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Roy, who described himself as a politically right-leaning former member of the VVD, wrote that he no longer knew who to vote for. He excluded a populist party on the right and even mentioned considering PRO, although that didn't make economic sense and wasn't logical for him personally. According to him, the party members were at least honest and human. Roy wrote that he had previously found Jesse Klaver weak and unconvincing, but that he now made a different impression: Klaver was, in his opinion, substantively strong and seemed to be developing leadership qualities. Roy also stated that Mark Rutte had called for people to look out for one another upon his departure, while the VVD under Dilan Yesilgöz did the opposite according to him. Yesilgöz, according to Roy, had ruined much for her party, although he found her good on Defense and previously on Justice and Security. According to Roy, PRO was precisely a party that paid attention to others. As an example, he mentioned the Self-Podcast by Sander Schimmelpenninck and Jaap Reesema featuring Lisa Westerveld. He claimed Westerveld dedicated herself day and night to underprivileged Dutch citizens. In the podcast, he also heard how demotivating work in the House of Representatives could be: requested debates from Westerveld sometimes did not make it to the agenda, while the right-wing majority preferred to debate asylum again. When a topic made the news, politicians were, in his opinion, always at the front. Roy wrote that the world would be a better place with more people like Westerveld. #politiek #VVD #Nederland (translated)

Maurits Vande Reyde wrote that the plan was, in his opinion, excessive even by Flemish political standards. He stated that parties that would continue with it would be held politically accountable sooner or later, and he thought that was justified. #VlaamsePolitiek #Politiek #België (translated)

Mona Keijzer wrote that words have always mattered and that the cabinet could not even come to an agreement on the terms to be used, according to her. She stated that a lot was at stake and referred to a NU.nl report about disagreement between Berendsen and Yesilgöz regarding naming Russia as an "enemy." #woensdag #politiek #woorden (translated)

Mariba criticized Dilan Yeşilgöz after she claimed that Russia had been declared an enemy of the Netherlands. According to Mariba, Yeşilgöz stated that the Netherlands was not at war, but that a carefree peace was also not in sight. Mariba wrote that the Russian consulate had asked the Dutch government to confirm or distance itself from the statements. She believed it should be made clear whether this was about official policy, a political warning, or political rhetoric. According to Mariba, designating an enemy was not a strategy and threatening language could escalate tensions. She argued that the consequences of such statements ultimately affected civilians and urged the government to explain what the policy and risks were and how it intended to ensure security. She criticized the VVD and argued that politicians should think first before declaring an entire country an enemy. #Nederland #politiek #veiligheid (translated)

Rob Roos wrote that Dutch officials, in his opinion, were careless with their words. He referred to Prime Minister Jetten, who had said that opponents would be dealt with harshly. A day later, Jetten referred to that as a slip of the tongue according to Roos, saying that it was not meant literally and did not constitute a call to violence. Roos also cited Minister Yeşilgöz's statement in the House on October 8 that Russia was no longer the aggressor, but "our enemy." According to him, Yeşilgöz simultaneously stated that the Netherlands was not at war and that policy would not change. Roos called both statements careless but made a distinction between Jetten's metaphor at a party congress and Yeşilgöz's qualification of a nuclear power. He wrote that the word "enemy" was not a declaration of war, which would require approval from the States General, but that a minister spoke on behalf of the cabinet in their own domain as long as no distance was taken from it. According to Roos, Moscow had already asked whether the qualification was the official position. He found a debate appropriate regarding whether the cabinet distanced itself from that. https://t.co/D4nlpMtjp9 #Politiek #Nederland #Communicatie (translated)

Fleur Agema wrote that the statements made by Dilan Yesilgöz were primarily intended to secure an additional 19.5 billion euros for the defense budget. According to Agema, Yesilgöz thereby applied pressure on the negotiations regarding the national budget and the 20 billion euros that the VVD deemed necessary: 5 billion euros from tax increases and 15 billion euros from healthcare and social security. #Defensie #Rijksbegroting #Belastingverhoging (translated)

Caroline van der Plas wrote that she was almost home, but still had to drive 150 kilometers back to DH and then 150 kilometers to Deventer. According to her, dozens of Members of Parliament traveled thousands of kilometers that evening for one motion that she believed was not within the order of the debate. #politiek #Nederland #reizen (translated)

Martijntje Smits wrote that she found the reaction understandable. She stated that Yesilgöz's words were not descriptive, but performative and that, according to her, they made Dutch citizens less safe instead of providing them with security, as Smits described Yesilgöz's role as Minister of Defence. Smits believed that Yesilgöz should resign. #veiligheid #politiek #aftreden (translated)

Pepijn van Houwelingen wrote that on that day there were harsh words in the Volkskrant about Prime Minister Jetten. He stated that Jetten had provided demonstrably incorrect information to the House in response to his parliamentary questions. Van Houwelingen referred to descriptions such as "with his fingers in the door" and negligent, as well as the qualification that Jetten was very stupid. https://t.co/Jc9bGgjUjI #Politiek #Kamerleden #Jetten (translated)

Forum for Democracy stated that workers were being burdened more heavily, the budget deficit was rising, and interest charges were increasing, while the Minister of Finance in Bangkok was telling other countries how they should keep their budgets in order. The party said it preferred to see concrete measures rather than words, so that the Dutch would have more to spend again. #Financiën #Begroting #Economie (translated)

"NATO has already called for calm, which is wise. Look: the rhetoric is intensifying in the Kremlin, but there is no plan to block Kaliningrad at all. So the threats are part of the broader Russian strategy to undermine support for Ukraine in Europe. We must not be swept along. These texts are a form of propaganda. But they achieve no results; here in Lithuania, there is no great debate about it. We have seen this before." "Those big words about the use of nuclear weapons are mainly aimed at undermining European support for Ukraine," Budrys says in conversation with this site. #Litouwen #RussischeDreiging #Afschrikking (translated)

The author expressed irritation with the speaker in the shared video and used a derogatory term for that. He wrote that he thought the speaker spoke excessively long and incoherently, that those involved were busy with various things, and that everything would be fine. The author found it tiring. #vandaaginside https://t.co/wxLOjoILMc #woordenbrij #vermoeid #vandaaginside (translated)

Keren Hirsch wrote to Shermin Amiri that she was Jewish and lived in the country and city she was writing about. She said that she only felt fear, anger, pain, and sadness. While the event was taking place, she commemorated the victims at a heavily guarded, secret location. According to Hirsch, others could do that publicly, while she had to remember them in secret. #Joods #Herdenken #Angst (translated)

Eppo Tjuchem wrote that senior activist Wim Velema reacted unfavorably to his camera before a Gaza sit-in at Groningen Station and threatened to call the police. Tjuchem stated that Groningen activists protested loudly three years after the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, but, according to him, showed no sympathy for the victims. He also wrote that they threatened reporters with police involvement and wanted to drive the press away while asserting their right to protest. #Groningen #7oktober #Groningen #vrijheidvanmeningsuiting #demonstratie (translated)