Now we have a government in the Netherlands. But not really!
All the big news is no news
After six months of negotiations, four right-wing parties—Geert Wilders’ far-right PVV, the farmer’s BBB party, the center-right VVD, and center-right NSC—have agreed to form a government.
Big, anticlimactic news. Because the agreement to form a government does not mean that the government has been formed. That will happen… later on. So everything everyone is saying now is speculative, about what the government might do, or who they might appoint.
Most significantly, they are not saying who the next Prime Minister will be. This person will be appointed, and if that sounds crazy and usual that’s because—it is!
I wrote in detail about why having an unelected prime minister and cabinet is terrible idea here.
As the Volkskrant reported:
[In the coming weeks] the parties do not intend to announce who will be the next prime minister. The fact that it is not clear so late in a cabinet formation who will lead the cabinet and represent the Netherlands abroad is unprecedented.
In a huge embarrassment, Wilders’ first choice for PM, Ronald Plasterk, dropped out amid an ethics scandal.
On Wednesday, Wilders warned it might take until September to find a PM candidate.
One of the reasons people are increasingly voting for the far right is a lack of trust in government. To the extent that in the post-corona years, Dutch intelligence has been warning about the rise of “anti-institutional extremism;” more and more people believe that an “evil elite,” enemies of the public, are running the country.
Having to wait around while leaders meet in secret and decide who’s going to run the country isn’t going to do much to assuage their fears, or foster an environment of trust for anyone else.
There’s not very much more to say about any of this now. It’s all tedious gossip until something actually happens.
Here’s some further English-language reading on the topic:
Dutch News has a overview of some potential PM candidates.
Reuters has a good summary of what the right-wing cabinet has in store for the country—immigration restrictions, expanded energy production, a relaxation of environmental regulations for farmers, reduced health care fees financed by spending cuts, increased taxes on cultural events, etc.
Politico has an interesting piece on how voting for the once-taboo far right became acceptable.
🔥 Hot Linkjes
Society
It was interesting to see how the American and British press covered the story of a twenty-nine year old Dutch woman granted assisted death on the grounds of unbearable mental suffering. Euthanasia in the Netherlands is extremely complicated—as I have written here—much more so than I think these foreign articles about the most sensational version of it can get across.
This essay from an American mom lays out the stark differences between childbirth and child care in the two countries.
The Netherlands will no longer allow international adoptions. Adults researching their adoptions are increasingly finding that their birth documents have been falsified or lost, calling the practice into question. (U.S. News)
Police violence was used against students protesting the University of Amsterdam’s ties to Israeli institutions. (Politico)
The Department of War
France and the Netherlands are seeking sanctions on financial institutions which service the Russian military. (Reuters)
Business
China is still importing a lot of Dutch goods, despite trade restrictions. (Bloomberg)
Dutch authorities fined the developers of Fortnite 1.1 million euros for pressuring children to make in-game purchases. (France24)
Arts & Books & Design
Dutch Eurovision contestant Joost Klein was kicked out of the contest following a backstage altercation with a photographer. His song “Europapa” had been a bookie’s favorite to win. Dutch fans have largely sided with Klein. (New York Times)
Rotterdam, a city 85% below sea level, has as a lot of innovating floating architecture—a farm, hotels, restaurants, etc. (National Geographic)
Crime
A Dutch court sentenced the co-founder of crypto company Tornado Cash to five years in prison for money laundering. The company anonymized transactions and made it easy for criminal organizations to cover their tracks. (Axios)
🥳 Leuke Dingetjes
Fox may have confused the Netherlands with France
Dennis Leary will play a “a decorated, hard-ass colonel” in a new Fox series called Going Dutch.
“After serving with distinction in every warzone of the last three decades, he now finds himself in charge of a base with no guns, no weapons and no tactical purpose. Instead, it has a Michelin-star level commissary, top notch bowling alley and the best (and only) fromagerie in the U.S. Army.”
No word yet about when it will air.
A new single from Jungle by Night and Spinvis
📺 Kijk/Lees/Luister List
TV / Movies
I LOVED Challengers SO MUCH that I saw it in the theater twice. It is genius. It’s about a love triangle in the tennis world. But really it’s about power. Or love. Or both. You MUST see it in a theater because the soundtrack is loud and completely unusual and absolutely worth hearing in a cinema.
The Sweet East was a random fairytale road movie with an enjoyably unconventional story, featuring many of hot young Hollywood stars of the moment.
Music / Podcasts
Billie Eilish’s HIT ME HARD AND SOFT is very good.
The podcast Who Killed the Video Star: The Story of MTV is interesting, particularly Episode 4, “Look at Me” on the early days of the Real World, the very first reality TV show. Which they called a “docu-soap,” since “reality TV” didn’t exist yet.
Articles / Books
“A Running Mate’s History: $1 Billion, Cocaine, a Fling With Elon Musk.” Learning that RFK’s running mate cheated on her husband—Sergey Brin!—with Elon Musk !! was the news highlight of my week. (New York Times)
So, who is Hendrikus Wilhelmus Maria "Dick" Schoof ? I would love to read your take on this guy.