• A new Dutch coalition: but when do we get a government?

    Insiders expect it will be several weeks at least before the next Dutch government poses with king Willem-Alexander on the steps of one of his palaces. So what happens next? Richard van Zwol, one of the two men who led the successful negotiations, will now take over the job of allocating ministeries to the four parties and finding suitable ministers. This job is usually done by the next prime minister, but given the new partners do not yet have one,

  • No coalition breakthrough on Wednesday, negotiators say

    No breakthrough should be expected in the coalition formation talks between the PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB on Wednesday, the negotiation leaders said at the end of Tuesday’s discussions. “No definitive agreement has been reached on any of the 12 big issues,” Richard van Zwol, one of two men steering the talks told reporters, adding that more time is needed on all of them. The deadline for reaching an agreement is just eight days away and “we will have to

  • A dummy’s guide to the Dutch coalition government

    In case you haven’t done your citizenship exams, don’t speak B1 level Dutch and haven’t been in the country for 10 years (all pertinent this week) Dutch News would like to introduce you to the key points, players and problems. On Thursday morning, four parties announced that they have agreed to form a new right-wing, coalition government. For the first time, this contains controversial politician Geert Wilders, whose Partij voor de Vrijheid (PVV) – Party for Freedom – is the

  • Coalition partners "have no common vision": what the papers say

    Bien etonnés de se trouver ensemble, a marriage of convenience however the new coalition is described, the Dutch papers detect little love and much future strife among the partners. The new coalition marks a turning point in Dutch political history, but, apart from the asylum plans, much remains the same. Nevertheless, the finances will leave much to bicker over, the Financieele Dagblad commented. A close read of the agreement shows that many of the policies started by Mark Rutte’s fourth

  • How will the new coalition plans affect you personally?

    The agreement put together by the four coalition parties over the past five months covers 26 pages and is made up of what the new partners say is the headline strategy. Some parts of the document, entitled Hoop, lef en trots (hope, guts, and pride) are thin on facts, others go into fine detail about such items as manure. But what will the government plans mean for you personally? Here’s a list of some of the measures which will affect you

  • A New, Big Crack in Netanyahu’s Governing Coalition

    I wanted to update you on an important development in Israel and the Israel-Hamas war. There have been a few of these blow-ups in the far-right Netanyahu coalition. But they've all gotten hashed out

  • US-led coalition destroys two Houthi UAVs

    The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) reported it repelled one of three uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) belonging to the Yemen-based Houthis. The announcement also noted that a coalition vessel

  • Barrett Firearms in Murfreesboro Endorses 'Gun Owners for Trump' Coalition

    Pete Barrett, the founder of Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, has endorsed the new “Gun Owners for Trump” coalition organized by the Republican National Committee (RNC) and former President Donald Trump.

  • Coalition leader Danko in trouble again, this time for petrol station incident

    Assaulted customer reports the deputy speaker of parliament to the police.

  • Students upset by coalition plans to fine them for taking too long to graduate

    Students were left shocked that the new coalition agreement states that students who take too long to graduate will be fined 3,000 euros a year starting in 2026, said Elisa Weehuizen, chair of national student union LSVb. The fine will be issued to students who are more than a year late finishing their bachelor's or master's degree. The student union wants to take action.

  • This is how the new right-wing coalition agreement will affect your wallet

    The new coalition of PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB have many plans for the Netherlands. Here are the bits from the coalition agreement that will impact your wallet.

  • Planned tax changes, budget cuts & expenditures from coalition agreement

    The PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB coalition have many are planning to reverse many announced tax increases and have announced several tax cuts and increases themselves. They also plan many budget cuts and extra investments. Here is a summary of the budget for their “main lines agreement.”