New Dutch prime minister is under heavy parliamentary fire

[pieter]

The New Prime Minister during a press breefing today in The Hague

NOS News(ene)
Today, 17:06
(ene)Modified today, 17:13

Schoof looks back on 'something more spicy' debate: 'Criticty Wilders not expected'


Prime Minister Schoof had not counted on the strong criticism of PVV leader Wilders in the debate about the government statement.

However, he does think that Wilders has "the fullest right" to give his opinion, he said at his first weekly press conference after the Council of Ministers. “It does not suit me as prime minister to give an opinion about the House of Representatives.”


Geert Wilders of the Freedom Party (left) and the New Prime Minister Dick Schoof during the First day in office of the new administration in the Dutch House of Representatives (de Tweede Kamer, the Second Chamber)

The debate was particularly tumultuous on Thursday, when the new prime minister received strong criticism from all sides. As expected, the left-wing opposition parties remained very displeased that Schoof in their eyes did not distance themselves enough from the statements of PVV ministers about 'repopulation' and headscarves.

But PVV leader Wilders also seemed to have little attention with the cabinet that he has achieved himself. He visibly distanced himself from the Schoof cabinet by letting him find the argument of the new partyless prime minister "slappy bite".


Geert Wilders visibly distanced himself from the Schoof cabinet by letting him find the argument of the new partyless prime minister "slappy bite".

It is so far - especially in the Rutte cabinet - that a coalition party in the House of Representatives in principle gives support to the ministers in words and deeds. But this coalition has agreed to be more distant from the cabinet.

Schoof says he has no problems with the position of the PVV leader. “Everyone chooses their own words.” At the end of the debate, Wilders called the new prime minister praising "fier". The prime minister points to the final support he received from the PVV and also from the other three coalition parties. “They can be critical in the debate and they can take me the measure, but at the end I received support. The final conclusion counts.”

Schoof believes that he has been able to make it clear in recent days that the cabinet is "there is for everyone" and discrimination, racism and conspiracy theories are not tolerated. He says there is a "stuffy cabinet" where the mutual relations are good.

No more tweets

The turmoil about the tweet of Agema is over, Schoof said, referring to a tweet from the PVV minister. In it, Agema did not take a clear position against cabinet policy, but due to the timing and the sensitive subject, she embarrassed the prime minister at that time. Shocked the meeting, Agema promised to tweet more during a debate and later said they regretted her performance.

The Council of Ministers has once again agreed that there is "unit of cabinet policy", which means that no personal tweets will be sent.

Schoof also thinks that he has looked with "no surprise" to the intensity of the chaotic debate. He has no regrets that he has said “yes” to the premiership. Last night he came back to the home front "extremely cheerful", to their surprise. “I have not become depressed in the debate.”


Opposition leaders of the D66, CDA, GreenLeftLabour and the Socialist Party (SP) stand around the microphone to voice fierce criticism on the New Prime Minister and his rightwing to Far right cabinet Schoof

[pieter]

The New Prime Minister in the House of Representatives when he listen to opposition leaders whom question him about 'the Muslim headscarf tweet' of his vice prime minister and minister of Health Fleur Agema of Geert Wilders Freedom party (PVV)

The NOS News(ene)
Yesterday, 22:30

Heavy blows for Schoof in chaotic debate in which he is almost alone

Bernice Willemsen
the editor of politics

The new Prime Minister Schoof has suffered severe blows in his first important debate in the House of Representatives. It turned out to a chaos when not only the opposition and PVV leader Wilders attacked him, but also his own Minister Agema unexpectedly put him in a plight.

A motion of no confidence from Denk and the Party for the Animals to send the prime minister away did not get a majority. Also a motion of no confidence to allow the two PVV ministers Klever and Faber to leave (from GL-PvdA, D66, SP, Party for the Animals and Volt) was not passed.

But the debate on the government statement made one thing clear; the non-partisan, independent prime minister was quite alone. No one was protecting him.

The former top official, with years of experience behind the scenes in The Hague, must have proposed his first political action differently. He was intensively prepared by his officials to answer firm questions about the statements of the PVV ministers about 'repopulation' and headscarves. He knew that PVV leader Wilders can come out sharply.

But what Schoof has chosen today exceeds all expectations. Wilders was not only dissatisfied with Schoof’s argument, but clearly said he found it “but weak bite”.

The atmosphere between the coalition parties became grim when VVD leader Yesilgaz and NSC leader Omtzigt via X again criticized Wilders. And later when the PVV leader, his VVD colleague, a "false dirty accusation" retaliated. And the left-wing opposition continued to demand that the prime minister had to distance themselves more clearly from the recent statements of the PVV ministers. The answer of Schoof that this cabinet excludes no one was, according to them, was absolutely substly.

Tweet

But the hardest tap came from an unexpected angle, from his own box K. While Schoof was engaged in his argument that the cabinet was there for "all the Dutch people" PVV Minister Agema of Health, Welfare and Sport - who sat on the right side of him - sent out a tweet.

The tweet did not contain any text from Agema, but an old text from former GroenLinks leader Halsema ("sling the headscarf"), in addition to a recent tweet in which Halsema writes that every Muslim woman is allowed to determine whether she wears a headscarf.

And then it went wrong. D66 leader Jetten wanted to know exactly what vision the cabinet had. Schoof just got out of balance. There was a suspension to talk to Deputy Prime Minister Agema; a very unusual step because it shows that a leader of a cabinet does not know for a moment.

The debate after that suspension of half an hour then got out of hand. Schoof, although he whistled back by saying that his ministers should never send tweets during a debate and that this would never happen again. But his words made little impression in the opposition.

Opposition parties believe that Schoof’s authority has been undermined. “It is a circus and not a serious cabinet”, is the conclusion of Timmermans of GroenLinks-PvdA. Schoof then responded with the remark that the cabinet is "not a kindergarten".

There is a lot of shame for the level of political debate. BBB leader Van der Plas made a call to put an end to "the gesar" and the "scherts display". Serious change did not come immediately.

The conclusion could be drawn that Schoofof has begun an almost impossible task. The prime minister stayed up in the debate, and received all kinds of compliments at the end of the evening. Wilders used the word "phyer" in the mouth and determined that Schoof had managed to hold his own.

Alone

It was Christian Union (CU) leader Bikker who hit the nail on the head with her call on the four coalition parties not to leave the prime minister alone. He, like other ministers, will need support in debates.

Schoof himself will tighten the rules of conduct within his cabinet. So there is already a ban for the ministers to tweet during a debate. Friday in the Council of Ministers will be discussed whether there is more tightness. After the summer at the start of the parliamentary season, it must be clear whether this offers solace.

Schoof is not yet upset, according to his reflection on the debate. “I think it took some getting used to for the House of the House of Representatives and for me,” he said.

[pieter]

The New Prime Minister questioned by Labour Muslim parliament member whom was the target of the 'Minister of Health, Fleur Agema, "Headscarf tweet'

The NOS News(ene)
Yesterday, 12:32
(ene)Modified yesterday, 13:30 PM

Prime Minister Schoof immediately under attack of opposition, but also of Wilders

Prime Minister Schoof in his first debate in the House of Representatives immediately came under heavy fire from a part of the opposition about controversial statements by PVV ministers. Schoof made the promise that his cabinet will exclude no one and said that he has all the confidence in all members of his team, but parties such as GroenLinks-PvdA and D66 did not settle for that.

On the other hand, PVV leader Wilders expressed harsh criticism of the prime minister he himself was responsible for that position in the debate on the government statement. Wilders believes he should defend his ministers more strongly. Schoof himself called it "a strange debate".

The left-wing opposition parties, like D66, believe that the prime minister must clearly distance themselves from the statements of PVV ministers about, for example, repopulation and women wearing an Islamic headscarf. But Schoof did not want to go further than to say that the cabinet is there for everyone, including carriers of such a headscarf.

The PVV ministers Faber (Asylum) and Agema (VWS) said the day before yesterday after their sworn insult to RTL News that they are not in favour of the headscarf and that they would prefer to see that Muslim women would take them off to taste freedom. “I don’t have anything with headscarves,” Faber said.

GroenLinks-PvdA leader Timmermans and Denk-voorman Van Baarle wanted to know if Schoof had addressed the ministers, but he did not give a definitive answer about that. “I am sure that all members of the cabinet are not racist, not ‘opulationing’, and that it will also be part of the line of my cabinet,” Schoof said. He says he understands the concerns about the PVV ministers.

Member of Parliament Lahlah in tears

D66 leader Jetten referred to a recent message from Faber on social media, in which she portrays MP Esmah Lahlah as PvdA (Labour) headscarf. Jetten invited the prime minister to look Lahlah in the eye and to take a waiver of that statement.

Schoof addressed the MP and said, "The fact that you have a headscarf on makes no choice for me. You are just a man to me.” Lahlah felt addressed and said that wearing a headscarf is her own and free choice.

Esmah Lahlah; "For all the girls who wear a headscarf and feel touched by what is happening here, you do not be tricked. It is your choice and you can achieve anything you want.” There was a long applause from the Kamerbankjes (parliament benches) and Lahlah left the hall in tears. Some time later she returned.


GreenleftLabour (GroenLinksPvdA) MP Lahlah; "For all the girls who wear a headscarf and feel touched by what is happening here, you do not be tricked. It is your choice and you can achieve anything you want.” There was a long applause from the Kamerbankjes (parliament benches) and Lahlah left the hall in tears. Some time later she returned.


GreenleftLabour (GroenLinksPvdA) MP Esmah Lahlah (Center) with D66 leader Rob Jetten (left) and fellow PvdA (labour party) member Kate Piri (right) whom try to comfort Lahlah.

[pieter]

Just a few days ago, the start was different

[pieter]

One is the loneliest number: Schoof was on his own, papers say

www.dutchnews.nl/2024/07/one-is-the-loneliest-number-schoof-was-on-his-own-papers-say/


The New Prime Minister Dick Schoof (without a political party and backing behind him) has had 2 rough first days as Prime Minister in the Dutch House of Commons. He met fierce criticism of both opposition parties and government coalition parties. In the political sense he is a lonely man, because he belongs to no political party.

If the unprecedently vociferous two-day debate on the government’s plans has shown anything, it is that new prime minister Dick Schoof is not only without a party but without support, the papers say.

“Never was a prime minister so alone as Dick Schoof”, the AD headlined. Caught between a rock and a hard place, Schoof had to cope with angry opposition parties demanding censure of PVV asylum minister Marjolein Faber for a tweet in which she called GroenLinks/PvdA (Dutch Labour) MP Esmah Lahlah the “PvdA (Labour) headscarf”. Meanwhile, an almost incandescent Geert Wilders demanded unquestioned loyalty to the new team. When that was not sufficiently forthcoming Wilders called his own prime minister “a spineless git”. The paper foresees “chaos and emotion”, including within the cabinet.

[pieter]

Good afternoon,

One of these days I saw a photo of myself in the newspaper from my early days as Prime Minister. That was slightly confrontational. Let me put it this way: a few gray hairs and some wrinkles have appeared since then. And I also hope a little more seniority. But that is almost impossible. After almost 14 years and more than 5000 days in this job. It flew by. I think everyone over a certain age recognizes that. How there are moments in life when you realize: how quickly time flies and how much has happened. For me this is such a moment.

It won't be long before my time as your, as your, Prime Minister is over. I admit, that feels surreal and it also makes me melancholic. But that certainly does not prevail today. Now that the Torentje has been cleared for my successor, I look back with gratitude on a very special and intensive time. I have been able to experience the most beautiful things up close, but also the saddest and most difficult events. As Prime Minister you are in the privileged position of being given the opportunity to make a difference at all those moments, to do something good. I hope I've managed to do that every now and then. And of course I wish my successor, Dick Schoof, every success.

One of the most important things I learned as Prime Minister is that doing your best and doing everything well are two very different things. And then of course I immediately think of the benefits affair and the earthquakes in Groningen. A lot went wrong under my responsibility and I take that personally.

I've had so many conversations with people who don't feel safe in their own homes. With parents who have lost everything due to the government's fault. With young people who told me outright that their youth was taken from them. And I assure you, so much injustice and sadness crawl under your skin. Those conversations will always stay with me.

But as a politician, and especially as a prime minister, you are not hired just to have regrets. When things haven't gone well, you have to put them right – that's your job. I have tried that - we have tried that as a cabinet. It is and remains deeply frustrating that things are not going faster. At the same time, I trust that our successors will continue on the path to recovery. And more importantly, that Groningen residents and benefit parents can count on it. To them I say: if I could wish one thing today, it would be that your problems and worries would be over as quickly as possible. So you can move on. I wish that for you.

In recent weeks and days I have of course often thought back to those first years. The Netherlands was in the middle of a serious economic crisis. We can hardly imagine it anymore, but around 2012 - 2013 there were up to 15,000 unemployed people per month. The national budget deficit exploded. And so we had to change course, with the most drastic reforms and cuts ever. In retrospect, it is a small miracle how quickly we climbed out of that deep valley. And I am still proud of how we did that as a country.

Together.

With entrepreneurs and trade unions.

With municipalities and provinces.

With everyone in the country

And with broad political support, including from parties that were not in government.

It all happened in the best Dutch tradition of consultation, sensible compromises and not running away from responsibility. That is really unique to the Netherlands. And it's important to maintain that. Because together you are stronger than alone.

And I learned that lesson again, at a completely different time in a completely different context. Namely around the attack on MH17. In a few weeks it will be 10 years ago. Ten years already, and yet so close.

Everyone remembers the heartbreaking images of the bodies returning home to Eindhoven. The endless procession of hearses, accompanied by thousands of people along the route. And later the impressive National Commemoration in the RAI. For me personally, MH17 is perhaps the most drastic and emotional event of my entire premiership. I have always tried to be a support to the relatives.

But MH17 has also changed my personal view of the world. Even more than before, after MH17 I have realized how important it is as a country not to stand alone in a world full of unrest and threats. How countries that work together also protect each other. And how crucial it is that our country is embedded in the European Union and NATO. One look at the world map makes that clear. I'll say it again: together you are stronger than alone. Especially now, with a war just a few hours' flight from our country, that thought should motivate us to continue supporting Ukraine. For peace there and safety here.

And yes... As you enter your last weeks and days, you often get the same question. Which events, which moments from those almost 14 years will you remember most? What made the most impression? It is actually impossible to give a short answer to that. Because how do you choose from so many? But let me give it a try today.

I already mentioned MH17 – that was so big, it will never let me go. But I also think of the moment when I apologized for the actions of the Dutch government during the Holocaust. And with the commemoration and celebration of Keti Koti (the abolishment of Dutch slavery in 1865) tomorrow, I naturally think of the excuses for the past of slavery. These are moments when, as Prime Minister, you can make a direct connection by giving recognition. With all the emotion that that unleashes. Not as a person, not as Mark Rutte from The Hague, but as a representative of something bigger – a country, a society. That may all sound a bit solemn coming from me, but I really felt and experienced it that way. It is highly honorable that I was able to fulfill that role on a few occasions.

And there was corona. I remember well how I sat anxiously here in the Torentje (little tower, the office of the Prime Minister) on the evening of March 16, 2020, just before seven o'clock, for that first TV speech. Not knowing what was coming our way with corona, but knowing that it would be huge and drastic. It's probably a good thing that we didn't know at the time that this roller coaster ride would last 2 years. Two years, in which many people lost a loved one, with all the sadness that does not simply go away. Two years, during which life was also very difficult in other respects – for some to this day.

Corona touched everything. To our health, our social life, our work and income. It touched the future of our young people. It was a time of loneliness for too many people. And it has also left scars in society that cannot easily be repaired.

Inevitably, I, as a cabinet, have made mistakes in the approach. There is no other way. At the same time, I think that a lot of good and beautiful things have happened in society during this period. The people in healthcare delivered an unprecedented performance.

In companies, the catering industry, schools, associations, museums and theaters - everyone made the best of it. And initiatives spontaneously emerged everywhere to help, support or comfort each other. That is also the Netherlands. You know how I feel about that.

"The Netherlands is a cool country. I admit, I may have said that one or two too many times. But that's because I mean it, from the bottom of my heart."

There is no war here. In the Netherlands you can be who you are and love who you want. We are prosperous. And our democracy is strong. Not just because we can vote freely – at least – every four years. But also because in the Netherlands you can make it loud and clear if you disagree with something. And we have a free and critical press and independent judges. So yeah, a cool country.

And after almost 14 years as premier, I know one thing for sure. That's in people. People make a country. I have been able to do the work alone all these years, because I was supported by super smart, expert and hardworking civil servants. That's what I wanted to say at my farewell. As Prime Minister, I have met countless people throughout the Netherlands, young and old. And also on the Caribbean islands that belong to us. I got to know many organizations and associations. Seen the most beautiful museums and attended performances. I have seen our soldiers in action on missions abroad - I have deep respect for what they do. And I don't know how many companies I have been able to look behind the front door of, from the smallest startup to the largest manufacturing factory.

And I tell you, we have a country bursting with creativity and entrepreneurship. Working hard and then enjoying it to the fullest. And fortunately also a country with a healthy aversion to hierarchy and excessive gentility. But above all, we are a country of volunteers, informal caregivers, good neighbors and best friends. Of course, there is also quite a bit of grumbling. That is also the Netherlands. But when push comes to shove, we rally around each other and help each other.

Today I can therefore only repeat what I said at the beginning of the corona crisis. Pay attention to each other. I count on you.

I thought it was an honor to be your Prime Minister. And I did it with incredible pleasure.

Thanks!, Thanks!, Thanks!!!

[pieter]

Ketikoti




History

Ketikoti (Ketikoti (IPA [ˈkɪti ˈkɔti] ⓘ), sometimes spelled as Keti Koti (Surinamese Sranantongo lamnguage "the chain is cut" or "the chain is broken")) marks the date when slavery was abolished in Surinam (Soutern America) in 1863. However, enslaved people in Surinam would not be fully free until 1873, after a mandatory 10-year transition period during which time they were required to work on the plantations for minimal pay and with state sanctioned force: if they were discovered outside without a pass, they could be jailed.[4] On June 30, 1963, the statue of Kwakoe was unveiled in Paramaribo, Suriname's capital city to commemorate the abolition of slavery.



After 1873 many slaves left the plantations where they had worked for several generations, in favor of the city of Paramaribo. The former slave keepers were compensated. For the 32,911 released people that were kept as slaves in Suriname, an amount of ƒ 9,867,780.00 (In 2020 about €250 million) was paid to the slave keepers.

Celebration

As of 2009 several cities in the Netherlands hosted various activities, making this day a day of national celebration and remembrance throughout the country. Since 2002 there is an official monument for remembrance of slavery in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. This Nationaal Monument Slavernijgeschiedenis ("National Monument Slavery History") is in the Oosterpark in Amsterdam. The Keti Koti festival marks the date when slavery was abolished in Suriname and the Dutch Antilles in 1863. The festival organisation also aims to pressure the Dutch government for reparations and research. As of 2020, it is still unclear when the first slaves arrived.


National Monument to the History of Slavery in the Oosterpark in Amsterdam. Image ANP


Amsterdam TV chanal AT$ report of the Keti Koti celebration of this week in Amsterdam



This one of the last events the former Prime Minster Mark Rutte attended as the head of the Dutch administration. At the end you see the mayor of Amsterdam, Femke Halsema (GroenLinks), speak, the woman in white.

[karl]

Pieter

With regards to new PM, is a test of the house of Schoof, if he has not the ability to stand the heat, best he get out of the kitchen, for the likes of Mr. Wilders has the ability to light some very hot fires.

Karl

[pieter]

Prime Minister Schoof, PVV ministers survive no confidence votes during “circus” debate

nltimes.nl/2024/07/05/prime-minister-schoof-pvv-ministers-survive-confidence-votes-circus-debate

[pieter]

Jul 6, 2024 9:04:40 GMT -7 karl said:

Pieter

With regards to new PM, is a test of the house of Schoof, if he has not the ability to stand the heat, best he get out of the kitchen, for the likes of Mr. Wilders has the ability to light some very hot fires.

Karl

Karl,

I have to agree with you 300%. Geert Wilders is an experienced, shrewd, tactical and strategically thinking politician with 30 years of political experience in (within) the VVD and PVV parties. Geert Wilders is a firebrand and agitator. He knows the rules of politics, power games and propaganda and spreading a Populist message to the people. He is a Pied Piper of Hamelin. Geert Wilders only goal is to get as much of political power as possible for Geert Wilders and his party, the PVV (Freedom) party, the largest party. If this cabinet falls, he will attack the left-wing opposition, the Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof and the other coalition parties; blaming the VVD, NSC and the farmers' party, the BBB for the failure of the First Schoof Cabinet (july 2024). In new elections, the PVV could rise to 60, 70 or 75 seats in parliament. On the other side if the PVV voters are disappointed in Geert Wilders and his PVV party, the PVV might as well lose 10 or more votes in the next elections. The PVV already has the most seats of all parties, 37 seats in the Dutch House of Representatives (De Tweede kamer). The second party, GroenLinks/PvdA has 25 seats, the third largest party, the conservative liberal coalition party VVD has 24 seats, the New Social Conservative party NSC 20 seats, the Farmers Coalition party BBB 7 seats, and the other opposition parties;

D66 (Progressive, social liberal, center left) - 9 seats
CDA (Christian Democrats, center right) - 5
SP (Socialist Party) (leftwing, social democratic/Democratic socialist, more left than, to the left of GroenLinks/PvdA ) - 5
The Migrant Leftwing Populist Denk (Think) party - 3
PvdD (Party for the Animals, ecological, green, leftist party) - 3
The Far right Rightwing Populist FVD (Forum for Democracy) - 3
SGP (conservative Protestant Calvinist Christian Right) - 3
Christian Union (Moderate Social Conservative center left Christian) - 3
Volt (Progressive Pro-European party) - 2
JA21 (Rightwing conservative liberal and rightwing Populist, anti-immigration and Eurosceptic) - 1


Geert Wilders is a Pied Piper of Hamelin. The chilren in this cartoon are Dutch voters and the Pied Piper of Hamelin in front is Geert Wilders.

Cheers,
Pieter

[pieter]

The Dutch parliamentarian of the Center Left ‘GreenLeft/Labour’ leftist party coalition, Tom van der Lee, replied to the disastrous First appearance and debate with the parliament of the First Schoof Cabinet (Het eerste Schoof Kabinet in Dutch) last week.


Tom van der Lee (born 9 July 1964) is a Dutch politician representing the GroenLinks who has served in the House of Representatives since the 2017 general election. He was re-elected four years later, and he received a third term in the November 2023 general election. Van der Lee's focus has been on finances.

I quote Tom van der Lee, parliament member of GroenLinks/PvdA (GreenLeft/Labour);

“Some of you know that I have been involved in politics for a while; but I have never experienced such an embarrassing parliamentary debate, in which a new coalition showed mutual distrust in a despicable way and the new prime minister looked as if he belonged to no one.

This sums it up pretty well👇🏼”





Volkskrant is a Dutch Newspaper. de Volkskrant (Dutch pronunciation: [də ˈvɔl(ə)kskrɑnt]; lit. 'The People's Paper') is a Dutch daily morning newspaper. Founded in 1919, it has a nationwide circulation of about 250,000. Formerly a leading centre-left Catholic broadsheet, de Volkskrant today is a medium-sized secular Centre-left compact. Pieter Klok is the current editor-in-chief.

Even Mark Rutte would have had difficulty holding his own in this constellation

Raoul du Pré July 4, 2024


Prime Minister Dick Schoof, with to this Left vice Prime Minister, Fleur Agema (PVV), Minister of Health and to his right Sophie Hermans (born 1 May 1981), Second Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands and Minister of Climate and Green Growth in the Schoof cabinet. Sophie Hermans of the conservative liberal VVD, was the former leader of the VVD party fraction in the Dutch parliament. She is more moderate than Fleur Agema in the First Schoof Cabinet.

The opposition itself did not have to do much on Thursday to portray the cabinet as a resounding political accident in the making.

PVV leader Wilders who snaps at NSC leader Omtzigt that he should not complain about the lack of democracy in the PVV: "What are you interfering with?"

Wilders who criticizes Prime Minister Schoof because he does not express clearly enough that there are "no racists" in the cabinet: "Weak food!"

NSC leader Omtzigt, who is forced by the resulting ambiguity to demand that Schoof confirm 'that there is freedom of religion' in the Netherlands and that the entire cabinet supports this.

Deputy Prime Minister Fleur Agema, who implied via X during the debate that she remains an opponent of women wearing headscarves, while Schoof has just said that everyone in the cabinet is equal.

Wilders who believes that coalition partner, VVD part leader, Dilan Yesilgöz, is making a 'dirty, false accusation' when she suggests that he is behind Agema's tweet.

Yesilgöz reacted to Wilders statement towards her, via Twitter;

The Prime Minister who is trying to restore order in his team: "This mess should be over."

Yesilgöz calls on everyone in the fresh new cabinet to 'behave responsibly from now on'.

Sheaf who makes it clear that Agema is not deleting her tweet. “It is not being removed at this time.”


Dilan Yeşilgöz last week during the debate on the government statement of the First Schoof cabinet (july 2024), of which Yeşilgöz's party, the centre right conservative liberal VVD, is a part. That debate went disastrously badly for the new Prime Minister Dick Schoof and his new cabinet. Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius (born 18 June 1977) is a Dutch politician who served as Leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) since december 2023. She also served as minister of justice and security in the fourth Rutte cabinet from 10 January 2022 to 2 July 2024. Yeşilgöz previously served as a member of the House of Representatives from 2017 to 2021 and as State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Climate Policy from 2021 until 2022. In 2022, Yesilgöz delivered the annual Hendrik Jan Schoo lecture entitled "Doing What It Takes to Protect Our Democratic Rule of Law" in which she criticised wokeism, far-right politicians, and conspiracy theorists, and argued that the Dutch constitutional state is allegedly under pressure from left-wing activism. Yesilgöz considers Frits Bolkestein as her main liberal role model. But she herself is more conservative than liberal. In contrast to her more liberal predecessor Mark Rutte (VVD), Yesilgöz said she would not exclude Geert Wilders and the PVV from coalition talks ahead of the 2023 Dutch general election.[

It is almost unbelievable, but it is just a selection of the low points of the debate about the government statement. There were quite a few people on Thursday, inside and outside the Chamber, who longed for the Rutte era. Yet even Mark Rutte would have had difficulty holding his own position in this constellation.

Of course it was striking that Dick Schoof still exudes little authority, that as a top official he was flown in, he has no political mandate and no convictions of his own to fall back on, that he has to refer to 'the main agreement' in which he himself had no part or any part and that he therefore has a very shaky foundation on which to build his premiership. But he would have had a completely different day if he had only had to fend off the opposition and not been undermined in every possible way by his own coalition. The opposition itself did not have to do much to portray the cabinet as a resounding political accident in the making.

“Many people will regret that I did not become Prime Minister,” Wilders said on Wednesday when he announced that he will continue to represent the 'unadulterated' PVV sound from the House. It sounded like a threat, especially to Omtzigt, and it turned out to be so on Thursday. To get the cabinet on its feet, Wilders has sacrificed a lot on paper, but now that the cabinet is in place he is taking back ground, fully realizing that he is causing great embarrassment to his coalition partners.

When the chaos was complete on Thursday afternoon, Schoof felt forced to shout that his team is 'not a kindergarten class': 'This is a serious cabinet!' That said everything.