During the campaign for the Provincial Council elections, the arrows are all aimed at D66, or as D66 party leader Jan Paternotte puts it: “D66-bashing”. According to him it is ‘popular’ to ‘repropose’ against his party. “D66 is a middle squad, so it’s easy to aim your arrows at them from both the left and right sides.”
However, he also notes that there is very negative sentiment among some groups towards leader Sigrid Kaag’s party. “You certainly see it on the extreme ends of the political spectrum.” According to Paternotte, this has to do with the fact that D66 is “leading the way” on some topics. He also refers to previous events, such as the Euthanasia Act, the opening of marriage to non-heterosexual couples and the raising of the state retirement age. ‘We always reject the first party that proposes it. This too has caused a lot of reactions and doesn’t make you immediately popular.’
That’s why Paternotte says D66’s “bashing” is something of “all time”. “You also have to say yes if you want to solve the problems. It’s very easy to walk away from it, as many parties do, but that doesn’t solve anything.’ Yet this one-sided policy has attracted much criticism. For example, Paternotte points to Kaag, who has seen angry people pass by with torches on several occasions. “Today it has also become clear that many women in politics have to deal with sexism and threats. This is very bad.’
Source: BNR
Fernando Dowling is an author and political journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. He has a deep understanding of the political landscape and a passion for analyzing the latest political trends and news.
