‘The PvdA, with hardly any seats, is preparing the coalition agreement’ – De Daily Standaard

According to journalist Wierd Duk, the formation clearly shows that the Netherlands is a so-called lobbycracy. In addition to the elected representatives of the people, we see a multitude of interest groups queuing up at the formation talks. Something that Duk does not see as desirable, certainly not because the formation is led by a party with hardly any seats. The PvdA seems to be in control.


At WNL opinion makers, Duk strongly criticized the formation. According to the critic, it is clear that the Netherlands is a lobbycracy. Because all those interest groups can join unabashedly, it is once again confirmed who is pulling the strings. In fact, nothing has changed in The Hague’s politics, according to Duk:

“What we see is old politics. Someone from the PvdA, a party that hardly has any seats, is in fact preparing a coalition agreement. In addition, she receives all kinds of lobby clubs. The last lobby to join gets the most of it crumbling in the milk. This depoliticization of politics has been going on for decades. It’s really bad.”

Duk rightly criticizes this, he also finds this a gross insult to the Dutch voter. We have expressed our opinion at the ballot box, but in the meantime the interest groups are steering the future cabinet in a certain direction. Something that according to Duk shouldn’t be, the voter determines the direction:

“The Hague had told us citizens that there would not only be a different administrative culture, but also a different way of doing politics. Then you should not start by extensively inviting those lobby clubs to ask what their interests are. We did not choose those lobby clubs.”

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The ‘new leadership’ and ‘new governance culture’ were just a big farce from the two largest parties. We can already see, with all those left-wing lobby clubs that have joined, which way the wind will blow.

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