They want to vote in new elections, but what? That will be ‘a whole puzzle’, they say in Nijeveen in Drenthe

Farmer’s sense back in this country ‘is on a large banner that hangs in front of the roundabout near the Drenthe village of Nijeveen. Those who enter the village cannot miss it. In Nijeveen, the Schalle Village House in the Lower House elections in 2023 went to PVV (322), BBB (263), VVD (186) and NSC (178). Exactly the parties that together formed a cabinet, until the PVV got out there on Tuesday morning.

The home crisis, poverty, certainty for the farmers – for the fish stall in the village of Ben Kruithof (69) on Tuesday afternoon the themes that he had hoped would do more to it. « But that didn’t work. »

He does not like to deal with politics. « They scolded each other out of the tent and have no respect for each other anymore. » Politicians also set the wrong example, thinks his wife Anneke, who works in the fish stall. « It is not an example for the people, how they treat each other. If they make each other out for rotten fish, I think: do just a little lower, » she says as she fillets the fish. Ben: « If it’s not right there, you don’t have to expect people in the country to treat each other well. »

Nothing is being tackled, nothing solved. People still live in a broken house in Groningen

A little further on, Christian (39) is weeding in his front garden. « Farmer’s sense, that’s not dicks but brushing, getting a little bit, getting things done, no craziness. But that doesn’t mean everyone votes BBB here. »

The entrepreneur does not want his last name in the newspaper. « I think I am one of the people who is disappointed in politics. I do not feel that steps are being taken. The decisiveness is missing. Nothing is being tackled, nothing is being resolved. People still live in a broken house in Groningen. The recovery of the allowance affair is not successful. Nitrogen is also a mockery. »

‘Not stable’

He found the cabinet « from day one not stable » and misses the connection in politics. « BBB and PVV are parties with one point for one target group. But it is about the whole country. The story of NSC was beautiful, but you don’t help it much now. NSC and BBB have quickly grown up and are now collapsing again. How many times have we seen that? » He wants to vote in new elections. But what? That will be ‘a whole puzzle’.

In Dorpshuis De Schalle, where the ballot boxes were standing for the House of Representatives a year and a half ago, Hans van Velzen (77) and Jaap Dunnik (84) were billiards. No surprise, the two friends find the fall of the cabinet. « I follow the news well and this was coming, » says Van Velzen.

He is ‘disappointed’, in the cabinet. « I thought it was a breath of fresh air, after all those years under Mark Rutte I was curious what would happen to these parties in power. But nothing ended up. They did not take any decisions, nothing has changed. »

And that while there is enough that politics should do something about, Van Velzen thinks. « I miss results. Recently there was bickering again about pensions. Then the new pension system will be postponed another year. » Or the housing market: « My grandson had to wait eight years for a social rental home. »

Politicians promise everything to draw votes, says Dunnik. « But nothing comes of that. » Two years ago he voted BBB. But he doesn’t do that again. « It doesn’t work with the right -wing parties, there is far too much struggle. The same parties should not try again. I hope there will be a left -wing movement. »

Van Velzen does not agree with that. He voted for the previous elections NSC, but now doubts whether he will vote in new elections. « Since I was eighteen, I have voted for every election that was there, whether for the water boards or the House of Representatives. I have never skipped an election. I am now not thinking about it for the first time. In the end I will probably do it. Only on which party? »

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