Is there something going on in television land? Elections are imminent next week, but those who were in front of the TV on Tuesday got almost nothing from it. No regrets Mark Rutte. No debate with national party leaders. And not even polls.
There were, however, the heartbreaking stories of Ukrainian refugees. Like with talk show m, where the Dutch Maurits sat with his mother-in-law, who had been picked up from Ukraine, who wanted to tell us about her flight. But in Ukrainian, because she no longer speaks Russian. A translation of the emotion-soaked words was not necessary to feel how a life can change in a week.
There was also a portion of daily fuss. Surprisingly enough at RTL Z, because Minister Sigrid Kaag was not present at the question time in the House of Representatives, but wanted to talk about the decline in purchasing power at the stock exchange. Jokingly, MPs wrote on Twitter that they wanted to dial in to RTL Z† A kind of dualism through modern channels.
And of course, on International Women’s Day, the football men met VI Today to expectations. Johan Derksen could casually announce table guest Stella Bergsma as “the most annoying woman in the Netherlands” to compliment her breasts within five minutes. A dubious way to show solidarity with women on this day.
But if you didn’t want all that. And thought: good heavens, the municipal elections, what should I vote for? Then national television brought little solace.
Alone PowNed came up with a daily program for the elections: The Hofkar, with a local politician getting on the bus at Rutger Castricum every day. A simple format that is surprisingly informative.
But what can you choose if, for example, you have to vote in the Northern Netherlands, the work area of the undersigned? Fortunately, there are also the regional broadcasters that should not be underestimated. With every day focus on a different municipality.
Nice chat
The Groningen RTV North was there from ten o’clock in the morning with a broadcast about the municipality of Het Hogeland. only is Radio North Voting Point unfortunately no more than a radio program with live images on television. A lot of pleasant chatter, interrupted by spicy criticism from a resident of the municipality for speeding cars and too large buses on the road. Then Ukraine seems just as far away.
Only eight (!) minutes of political debate in a three-hour broadcast is very meager. Even for the problems in Winsum and surroundings.
In Drenthe they took a different approach with a really old-fashioned election debate about the municipality of Tynaarlo. Eight out of ten parties came to debate at RTV Drenthe† Only the two newcomers Tynaarlo.Nu and Hart voor Vrijdag did not show up, because they felt that they would get too little speaking time in the 45-minute broadcast. Perhaps they thought they would win more votes without speaking time than with.
Even if it is not your municipality, after the debate, an opinion about a new transferium with two hundred parking spaces at De Punt and the possible arrival of two new supermarkets in Zuidlaren was quickly formed.
Alone Omrop Friesland abandoned local democracy and presented only an online article about the municipality of Smallingerland. And then as a voter you are forced to watch national television again, where the debate usually gets bogged down in bickering about national topics. So let all regional broadcasters follow the example of RTV Drenthe so that they take themselves, local democracy and their supporters seriously.
This column will be written by various authors until April 25.