Reading Time: 2 minutes King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands and his wife Maxima are going to get a right ticking off from Beatrix (she’s his mother and her mother-in-law) when they finally get home from their Greek holiday that turned out to be more of a tragedy than a long weekend away from home. Well, at least he got […]
Opinion
Mark Rutte Bevoogdt Tandartsen
Reading Time: 4 minutes Ik geef Mark Rutte het voordeel van de twijfel. Hier staat een politicus onder druk. Zijn hele liberale, gemoedelijke kijk op de wereld wordt bevroren door een virus dat zelfs kleiner is dan de kleinste virussen. In antwoord op een vraag of tandartsen hun praktijk konden openen, antwoordde Rutte neerbuigend dat tandartspraktijken altijd open mochten […]
Brexit – “Enough Is Enough!”
Reading Time: 3 minutes This post may offend or even classify me as a Leaver, but I maintain the firm conviction that enough is enough. The UK has struck a deal with the EU, and that should signal the UK’s departure from the EU. It may be easy for me to say that, covered by my dual citizenship and […]
In America We Trust – Trump’s Irresponsible Foreign Policy
Reading Time: 4 minutes The American author Ethel Watts Mumford is quoted as saying, “God gives us our relatives. Thank God we can choose our friends.” I suppose the same can be said about presidents. We have the good fortune to be able to democratically elect our leaders and get rid of them if need be. It can be […]
The Brexit Fundamentalists
Reading Time: 4 minutes Populism and dogmatism have replaced empiricism and pragmatism, leading to an ideological frenzy, the perpetrators of which are in a constant civil war with their opponents. It is a psychodrama that has cut through political divides, carved apart families and neighbourhoods, to finally break its way through to the very top of the State and […]
Has Europe Lost Control Of Democracy?
Reading Time: 4 minutes Up to now it has been a harsh year for European politics. For the UK, Brexit has resulted in Westminster losing its grip on a political process and, if it is not careful, will also lose control over its representative democracy. Elsewhere in Europe, the populist AfD is progressing in Germany, the Italian coalition is […]
Boris Johnson: An Agitator Within The Law
Reading Time: 3 minutes Like it or not, Boris Johnson’s prorogation of Parliament is perfectly legal. The Queen might very well have choked on her porridge, she gave the prime minister her blessing and paved the way for Parliament to be muted whilst Brexit is being irrevocably defined. It’s a sad state of affairs for UK democracy, of course, […]
“Mother Democracy, Shut The F*ck Up”
Reading Time: 3 minutes Forget about Boris Johnson’s comforting words reassuring us that MP’s will have sufficient time to do something about avoiding a no-deal Brexit, the prorogation of parliament is an affront to democracy. In delaying the Queen’s speech until October 14th, Johnson is doing nothing less that bypassing democracy. In shutting up Westminster, he has effectively forced […]
Wreckless Driving: Unequality In Front Of The Law
Reading Time: 2 minutes Actor Steven Coogan has had a six-month driving ban reduced to 2 months, after having successfully argued that it was inconceivable that his TV character Alan Partridge be seen on public transport. I have received several fines for driving above the speed limit, but never in built-up areas. There is no points system in the […]
Falling Out Of Love With Facebook
Reading Time: 3 minutes It has taken me just over two years to find out the limitations of Facebook for the sharing of personal viewpoints. The social media giant has become submerged with unsubtle memes, links to mainstream media news articles that have not been read before sharing, and certainly not read before being commenting on. Facebook has become […]