According to the former PvdA politician, the tightening of the debate is an “all-time” phenomenon, and therefore he dares to say that the tone in 2022 will not be much different from 2002. “It is no worse than twenty years ago” , she says. “I think my mother was already annoyed by the language used at the time, and by the way gentlemen looked at Den Uyl’s time, and also in the years that followed.”
Emphasize that things “just change.” “My predecessors counted the number of cylinders to see if there was quorum to start the meeting,” Verbeet continues. ‘Things change, and it has always been true that if there is an atmosphere of crisis in society – for whatever reason, as in the 1930s – then you also see that enthusiasm in the House increases. You can see it now with the crises we have.’
Valve or firelighter?
According to Verbeet, the Chamber can therefore be seen as “the valve of society”. “Although at the moment she sometimes takes on the role of a fire starter,” he continues. “And I don’t like that. But that was already the case before the Second World War. Grandma says so.’
However, he has to admit that in 2023 politicians are more often subjected to targeted threats and Verbeet can point to a clear reason for this: social media. “I think it has to do with how easily people can threaten each other anonymously and covertly,” she continues. ‘Or look at the way MPs interact with each other, when it comes to saying nasty things. Or the things told to reporters. I think there’s a difference between being able to physically look someone in the eye when you say something or just sending a tweet with an annoying comment.’
In person
Verbeet then denounces the message such tweets contain, because they often concern personal topics. “I think members of the House of Representatives should solve the country’s problems together,” Verbeet says. “You’re not sitting there for yourself, you’re sitting there for us.”
For this reason, he advises MPs to stop using social media. She never started it herself. “I had Hyves once, but it was such a hassle to get rid of that I never started using it again.”
Solution?
There is no clear answer to the problem surrounding social media, although Verbeet thinks one can use the words of narrator Willem de Ridder, who passed away last weekend. “He’s helped me a lot in the past,” recalls Verbeet. ‘I was once in charge of empowerment for upper secondary vocational education, because more women had to occupy management positions, and then he once told me that the problems he works hard on just keep getting bigger.’
And with that he has hit the nail on social media, concludes Verbeet. “If you don’t pay attention to it, I don’t think it will get bigger. You should make good deals with each other and keep it as small as possible. Drawing the void, as I call it».