Gordon Darroch

The Wouter Koolmees Is Watching You Edition - Week 40 - 2025 The election campaign gets off to an ominous start as Amsterdam puts up billboards with an American accent and Geert Wilders goes rage-canvassing on Twitter. The government bows to pressure to allow a

Apologies for the late posting of this week's @dutchnewsnl.bsky.social podcast due to scheduling clashes. Plenty to talk about including the election campaign, medical evacuations from Gaza and how much capital you'll need for Karl Marx's former retreat. soundcloud.com/dutchnewsnl/...

No, I just missed putting it up for the week in between, and this week's is delayed.

"The Netherlands has stood still for 15 years," says Rob Jetten - DutchNews.nl The Liberal Democratic party D66 is set to make gains in the general election at the end of this month. Its leader Rob Jetten spoke to Dutch News about the hardening attitudes in politics, the housing...

Rob Jetten's office was targeted by far-right hooligans during riots in The Hague two weeks ago, but the D66 leader says political paralysis is stoking anxiety and distrust in the system. My interview for @dutchnewsnl.bsky.social : www.dutchnews.nl/2025/10/rob-...

This is how the Dutch national press agency ANP labels photographs of snarling far-right thugs waving Nazi-era flags on its website.

We have a serious problem.

In The Hague, arsonists debate how to contain a bush fire Photo by Sydney Oats via Flickr The word that kept coming up in last week’s debate on the riots in The Hague was veenbrand – a peat fire. Violent clashes outside council offices and asylum seekers’…

Blog on the recent far-right riots in The Hague: "When Geert Wilders speaks, he speaks to the hooligans, and the hooligans listen and applaud."
wordsforpress.wordpress.com/2025/09/30/i...

Big "Eastern bloc dictator" vibes here.

In The Hague, arsonists debate how to contain a bush fire Photo by Sydney Oats via Flickr The word that kept coming up in last week’s debate on the riots in The Hague was veenbrand – a peat fire. Violent clashes outside council offices and asylum seekers’…

A peat fire burns on hard dry ground and spreads on a raging wind. Wilders has spent 25 years hollowing out the political debate, poisoning the soil and starving it of nutrients, leaving it as dry and combustible as matchwood. wordsforpress.wordpress.com/2025/09/30/i...

And because a clutch of parties have adopted this position, it's going to be unavoidable in the election debates. Which means that when other parties try to talk about housing, the discussion will end up gravitating towards immigration. Exactly the strategy that enabled Wilders to win in 2023.

Het Kieskompas laat zien: de rechtse partijen worden rechtser én radicaler Uit het nieuwe Kieskompas blijkt: voor het eerst in jaren meldt het CDA zich weer in het politieke midden. Op rechts vindt radicalisering plaats.

Dutch elections: how right-wing parties have radicalised. Four years ago the statement "the solution to the housing shortage is restricting migration rather than building more houses" was the preserve of the lunatic fringe. Now it's mainstream.
www.trouw.nl/politiek/het...

“Drone” that forced Schiphol runway closure was probably balloon - DutchNews.nl A suspected drone that caused a runway at Schiphol airport to be closed for 45 minutes was probably a balloon, border police have said. Air traffic was diverted away from the Polderbaan shortly after ...

So that's why they have those "no balloons" signs at Schiphol train station.

www.dutchnews.nl/2025/09/dron...

Cabinet to make 10 years the new residency standard to go Dutch - DutchNews.nl With just a month to go before the general election, the caretaker Dutch cabinet is to press ahead with extending the minimum period of legal residence to obtain Dutch nationality through naturalisati...

The Dutch government is planning to extend the naturalisation period – the time someone has to live in the Netherlands before qualifying for citizenship – from five years to 10. www.dutchnews.nl/2025/09/dutc...

Post by Geert Wilders: "Fantastic news and proof that – non-violent – resistance works! Now for the rest of the AZCs [refugee accommodation facilities] in the Netherlands!" Quotes headline from NOS: "Two AZC locations in Amersfoort provisionally withdrawn."

Headline from Hart van Nederland: "Suspect arrested for threatening mayor of Amersfoort over AZC." Opening paragraph: "Police have arrested a suspect for threatening the mayor of Amersfoort. The 35-year-old resident of Amersfoort is alleged to have made telephone threats to mayor [Lucas] Bolsius last Thursday because of the possible location of a new asylum seekers' centre in the Vathorst area of Amersfoort.“

Wilders hails the decision to scrap plans for two asylum seekers' centres in Amersfoort a triumph for "non-violent resistance".
Three days earlier a man was arrested for making telephone threats to the town's mayor.

Bonus episode: The main parties contesting the 2025 election (Part 1) | DutchNews Get more from DutchNews on Patreon

With less than five weeks to go till polling day, we've made a start on our guide to the 15 parties (yes, fifteen) with a chance of winning seats in the Dutch parliament. This week: the PVV, Forum voor Democratie and JA21. Exclusive to Patreon subscribers. www.patreon.com/posts/bonus-...

The What The Hell Els Could Go Wrong Edition - Week 39 - 2025 The eruption of far-right violence in The Hague destroys the fragile hopes of a civil, constructive election campaign. Housing minister Mona Keijzer keeps Marjolein Faber's legacy alive by ploughing o

On this week's @dutchnewsnl.bsky.social podcast: How a right-wing protest in The Hague sparked riots and a vicious debate; plans to deny refugees priority access to housing are criticised by the Council of State; and 42 smuggled puffins are hatched at Blijdorp zoo. soundcloud.com/dutchnewsnl/...

At least it's not English or Arabic.

62 jaar illegaal hier, maar nu moet meneer Aksas toch écht Nederland verlaten Terugkeer: Brahim Aksas woont al 62 jaar zonder verblijfspapieren in Nederland. Al bijna tien jaar probeert de overheid hem weg te krijgen – zal het dit keer lukken?

Here, for example, is the story of 73-year-old Brahmin Aksas, who lived illegally in the Netherlands for 62 years until he was deported to Morocco in June. (He says he's from Algeria, but that couldn't be verified).
ID cards were introduced in NL by the Nazis in 1940. www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2025/...

Starmer claims digital ID cards will be an ‘enormous opportunity’ - but critics say they won’t stop Channel migrants | LBC The Prime Minister was initially sceptical of digital IDs, but has been convinced by senior government figures and world leaders, including President Macron.

It's weird that British people are so terrified of ID cards.
It's also weird that some politicians act as if they'll magically fix problems with people working in the shadow economy.
It won't. If anything, it'll make them more vulnerable. www.lbc.co.uk/article/digi...

ME voert charges uit bij rellen in Doetinchem Opnieuw rellen bij het gemeentehuis in Doetinchem. Daar besloot donderdagavond de gemeenteraad dat er een tijdelijke azc-locatie komt die de aankomende drie jaar zo'n honderd asielzoekers moet herberg...

More riots against asylum seekers' centres in the Netherlands, this time in Doetinchem. Police make seven arrests as rioters throw stones and let off fireworks. www.gld.nl/nieuws/83707...

More refugee centre riots as MPs debate right wing extremism - DutchNews.nl Riot police were drafted in to restore order after a demonstration outside a refugee centre in Hoofddorp near Amsterdam turned violent on Wednesday evening. In total, seven people were arrested. Troub...

Far-right protesters clashed with police outside an asylum seekers' centre in Hoofddorp last night, throwing stones and fireworks and burning a Quran.
Today the Dutch parliament is debating the riots in The Hague at the weekend.
Elections on October 29.
www.dutchnews.nl/2025/09/more...

Dick the fixer: The Herculean task that could salvage Schoof’s reputation Official portrait ofDick Schoof. Photo: Martijn Beekman/rijksoverheid.nl The loneliest man in The Hague last week was Dick Schoof. In what should have been the showpiece debate of the political yea…

Blog: Dick the fixer. Does the much-maligned prime minister have the political skills to broker a deal on nitrogen emissions? wordsforpress.wordpress.com/2025/09/22/d...

Politicians on the right insisted the riots had nothing to do with politics, but in the words of one banner, it was a day when football hooligans suspended their club rivalries and fought with stones and fireworks to “save the Netherlands” from immigration.

The Three Vodka Scheveningen Challenge Edition - Week 38 - 2025 Prinsjesdag is usually a day to delight fashion fans and financial nerds, but this year's edition fell short on both fronts as the parties got stuck into the election campaign. Train strikes are calle

This week's @dutchnewsnl.bsky.social podcast: the budget debate is completely eclipsed by the election campaign, a pay deal puts an end to train strikes, and science has proven that speaking Dutch is easier after you've had a few drinks. soundcloud.com/dutchnewsnl/...

Cel en tbs geëist tegen man die kwetsbare jongen gebruikte als 'seksslaaf' Volgens het OM werd de jongen misbruikt door oudere mannen, maar ook door zijn 'pleegvader' zelf.

We hebben het vaak in de laatste tijd over de nachtmerrie van iedere ouder. Dit is het ook: een 60-jarige man die contact maakt met een jongetje via computerspelletjes en hem 10 jaar lang uitbuit als seksslaaf.
En ja, het gaat om een vluchteling. In dit geval: de slachtoffer.
nos.nl/artikel/2582...

The Dutch election: why Gaza matters this time The Dutch general election campaign of 2023 coincided with the terrorist attacks by Hamas on October 7 and the start of Israel’s siege of Gaza. Back then there was a loose consensus among the main …

Blog on how the Gaza debate is influencing the Dutch election campaign, even though it's not a direct vote winner. wordsforpress.wordpress.com/2025/09/12/t...

Special episode: The Bluffer's Guide To Dutch Politics | DutchNews Get more from DutchNews on Patreon

Seven weeks to go until Dutch election day seems like a good time to reissue this special podcast episode explaining how voting and government formation works: a simple system that produces fiendishly complicated results. ($3 one-off payment). www.patreon.com/posts/specia...

Willem II'er Bamba na racisme Cambuur-aanhang: 'Wij spelers zijn hier klaar mee' Fans van de thuisploeg maakten 'apengeluiden' toen hij een kwartier voor tijd werd gewisseld.

Willem II winger Samuel Bamba was subjected to monkey chants by Cambuur Leeuwarden supporters during his first match for the club at the weekend. He thanked his friend and fellow German, Tony Rölke of Cambuur, for going over to the home fans with him after the game. nos.nl/artikel/2581...

Geert Wilders' PVV are still top with 19-22%, but none of the next four parties is prepared to form a government with them.
The right-wing liberal VVD continue to plunge, now on 9-11%. Progressive liberal D66 set for modest gains (6.5%-7.6%) Farmers' party BBB drop to 2.6-3.8%; NSC facing wipeout.

Laatste Peilingwijzer – Peilingwijzer De Peilingwijzer combineert de Tweede Kamerpeilingen van Ipsos I&O & Verian/EenVandaag

Latest Dutch opinion polls have the Christian Democrats (CDA) almost level with the centre-left Green-Labour alliance (GL-PvdA). The CDA have the momentum, coming back from 3% of the vote at the last election to 14-16% now, with GL-PvdA on 15-17%. peilingwijzer.tomlouwerse.nl

Aukje de Vries (second left, in the blue dress) of the VVD will be deputy foreign trade minister. Best known for taking the oath in Frisian last time she was in cabinet. She'll have to decide – probably quite soon – whether the Netherlands imposes sanctions on Israel. So no honeymoon period for her.

David van Weel (VVD) is moving from justice to the foreign affairs ministry to replace Caspar Veldkamp, whose resignation led to NSC quitting the cabinet. Foort van Oosten takes over as justice minister, just six months after being inaugurated as mayor of Nissewaard (pop. 85,000).