Is it a coincidence that the two most prominent politicians of the moment come from the east of the country? Filmmaker Geertjan Lassche asks the question in part one of his series The land of everyone (EO) to Hendrik-Jan, Yvonne, Klaas, Moat and Gerrianne. They live in the province of Overijssel, just like BBB leader Caroline van der Plas (Deventer) and NSC leader Pieter Omtzigt (Enschede) and Geertjan Lassche himself, by the way, he lives in Rouveen.
Most don’t think it’s a coincidence. These politicians, they say, represent the voice of the province and thus attract votes from the province. Did you see Van der Plas stand up for the man from the province on Monday? Khalid & Sophie? Reporter Mark Terpstra had been on a report in Budel. He followed traffic controller Harm van Leuken (34), who as a volunteer at the Jumbo checks whether nothing is stolen by asylum seekers from the asylum center in the village. The reporter found that “quite intimidating” and a bit racist too. He couldn’t be racist, Terpstra said, because he just got his shawarma, went to a Turkish hairdresser and went on holiday in Turkey. He was laughed at for that in the studio at Khalid & Sophie. And Van der Plas found that “terrible”. She jabbed her finger at the presenters. “You have never been to Budel. You have no idea what is going on in that village or what is going on there.” Harm van Leuken let through Broadcasting Brabant know that he didn’t really mind being a caricatured person. He knew that whole program Khalid & Sophie not. “I was told beforehand that they were quite left-wing.”
In his series, Geertjan Lassche wants to show that voices ‘from the region’ can sound different than is often thought in The Hague or Amsterdam. Woodworker Klaas from Staphorst is guided by the Bible and gets his news from it Reformatorisch Dagblad and votes SGP. He obeys God first, and then the government. And exactly that was not understood at the time when the people in his village still went to church against the corona rules. “Faith is no longer understood.” Klaas has little interest in the Randstad and the “left-wing gang”. But he understands their concerns about the climate well. “Because there is something going on.”
Youth worker Moat from Enschede mixes red cabbage with apples into the mashed potatoes and stew, is a fan of FC Twente and speaks Twente without an accent. Is it strange that he thinks that Dutch people are also interested in him? Hendrik Jan Bökkers was sent to speech therapy at primary school to learn to unlearn his accent, but he didn’t go. He speaks and sings in Low Saxon. “With pride and without shame.”
Dion Graus on Justice
In ‘t Sallands, Caroline van der Plas greeted the voter in the Airtime for political partiescoincidentally just before she was a guest at News hour. The first five minutes of her airtime there were spent on Geert Wilders (PVV), who was her guest the evening before. He had said he was willing to “park” his views on Islam. The question was whether that made him a potential coalition partner. At the same time, Geert Wilders was putting together his ministerial team at SBS6 with the men of VI. He was then Prime Minister, “our Fleur [Agema]” Minister of Care, Dion Graus of Justice, also thought Wilders was a hilarious idea. No, he didn’t have to work very hard at the VI table. Even Stool guest Raymond Mens wanted a coalition with him.
For Van der Plas it ended again with Wilders at Nieuwsuur. That she “with Pieter [Omtzigt]” wants to govern is clear. And which party will be added? “Wilders?” BBB, NSC were already on the whiteboard. “PVV do it,” Arjan Noorlander insisted. She changed tack. One for all, all for one Netherlands and two for Overijssel.