Dit is Dilan Yeşilgöz, de VVD'er die Mark Rutte wil opvolgen als partijleider[_link]

— EenVandaag (@EenVandaag) July 12, 2023

Diaries serie in three parts:

• VVD Dilan Yesilgöz Commits to Law & Order - Part I
• Part II
• Part III

The Dutch nitrogen crisis shows what happens when policymakers fail to step up | Energy Monitor - 16 Aug. 2022 |

The Dutch government plans to slash nitrogen emissions in half by 2030. As part of the current government's coalition agreement [investment nuclear energy a VVD agenda], the Cabinet has set aside €25bn to deal with the "Dutch nitrogen crisis". The Netherlands is struggling with high emissions of nitrogen from agriculture, transport and industry, which threaten the country's nature and biodiversity.

Agriculture is the main culprit. It has been known for decades that the country's growing livestock herd is causing environmental damage. Yet, policymakers did too little, too late. Now, drastic change is needed. The Dutch nitrogen crisis shows what can happen when climate action is not far-reaching enough at the early stages.

This topic and belated policy change a primary cause for Rutte IV to fail after 18 months. Led to the rise of protest movement illustrated by impressive BBB party victory for provincial election and members Senate.

'Sapere aude'

Attack on Dutch Right-Wing Leader Highlights Global Impact of Ukraine Crisis | BNN |

A Divisive Figure in the Spotlight

The attack on Baudet in Belgium has brought his controversial views back into the limelight. It serves as a stark reminder of the volatile political climate and the real-world implications of the narratives that politicians weave. Baudet's pro-Russian inclinations and his opposition to aiding Ukraine in its conflict with Russia have now made him not just a figure of controversy but a target for aggression.

Despite the controversies, Baudet remains a significant figure in Dutch politics. His views, though divisive, resonate with a segment of the Dutch populace. The attack on him in Belgium has only highlighted his controversial standing and the deep divisions that his political views inspire.

The incident at Ghent University serves as a grim reminder of how the shadows of international conflict can stretch far and wide, touching even those on the periphery. It underscores the far-reaching influence of the Ukraine crisis and the deep-seated tensions that it continues to stoke, not just within its borders, but in the international political landscape as well.

VVD Party Dilan Yesilgoz In the Footsteps of Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Mrs Yesilgöz

📣 You claim that you came to the Netherlands in a boat as a 7-year-old girl, as a refugee child. You described the reality yourself, 20 years ago: you were taken to the Netherlands on a KLM flight with a ticket paid for by the Dutch government, in the context of family reunification.
📣 You claim that you were a member of the Socialist Party for a short time, from which you soon left. The reality is that you were a member of the SP for 7 years, held a board position there and, among other things, led a demonstration against the asylum policy of then State Secretary Rita Verdonk, who, according to you, treated asylum seekers as "third-class citizens". "If we had fled fifteen years later, I would still be in an AZC, waiting for the moment when I would be deported," were your words. When.
📣 You claim that you left the SP and also the PvdA or Groenlinks because they treated you, as a refugee, as a victim. According to the SP, there is no truth in that story. Why would you willingly allow yourself to be treated as a victim for 7 years, get elected to the board, or organize a demonstration against harsh asylum policy?
📣 You claim that you were a close associate of the late mayor Van der Laan of Amsterdam in the field of security policy. But the reality is, according to colleagues at the time, that you were one of the many civil servants in that field. "Typical Dilan, making herself bigger than she really is," said one of those colleagues in Follow the Money.
📣 When your ambitions were not in sync with your career, you made the switch to the VVD, where you were seen as a worthy replacement for Ayaan Hirsi Ali: immigrant, yet Dutch, outspoken, and not shy about changing ideology if that were the case. benefits your career.
📣 Your predecessor, Mr. Rutte, dealt in lies, and did so during his premiership. Not pretty, not at all, but we cannot catch him paving the way to the premiership with lies and deceit.
📣 You do. You are now painting an image of yourself that does not match your past. And so you adjust your own history. The aim is to substantiate your current rabid, but factually incorrect views on refugees.
📣 This way you don't just victimize refugees for your own career. Above all, you deny your own origins, daughter of a father who fled, a human rights activist and lawyer, and of a mother who, as director of a refugee organization, stood on the barricades for the interests of refugees.
📣 Not you. Not anymore. You have exchanged the barricades for plush, and from there you reject the positions that you once expressed so firmly and loudly.
📣 What should we do in the Netherlands with a prime ministerial candidate who openly denies her principles, demonstrably lies about them, and insults the interests of refugees - to which she herself belongs - for the sake of her personal ambitions?

Timmermans himself criticised the deal during an election debate in October, stating that he disagreed with von der Leyen's unilateral decision to conclude the deal and confronted her following her return to Brussels.

Since 7 November, 5 Dutch F-16s have been stationed at the European F-16 Training Centre (EFTC) in Romania. The aircraft will be used to train Romanian and Ukrainian pilots.

The Netherlands took the initiative to establish the EFTC and will make 12 to 18 F-16s available for training purposes. The aircraft will remain the property of the Netherlands....

Clean Energy Wire's Fact Sheet on Upcoming Dutch Election

Removing Shell man Mark Rutte is the best option to advance in green transition in The Netherlands.

From your link ...

In 2020, the government came up with a figure of 4.5 billion euros a year, but after independent researchers and environmental groups came up with higher amounts, climate minister Rob Jetten commissioned a study that showed that the Dutch government spends between 39.7 billion and 46.4 billion euros a year on schemes that lead to fossil benefits.

[...]

Investigative journalism platform Follow the Money reported in May 2023 that the 150 million euros subsidy Shell received for Holland Hydrogen Iwas ineligible under EU rules, but that it got approved by the European Commission after pressure from the Dutch government.

Difficult article with a lot of content but not a correct summary of root cause of Dutch troubles ... free market economy based on welfare of big business and international players. Dutch government has been lying for decades about emissions and health issues for expansion Schiphol to 500,000 flights, Tata Steel in IJmuiden, DuPont Chemie (now Chemours) and the damage to buildings and homes in Groningen due to long-time gas exploitation. Very damaging government contracts with Shell and Exxon in case the pumping of gas would be reduced, no matter under what circumstances.

Dutch gov't, Shell and Exxon ignored Groningen risks for years, inquiry finds

Mark Rutte leading the VVD has been most damaging for continuing high emissions ...

The only adequate policy for The Netherlands would be to limit EU demands for full free market on energy, public transport, housing development and perhaps a green initiatives development bank for investments.

The Dutch carry the red lantern as poorest developed EU country in halting emissions.

'Sapere aude'

World behind on almost every policy required to cut carbon emissions, research finds | The Guardian |

Coal must be phased out seven times faster than is now happening, deforestation must be reduced four times faster, and public transport around the world built out six times faster than at present, if the world is to avoid the worst impacts of climate breakdown, new research has found.

Countries are falling behind on almost every policy required to cut greenhouse gas emissions, despite progress on renewable energy and the uptake of electric vehicles.

This failure makes the prospect of holding global temperatures to 1.5C above preindustrial levels even more remote, according to the State of Climate Action 2023 report. The authors advise that world needs to:

• Retire about 240 average-sized coal-fired power plants a year, every year between now and 2030.
  
• Construct the equivalent of three New Yorks' worth of public transport systems in cities around the world each year this decade.
  
• Halt deforestation, which is happening to an area the size of 15 football pitches every minute, this decade.
  
• Increase the rate of growth of solar and wind power from its current high of 14% a year to 24% a year.
  
• Cut meat consumption from ruminants such as cows and sheep to about two servings a week in the US, Europe and other high-consuming countries by 2030

The Dutch were leading in solar energy investment by home owners ... until energy companies decided to levy high costs for producing more than self-consumption. Makes investment not beneficial ... solar market comes crashing down in 2023. Rutte and VVD sitting on their hands ... principle of free market ... consumer has no rights nor leverage in a dictated market of high energy price and high taxation (up to 100%) for households. Large corporations receive yearly a total of €46 billion subsidy for fossil fuel.

'Sapere aude'

The Red Cross is hesitant about the government's proposal to bring injured children from Gaza to the Netherlands [13.11.23].

[Kuipers:] Should children from Gaza come to the Netherlands, they would be spread out among various healthcare institutions. Kuipers said that his ministry will work together with other ministries and healthcare institutions to handle the situation. It is not yet clear whether family members would be allowed to travel with the child concerned and whether they could then be given a temporary visa. The Ministry of Health said that everything will be carefully considered if there is a request.... "The Dutch government does not have a supply of most of what has been requested. The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport is now looking, both nationally and in a European context, at how we can ensure that they also become available," Kuipers wrote on X.

In the radio program Met Het Oog op Morgen, Carla Jonkers, head of international emergency aid at the Dutch Red Cross, said on Monday evening that it is "absolutely" preferable to care for these children in Egypt, close to their loved ones and where caregivers understand their culture and language.

Outgoing health Minister Ernst Kuipers said earlier in the day that patients from the Gaza Strip could come to Dutch hospitals if requested. That should happen via humanitarian corridors. Jonkers noted that "such a request has not yet been made" but added that the Red Cross has objections to it.

Defense Minister Ollongren furious about leak of Gaza memo: 'Not a fair representation' | De Telegraaf and NRC |

BRUSSELS/THE HAGUE - Outgoing Minister Kajsa Ollongren (Defense) is furious about the leak of a confidential memo from the Dutch Defense Attaché in Tel Aviv. According to NRC, that document states that the Israeli army in Gaza uses 'disproportionate force'. The House of Representatives returns from election recess to debate it.

The minister criticizes the publication of the document: "I don't like it that an internal piece appears in a newspaper. And then also with name and surname." The minister says that embassy staff provide all kinds of information about the conflict: "Then it doesn't help if parts appear in the newspaper."

According to the Dutch military attaché, Israel has no clear strategy and wiping out Hamas is 'a military goal that is virtually impossible to achieve'. Israeli decisions are said to be motivated by 'emotion and anger'.

• Whether it's strategy or revenge, Israel is likely to prevail in Gaza offensive -- but then what? | CBC News |

According to Ollongren, the leaked information is selective. "Not the whole piece is in the newspaper. I think it is not a fair representation of the work that the people at the embassy do, who provide us with all kinds of relevant information so that we are also able to do our work. The work they do is extremely important and they must be able to do it undisturbed."

There are also concerns about the safety of staff at the diplomatic post. "That is one of the reasons why you have to think before you publish something like that," says Ollongren.

It is unclear who leaked the piece. But earlier, activist government officials criticized the government's policy on the conflict in the Middle East. The minister does not want to leave it without consequences internally, but is not clear about the type of measures. "But the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also takes this seriously," she says.

How the Netherlands is turning its back on natural gas | BBC News - 27 Ict. 2021 |

The effort to disconnect from fossil fuels in Loppersum is noteworthy, given its location. The village sits atop the largest deposit of methane, or natural gas, in Europe. The giant reservoir stretches under almost the entire province of Groningen and has fed the country's gas boilers, electricity plants and heavy industries since the 1960s. But eventually the extraction caused the ground beneath the province to sink. As a result, earthquakes have increased in force and frequency across the north in the last few decades, damaging many of the homes.

The Netherlands has lowest share of renewables in its total energy use in Europe: this transition will mean a complete overhaul of its heating system. With some of the most ambitious climate targets for its residential heating sector, the nation is now hoping to set itself up as a climate frontrunner in this area. At the heart of the heat transition debate is the question: what can replace the gas boiler?

Groningen gas fields - the Dutch earthquake zone | BBC News - 19 May 2013 |

During the years of VVD leadership, policy was to extract gas at an increased rate causing greater damage to surface buildings and houses. Lacking responsibility to assess damage and offer compensation. Sitting on their hands in The Hague.

'Sapere aude'

Looking at all the headlines of pro-Israel content, most people forget it are the Palestinian people who live under the boot of fascism, apartheid and occupation since 1967 war with its neighbours.

Kristallnacht Commemoration, Portuguese Synagogue, Amsterdam
9/11/1938 7/10/2023
Never again is now! pic.twitter.com/w6WkJR0ccH

— Modi Ephraim (@AmbModiEphraim) November 9, 2023

Netherlands follows Britain's lead on social housing | The Guardian - 21 June 2013 |

The Dutch approach is changing under austerity, taking many principles from recent British housing policies

The Netherlands, as well as much of Europe, do not share the UK's culture of homeownership. Figures show that as many as 54% of Dutch households live in rented accommodation, with only 13% renting from private landlords. The negativity associated with social housing in the UK does not exist in the Netherlands, where the reality is that almost everyone has a friend, or parent or grandparent, living in social housing. In fact, it is estimated that in most major Dutch cities in the 2000s, social housing accounted for more than half the population's housing tenure.

Like most of European countries, the Netherlands is now taking a good, hard look at its housing policies. One of the ideas under consideration is whether shared ownership, an uncommon but not unheard of model in the country, could cross-subsidise other social housing tenures if appropriately targeted at different groups of purchasers. Evidently, this issue of making subsidy go further is as relevant to Dutch housing providers as it is for us.

Influenced by fiscal constraints, combined with a move towards a more populist rhetoric about "scroungers", housing allocations in the Netherlands have become more targeted and less universal - similar to how British social housing allocations changed in the 1970s. The most recent Dutch coalition agreement specifically states that the social housing sector will have to allocate housing by needs, with the most in need of social housing at the top of the queue, and encourage others in the social sector to move. As a result of this, in 2011, at least 90% of housing association dwellings were allocated to people with an annual household income of less than €33,614 (£28,800), a significant shift from previous years when access to social housing was less about income and more about equality.

Yet while the UK government looks to introduce a pay-to-stay policy, under which high-earning social tenants will be forced to pay market rent to stay in their social homes, its Dutch counterparts are taking a slightly different approach. As part of the coalition agreement, Dutch households renting from the social sector with an annual income of less than €43,000 will not see their rent increase by more than the rate of inflation. But if a household earns more, the rent will increase by up to the rate of inflation, plus 5%.

This policy will act as a major disincentive to those people who want to stay in their homes but are also working to improve their financial prospects. To put it simply, a blunt instrument is being used to deal with a delicate situation. The Dutch may therefore find that alternatives, such as shared ownership, start to look increasingly attractive.

EU Blah, blah, blah

VDL: European Pillar of Social Rights

'Sapere aude'

Part of Almere left in the dark as grid capacity fills up

TenneT HV Grid Capacity Map of The Netherlands

New homes in part of Almere cannot be connected to the electricity network because of capacity problems, energy providers have told the council.

Last month, power firms warned that the electricity provision to new homes in east and south Flevoland could run into trouble if no more capacity is created on the network by the end of 2026.

In a meeting with providers last week, the council was told that homes being built in Almere Centrum, Stad Oost and Buiten would not be connected to the network or qualify for extra connections with immediate effect.

"We cannot believe this," city planning alderman Alexander Sprong told local broadcaster Omroep Flevoland.  "This situation is out of all proportion."

Sprong said the capacity problems are worse than originally thought and that he is relying on caretaker energy minister Rob Jetten to come up with "unorthodox" measures at least for the next couple of years.

If the problem is not solved, the council will have to temporarily stop providing building land, or include a disclaimer in the contract saying the electricity network is full to capacity.

Some 210 businesses in the region are currently also waiting to be connected.

Energiewende and Liberal Policymakers In EU | 9 June 2022 |

'Sapere aude'

Policy change in Dutch social housing

To research which main theory on policy change can be best used to explain policy change in the Dutch social housing sector these main theories are first described and critically assessed. The main theories that are used are the most recent versions of the Punctuated Equilibrium Theory, Advocacy Coalition Framework and Multiple Streams Approach. By using a combination of interviews and a document analysis two cases in the Dutch field of social housing have been analysed using these three theories in their entirety.

The first case was the so-called state support case in which the European Commission, partially following questions from the Dutch government themselves and partially due to pressure from investor groups, stated that the Dutch housing associations were receiving illegitimate state aid that had a market disrupting effect. Subsequently, the Dutch government for the first time defined the group that should get access to social housing by setting op income limits and an obligation for housing associations to give at least 90% of their properties to this group. However, these limits were later temporarily adjusted in favour of the lower middle income groups that would otherwise have trouble finding housing.

The other case was Wonen 4.0 (Living 4.0), a policy proposal to reform the complete housing market in an integral way that was made by an unique coalition of parties representing interests from both the buying as well as the renting side of the housing market. However, the plan, despite its broad support, seemed a bridge too far for all political parties and was therefore not adopted. In the end a combination of the three theories is needed to properly explain the process of policy change in Dutch social housing as every theory adds aspects that were relevant in both cases but which the others do not mention.

[...]

2.1 PUNCTUATED EQUILIBRIUM THEORY
Developed originally by Baumgartner and Jones, Punctuated Equilibrium Theory (PET) argues that policy processes are generally characterized by stability and incremental change but occasionally large-scale changes occur (Baumgartner et al., 2014: 59). PET therefore explains both stability and change in the policy process.

2.1.1 CHANGE AND STABILITY
According to Baumgartner et al. (2014: 61) national political systems are conservative and therefore favour maintaining the status quo and do not prefer to make moderate changes to accommodate changing circumstances. This means that in order to create major changes, a conflict or an extraordinary effort is needed. PET therefore argues that in the policymaking process there are big leaps in attention, followed by periods in which the issue again disappears from the public agenda (Baumgartner et al., 2014: 61). Furthermore, public institution reinforce these movements and policy images can play a role in removing the control of specialists and special interest groups from so-called 'policy monopolies' (Ibid.)

Higher mortgage rates have caused house prices to fall | DNB |

'Sapere aude'

The difference good urban design and planting makes!!! pic.twitter.com/6AyEDd2h1l

— Jack Kavanagh (@JackKavanagh12) September 4, 2023

Dutch city drafts plan to reduce asphalt and plant trees to combat effects of climate change

'Sapere aude'

Geert Wilders set for political comeback in Dutch election [_link]

— Financial Times (@FT) November 20, 2023

One of the poorest campaigns i have ever witnessed ... which leader makes the most blunders ... Dilan Yesilgöz invited Geert Wilders early on to join her in a new cabinet ... the voice of protest new party New Social Contract leader Pieter Omtzigt declared he could work quite well with the VVD on their position on migration. The topic abused by PM Mark Rutte to end his short run leading Rutte IV and the many crisis caused by the VVD and kicked the can down the road each time. Omtzigt had a carload of criticism on the manner Rutte ran the government and kept Parliament in the dark.

New poll predicts political thriller: three-way battle between VVD, GL-PvdA and PVV, NSC can still join in

The VVD (remains 27) and GL-PvdA (+4, also 27) are at the top, but the PVV is practically the same size with 26 (+6). NSC also drops slightly in this poll, from 25 to 21, but could still catch up because many floating voters are considering Pieter Omtzigt's party, says I&O researcher Asher van der Schelde. Caroline van der Plas' BBB loses seats again (minus 2, now at 6), just like Volt, which virtually still has 3 seats.

This poll is anything but a precise prediction of the outcome on Wednesday: as many as seven in ten Dutch people are not yet sure of their choice.

Tactical choice

GL-PvdA and the PVV in particular can benefit from a tactical choice. EenVandaag previously polled that more than half of GL-PvdA voters opt for the left for strategic reasons. I&O also sees this trend: the party is now succeeding in attracting chunks of voters who last week opted for another left-wing or progressive party, such as Volt, D66 or SP.

Pieter Omtzigt has been anything but convincing, as a new party he doesn't want to take the lead and become Prime Minister ... destroying the essence of political ambition and to be ready for the challenge of The Hague.

Because major parties won't treat the Islamophobe Geert Wilders as a pariah and even willing to accept him in a future coalition, the right-wing voters who stayed with the VVD of Mark Rutte are now taking the chance and are returning to Geert Wilders' PVV. As I have previously written, the Dutch are racist and xenophobic. There is a political majority one can considered right-wing and falling for media disinformation and the war rhetoric coming from Rutte IV. It will be different from populism of Orban of Hungary, it will be a mixture of Boris Johnson with Giorgia Meloni and EU warmongering from VDL and Borrell. The Dutch are all in pro-Ukraine, Zelensky and fierce anti-Russian.

Quite likely the VVD party voters may prefer Geert Wilders as Dutch leader above a political novice Dilan Yesilgöz. She won't be the preferred woman candidate to break ceiling glass as HRC had build her political career for that single moment in November 2016 ... beaten by misogynist Donald Trump.

One thing is certain ... the election night will end quite dramatically and very different from the latest polls. I personally am lost how the Dutch will vote as the clear protest vote has ebbed away and a new dynamic will push The Netherlands into  deep policy quagmire. No forecast from me.

The smaller parties will be eaten up by the 3 or 4 largest parties vying for the top spot and to take the lead to build a coalition to govern.

'Sapere aude'