another enlightening article.
Thanks for the breakdown of all things Dick! Fun fact on Yael van der Wouden's book: it is originally in English but was translated to Dutch, so the Guardian review is of the original, not the translation :)