Dec 16, 2023 at 6:16 AM Update: 2 hours ago
The coarsening of society and the lack of tolerance disappointed outgoing Deputy Prime Minister Sigrid Kaag during her years in politics in The Hague. Kaag said this on Friday evening radio show With an eye to tomorrow. It was the first personal interview that the D66 politician gave since the fall of the cabinet this summer.
Kaag resigned as party leader and did not make himself available for parliament again during the elections. She has faced many threats and online hatred in recent years.
“When I came back, I never expected that demonization and dehumanization would be the order of the day in politics in a country like the Netherlands,” said Kaag. “That was disappointing to me. And as a human being and citizen, I want to say that no one has had to find that normal.”
She is concerned that “our fellow man is not seen as human unless it suits you. That is the nail in the coffin of a tolerant, inclusive society.” Kaag calls this development “an element of personal disappointment, I did not expect that”. The outgoing Deputy Prime Minister adds that this development “can be seen not only in the Netherlands, but also in other countries in Europe and beyond.”
‘Metal fatigue already in Rutte IV formation’
Kaag also looks back on the formation of the Rutte IV cabinet. She states that there was “metal fatigue between and within the parties from Rutte III.” The same four parties governed together in that cabinet: VVD, D66, CDA and ChristenUnie. “I have always felt that the cabinet was not born under a favorable star,” said the outgoing minister. “It had taken too long, it was very difficult. When I look back, we were almost tired and exhausted before we started the cabinet.”
Shortly after the formation of the cabinet, “the war in Ukraine came to an end” and the Netherlands “suffered with sky-high inflation”, says Kaag. Despite these “major problems”, Rutte IV has been able to do a lot, according to the outgoing minister, “although it has never really come to light”. Kaag has a “naive hope” that people will see what “went right” once the outgoing cabinet has left.
The D66 politician does not yet know what she will do when the new cabinet takes office. She calls it “a wish” to find a job abroad again. “I think I’d like to float again for a while, I’m looking forward to a different form of freedom. I’m looking forward to fulfilling other roles, in life and well-being, with a new passion.”
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Kaag struggled with the decision to quit: ‘Make peace with it now’
2023-12-16 05:16:00
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