Watching The Hague developments

After the last general election in the Netherlands, I was curious to see what would happen. It wasn't easy to see how with the votes going the way they had gone, you could build a coalition. And it turned out that indeed, it wasn't easy. I suppose I follow it a bit from the side! I regularly check the NOS website, so I am more or less up-to-date, but I am sure it is a lot more immersive if you actually live in the country.

I wasn't particularly surprised when in the end, there was a sort of agreementthere was a sort of agreement. But then what? Whether it was part of the agreement or something independent of it I'm not sure, but one thing the parties that had come together (PVV, VVD, BBB and NSC; for British readers; compare them to the Reform Party, watered-down Tories, a party for angry farmers, and some brand-new party that still had to prove itself, respectively) had agreed on, was that their party leaders wouldn't be part of government. They would stay in parliament. But who would end up in government then? It would be called an extra-parliamentary cabinet, but that leaves it wide open what that will mean in practice.

I think this is an unprecedented situation. I have never heard of a situation where several parties agree on a coalition, and they just appoint people as ministers who might not have any party affiliation whatsoever. It's weird! And we'll see how it works. Probably not quite how I want it to; anyone appointed into this cabinet would be willing to execute the agreement that is already lying on the table. That is not an agreement I personally like. So it would attract candidate ministers I don't like either. But we'll see!

I was surprise to hear that the first person who was named as a potential Prime Minister was Ronald PlasterkRonald Plasterk. He is Labour! And they weren't in the coalition. I was happy to give him the benefit of the doubt, but he withdrew when some situation with a lucrative patent reared its ugly head. I had been talking to all sorts of people that it was completely unclear what would happen next. And then suddenly there was news again!

We had a new candidate Prime Minister: This time it was Dick SchoofDick Schoof, whom I had never heard of. He turned out to be a very big cheese in intelligence and justice. A lifelong civil servant, but as far as I could tell, indeed with no party affiliation. A blank slate, in that respect.

From the NOS website 

It's a few days later now, and nothing seems to have changed, so I think he still heading for the Prime Minister job. I hope he does a decent job! And then we'll see how long a coalition like that can last… I haven't heard many people who think it is going to manage a full term. I don't think it myself. But time will tell! Let's see how this unprecedented situation pans out. At least it's interesting!