Scouts selected by BBB are all non-members: ‘They must be neutral’ | Politics

Yesterday and today the names of more and more scouts trickled in – the BBB thinks that’s a better title than the more formal ‘informateur’. No name has yet been announced in Flevoland and Limburg .

What is striking: the eleven scouts (in Overijssel it is a duo) who can already get started, come from outside the BBB. For example, VVD heavyweights were appointed in South and North Holland with Fred Teeven and Ankie Broekers-Knol. Teeven was State Secretary and member of the House of Representatives, Broekers-Knol was not only State Secretary, but also Chairman of the Senate for six years.

It is certainly not forbidden to appoint an informer or scout from outside one’s own party. Nevertheless, the choice often falls on someone from their own ranks. For example, the two most recent prime ministers of our country, Jan-Peter Balkenende (CDA) and Mark Rutte (VVD), always appointed at least one party member as the first scout when forming their cabinets. In the last elections, for example, they were VVD celebrity Annemarie Jorritsma and Kajsa Ollongren of D66, the second party in terms of number of seats.

Forum for Democracy. the surprising winner of the provincial elections four years ago, also opted for an external informant in a number of provinces in which it became the largest. For example, VVD mastodon Hans Wiegel was allowed to work in South Holland.

The BBB therefore also looks beyond its own kitchen. In North Holland, the choice for Broekers-Knol was made in consultation with the national party leadership, BBB party leader Ingrid de Sain said from that province. The fact that a VVD member has been appointed instead of someone from their own party is good, she thinks: “A scout must be neutral, it is a conscious choice.”

In Drenthe, Astrid Nienhuis, VVD mayor in Heemstede, was considered the most suitable candidate. That is surprising: it is more than 200 kilometers for Nienhuis to reach the provincial house in Assen. Gert-Jan Schuinder, party leader of BBB Drenthe, opposes it Newspaper of the North that Nienhuis had been appointed by the national party leadership. According to him, the choice for someone from far outside Drenthe was not conscious. “It was just the best match.”

The mayor of Oudewater, Danny de Vries of the CDA, then becomes the scout in Utrecht. With this choice, the BBB wants to ‘build a bridge between the countryside and the city’, said party leader Anton Verleun. De Vries was born in Amsterdam and a former journalist, but manages a rural municipality. Friesland opted for Chris Stoffer of the SGP, someone who, according to the provincial BBB, ‘stands above the parties’ and ‘is independent’.

Henk Vermeer, official secretary of BBB, confirms that his party deliberately chose non-members as scouts. In preparation for the elections, a list was drawn up of ‘independent people with administrative experience’, says Vermeer. “Fortunately, we have taken every scenario into account and made the pool of people large enough, so that we hardly had to switch extra in recent days.”

In Gelderland, Noord-Brabant, Overijssel and Zeeland, BBB literally ended up with partyless politicians in the search for independent candidates. In Gelderland, for example, Gert Jan van Noort, someone who was active for a long time in the local politics of Harderwijk, is allowed to steer the conversations in the right direction. In North Brabant it will be Sacha Ausems, the non-party mayor of Waalwijk. Zeeland goes for Gerard Rabelink, a non-partisan former mayor who, to begin with, ‘will mainly listen’. in Overijssel appointed a duo: Wout Wagenmans, former alderman of Raalte on behalf of Municipal Interests, and management and organizational consultant Jolanda Waaijer.

In Groningen, an at first sight striking scout was selected. Ard van der Tuuk, mayor of Westerkwartier and member of the PvdA, can try it there. Last year, Van der Tuuk had to deal with miscreants in Westerkwartier who dumped waste on highways during the farmers’ protests. He then spoke out strongly against this, although he did not fail to sympathize with the farmers’ concerns. “Farmers, make it clear that there are limits. We feel the broad sympathy, but be careful that people do not hijack the actions.”

The scouts will have the first talks next week. That won’t be easy for many provinces. The nitrogen approach in particular is a hot topic. BBB wants scouts to quickly find out which themes are sensitive to various parties. They must also warm up other parties to the idea of ​​re-examining the coalition agreements after two years.

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