This year was one for the books for the BBB party. During the elections for the Provincial Council and the water boards, many seats were unexpectedly won. Yet the party in Brabant only got a place in the coalition of the Brabantse Delta water board. We look back on the year of the BBB, together with Peter Stehouwer and Jolanda Nooijen. Both sit on behalf of the party on the general board of two Brabant water boards. Stehouwer in the coalition, Nooijen in the opposition.
“I think you can say that 2023 was a BBB year,” says Jolanda Nooijen from Veghel firmly. “I really feel like a farmer and citizen. I think the connection between farmers and citizens is extremely important. And a farmer is also just a citizen, right?”
The arable farmer went viral at the end of last year with a video in which she expressed her frustration about new rules that require arable crops to be harvested earlier. Nooijen now has a seat at the Aa en Maas water board on behalf of the BBB. The party does not govern with that. Water Naturally is the largest party. Nooijen and her BBB colleagues are in the opposition.
Fortunately, the arable farmer sees the advantage of this. “In the coalition you always have to take the group into account. I can now just say what I want and we can’t say stupid things. It can only be constructive. We have a point on the horizon and know where we want to go “, says Nooijen.
“The initiative was ours.”
Brabantse Delta is the only water board in our province where the BBB co-governs. Peter Stehouwer from Zevenbergen is one of the people who has a seat there. “When we became the largest party, the initiative was ours,” he recalls. “We looked at a scout and had discussions with them. Ultimately, a combination emerged with other parties that was not entirely obvious.”
The BBB governs there together with the VVD, West Brabant Waterbreed, Water Natuur and Onbouwd. It seemed like a challenge to reach an agreement on the program, but according to Stehouwer it was done quickly. “We sat down together and looked in advance to see where there were blockages. We discussed that within five minutes. We put those blockages aside. We looked at how we could get through a door together. And that worked out very well. “
“We are going to connect left and right.”
The BBB has also made significant inroads into the Provincial Council in recent years. The BBB is in the coalition in ten of the twelve provinces, but not in Brabant. The coalition negotiations collapsed at the last minute. The stable deadline was the breaking point. Disappointing, says Stehouwer. “It’s a shame that it turned out this way, but there is no other way.”
According to Jolanda Nooijen, 2024 will be even more of a BBB year. “Our ideas will take more shape in the Netherlands and we will connect left and right,” she says.
In the Brabant News Annual Review, presenters Saskia Nelissen and Sven de Laet take you through the most important, striking, moving and funniest news of the past year.
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