Tag Archives: Dutch politics
What on Earth is DUO? Posted by Sten on Jun 4, 2021
If you moved to the Netherlands, there’s a good chance you had to deal with a Dutch institution called DUO. Short for Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs (“Service Execution Education”), this agency is responsible to execute the education policy of the Dutch government. But why do you have to deal with them, and what do they want from…
The Controversy Over The Dutch Health Council Posted by Sten on Apr 21, 2021
Normally, you don’t hear much about it, yet it directly influences the beleid (policy) of the Dutch government. These past weeks, it made headlines, however, as it made some controversial advies (advice). I’m talking about the Gezondheidsraad (health council). Let’s talk about that council. How did it come to be, who’s part of it, and what is its influence…
How 4 Words Caused a Political Crisis in the Netherlands Posted by Sten on Apr 5, 2021
The past two weeks, the Netherlands was in de ban van (under the spell) of the ominous words “Positie Omtzigt, functie elders” (position Omtzigt, job elsewhere). Who is Omtzigt, where do these words come from and what does this all mean? Here’s how these four words caused a political crisis in the Netherlands. Who are the verkenners? Before we…
How The Dutch Elections Work Posted by Sten on Mar 15, 2021
On Wednesday, it’s time for new elections in the Netherlands! With 37 parties and hundreds of electable people, choosing a party and a person in that party can be daunting. So how do the Dutch make that choice? How does the Dutch voting system work? The Dutch have what’s called a parlementaire democratie (parliamentary democracy) with a meerpartijenstelsel…
How Women Fought For Suffrage in the Netherlands Posted by Sten on Mar 8, 2021
It’s Internationale Vrouwendag (International Women’s Day) today! With the theme #ChooseToChallenge, this year’s Day emphasizes individual thinking and actions. And so I want to look at women’s suffrage in the Netherlands in this post, with at the helm Aletta Jacobs, one of the most famous political figures in the country. However, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine……
3 Ways The Dutch State Is Becoming More Inclusive Posted by Sten on Feb 25, 2021
Let’s talk about inclusivity. Not only regarding genders, and I don’t mean the discussion on what’s de and what’s het, we’ve done that before. No, today I want to talk about how the 2017 regeerakkoord (coalition agreement) noted the intention of the Dutch government to reduce the identification of gender where possible and making the state more inclusive, by…
Three Dutch Words The Avondklok (Curfew) Made Relevant Posted by Sten on Jan 25, 2021
Like many other countries, the Netherlands introduced an avondklok (curfew) to reduce the incidence of COVID cases. The rule that entered into force on Saturday prohibits people from going outside between 21:00 (9 pm) and 4:30 (4:30 am). Some of the Dutch didn’t like that. From ways to omzeilen (circumvent) the avondklok to rellen (riots), a lot has happened in…