She has been in the House of Representatives since May. “I like it very much, because I think it is very important that people from the region, such as Drenthe, are in the House of Representatives.” The House currently has two Drenthes. In addition to Vedder, this is VVD member Mark Strolenberg from Hoogeveen. “That’s way too little!”
She is certainly not new to politics. Before her time in the House of Representatives, she had been in provincial politics since 2019. The big difference between the two organs is the hardening. “Working constructively with each other is very common in Drenthe. In The Hague you really have to work hard to achieve that.”
In that respect she does miss her time in the Provincial Council. If the parties agree with each other, you can work together. “It’s the most normal thing in the world and that’s how it should be.” Except in The Hague. There she finds that there is a whole layer of polarization and mores in between. The divisive coalition against opposition is also played harder. “That’s killing my brother myself. I’m trying to work my way through it.”
What she needs to think about more is what she has missed in the Provincial Council, and what is available in the House of Representatives. “Pooh.” She looks at her cows, which have now flocked to her en masse. “Sometimes in the States you want to realize things, but it is not possible because it is not your responsibility. You need the House of Representatives for that.” It gives her satisfaction that she can fulfill that “bridging function”.
There is a good chance that Vedder will return to the House of Representatives after the elections. She is in second place on the election list for the CDA.
Besides the fact that she likes it, she also misses something in The Hague, which Ruinerwold does have. “I really miss the sense of community in The Hague, the feeling of having a community, living near a village. I really love that. It is a challenge to find that feeling in The Hague.” And she sometimes misses the cows there. At the same time, there is also an agreement between Ruinerwold and The Hague. “We also have those black and white animals. They are seagulls. They are also quite nice. But the cows are my darlings. And my husband and my children are also quite sweet.”