The debate between GroenLinks party leader Jesse Klaver and his CDA opponent Wopke Hoekstra has turned into a debacle for the new leader of the CDA. Klaver saw through one of the outgoing Minister of Finance’s weakest spots, namely that he has little ready knowledge of facts and figures. Hoekstra had to openly acknowledge this himself at a certain point. “I don’t know all that in detail,” the man who has made a career at the American management and consultancy giant McKinsey told debate leader Jeroen Pauw.
Klaver bitch slaps Hoekstra with the figures from the CDA election program. And Hoekstra is completely stuck.
“I don’t know in detail.”
“Let’s take a look at it later.”
“Good that you know all the numbers.”#Peacock– Leon Boelens (@BoelensL) March 9, 2021
The GroenLinks party leader was not only able to put his own party program in the spotlight, he also turned out to be better informed about the CDA program than Hoekstra.
Klaver who teaches the Minister of Finance about the (minimum wage) figures in his own CDA election program. Pretty painful. #Hoekstra #Peacock
– Stéphane Alonso (@alonsoNRC) March 9, 2021
Good Lord, @WBHoekstra really is no match for that @jesseklaver. Seems like Wopke hasn’t done his research. Jesse is more aware of the plans @david_michael than Wopke himself. Painful. #peacock
— Denise Douven (@DeniseDouven) March 9, 2021
Things went wrong right from the start of the debate when the two men discussed reducing factory farming. Klaver explained how the permanent protection offered by the CDA to the livestock industry stands in the way of solving the housing shortage. Due to the unremitting stream of nitrogen that the industry produces, there is no more space to realize new housing. “The choice is very simple: houses or cows,” Klaver made clear to a hesitant Hoekstra who, in response, turned down a standard mantra about innovation from the industry. Klaver pointed out to him that this promise was already made by the CDA ten years ago, it has turned out to be an empty shell and that there is now a nitrogen crisis that has put the country on hold. Hoekstra did not seem to know the difference between CO2 and nitrogen.
Klaver was clearly out to distinguish himself. He wore a light gray suit with a subtle pattern and a young striped tie that clearly radiated the spring feeling against the standard coalition uniform that Hoekstra wore: a plain blue suit with a white shirt and a plain blue tie, an outfit stripped of every individuality.
Ok Klaver does this with two fingers in his nose and Hoekstra is now sweating (but it is also incredibly hot under those studio lights: his team should come up with something for that, demand a fan or something). #hairdates
– sheila sitalsing (@sheilasitalsing) March 9, 2021
That lack of individuality was also reflected in the answers. Even in the personal questions section which is intended to create some air in the debates and give the candidates the chance to show themselves from a human side by asking each other. Klaver showed a photo of Wopke Hoekstra as president of the Leiden student corps Minerva and asked him what he experienced there that everyone should know. The CDA leader replied with a shudder that he could better keep that to himself and then made a general argument about “falling on your face” and “learning from mistakes”. Even after asking further questions, he did not become concrete.
Hoekstra, in turn, went for the family situation and wanted to know from Klaver what he had learned from his fatherhood. The GroenLinks leader, who has three young children, promptly came up with a personal experience that fits seamlessly with his party’s program for more personal attention: “What surprised me is how different the children are. They are really their own creatures. Every child is different. ”
Then it was about growing income inequality. Klaver pointed out that the CEO of Albert Heijn earns 150 times more than a store employee. Hoekstra started in reaction about the importance of middle incomes, after which Klaver had to correct him again when explaining the minimum wage. Especially painful because Hoekstra, as Minister of Finance, is not about the treasury but also about the wallets of the citizens.
Oops oops oops.
What is running @hoekstra stuck in the discussion about a higher minimum youth wage.
The CDA program promises that.
But according to @jesseklaver no money has been earmarked for this.
Then the tricky questions are from @jesseklaver suddenly: “details”. #peacock #peacock election debates– Peter van Heemst (@petervheemst) March 9, 2021
What a dramatic performance by Hoekstra. And badly bitten by Klaver. #peacock
– Lucas Benschop (@lucasbenschop) March 9, 2021
Finally, Hoekstra pulled the migration ghost out of the closet and made a plea for a stricter refugee policy. He wanted to address Klaver on the fact that GroenLinks had refrained from participating in the coalition in 2017 due to refugee policy. Even that didn’t work. Klaver pointed out in passing that what the cabinet proposed at the time, the so-called reception in third countries, or the return of refugees to, for example, Libyan camps, was never realized because no country wanted to make such agreements.
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