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Post by Bonobo on Oct 8, 2010 21:40:48 GMT 1
 Pieter This is Rusałka milk bar in Praga district. Probably the best we ate in during our stay in Warsaw.  |
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Post by pjotr on Oct 9, 2010 0:38:45 GMT 1
I think this is exactly the core of your experiences in Warsaw. You remembered a 'frozen' city where free life was hidden from the eyes of an onlooking 'stranger'. And then you suddenly saw a modern, flourishing city with multitude of people's lifestyles and lifeviews demonstrated freely  I agree with flourishing. However, demonstrating lifestyle freely is still backward. E..g, I haven`t see gay couples in streets, like in NYC. And Amsterdam and Cape Town! |
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Post by tufta on Oct 9, 2010 8:12:46 GMT 1
I agree with flourishing. However, demonstrating lifestyle freely is still backward. E..g, I haven`t see gay couples in streets, like in NYC. And Amsterdam and Cape Town! True. But it is the cultural diffrence not lack of freedom. It is the same with heterosexual couples. You see much less heterosexual couples demonstrating their sexual preference in public in Warsaw than in, for instance Rome, where you practically don't see gay couples at all. |
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Post by tufta on Oct 9, 2010 8:14:33 GMT 1
Bonobp, please promise you will never go to such risky districts when you are next time in Warsaw. I am getting anxious about you.
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Post by pjotr on Oct 9, 2010 13:19:37 GMT 1
And Amsterdam and Cape Town! True. But it is the cultural diffrence not lack of freedom. It is the same with heterosexual couples. You see much less heterosexual couples demonstrating their sexual preference in public in Warsaw than in, for instance Rome, where you practically don't see gay couples at all. Yes, those Italians, especially the Italian men. I remember that Dutch girlfriends of mine, especially the blond and Redheads amongst them, were a little bit anxious to go to Italy, because the Italian men were seen as womanizers and Don Juans. The Italians like foreign women. Probably slav women (Czech and Polish) too. They like tall, blond and blue eyed women.   Redhead The Dutch actrice Lotte Verbeek Chantal Janzen, the Italians love blond hair and blue eyesAnd I like Italian women and actices :  Italian actress Monica Bellucci  Marisa Allasio |
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Post by pjotr on Oct 9, 2010 13:29:48 GMT 1
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Post by pjotr on Oct 13, 2010 8:52:19 GMT 1
 Is the Dutch 'gender gap' widening?Published on : 12 October 2010 - 4:28pm | By Johan van SlootenThe gap between men and women is widening, not closing, and it’s happening in a modern nation where – some argue - emancipation is well-advanced: the Netherlands. A new report by the World Economic Forum published on Tuesday says that Dutch women are doing worse when it comes to work and income, and political empowerment. Two years ago the Netherlands was ranked among the top ten in this annual list but has now dropped to number 17. Scandinavian countries are faring much better, with Iceland (1st), Norway (2nd), Finland (3rd) and Sweden (4th) dominating the very top of the chart. In these countries, the World Economic Forum says, the gender gap has almost been closed. However, no country in the world has achieved gender equality yet. EducationThe list is compiled by looking at women's positions in education, healthcare, life expectancy, and work and income. It also looks at political empowerment for women. The more that women are highly educated, have higher income jobs or work in top government positions, the higher their country ranks on the list. Even though the Netherlands is still listed in the top 20, it now lags behind less developed countries such as the Philippines, Lesotho, Sri Lanka and South Africa. The NetherlandsThere are still relatively few women in the Netherlands who actually work outside the home, and even when they do, they tend to earn less than their male colleagues. This is fairly common in many other countries too, but the report points out that some countries - notably the United States and several African nations - are making bigger gains in this field than the Netherlands. As regards women in politics, the Netherlands ranks 25th, almost equal with countries such as Uganda, Guyana, Ecuador, India and Angola. The number of female MPs is reasonably stable at 40 percent, but the number of female ministers has dropped significantly: from 36 percent in 2007 to only 25 percent in the upcoming coalition government led by Prime Minister designate Mark Rutte. His new cabinet consists of nine men and a mere three women. MinimumOn Monday, former Dutch minister and current European Commissioner Neelie Kroes - like Mr Rutte a member of the liberal free-market VVD party - complained about the limited presence of women in the new cabinet. She called for a minimum to be set for the number of female ministers, a system that's been in place in Scandinavia successfully for years. " I think it's a very negative thing that there are so few women [in the cabinet]," she argued. " We already impose measures to expand their numbers in local government or in other political appointments. This means we have to adhere to those rules ourselves, too". Just like the Scandinavian countries, the European Commission works with a quota system, and it works too: one third of the EC is, indeed female. QualityDutch Prime Minister designate Mark Rutte disagrees with Ms Kroes, saying that it's not about male or female, but about quality. " It’s still the case that a quarter of the new cabinet is female," he told reporters in The Hague. " We've looked for the best people in the best positions. And this is the team we've got. I understand those who may question this, for they are right when they say there aren't many women in the new cabinet". |
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Post by pjotr on Oct 14, 2010 17:24:16 GMT 1
 Today the new conservative Dutch government was installed. Dutch government - who's whoPublished on : 14 October 2010  It is a traditional ceremony that the new government poses with the Dutch
queen at the stairs of the Royal palace in the Hague.New Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has chosen a cabinet led by senior stalwarts from the two parties that make up the coalition, backed up by a number of young up-and-coming politicians. Just four of the 18 cabinet members are women, fewer than any cabinet since the first one led by Ruud Lubbers back in 1981. The average age of this cabinet is 54. It will be the first minority government in recent Dutch history, also the first led by a liberal in more than 90 years. Moreover, the coalition has signed an uprecedented agreement guaranteeing it the support in parliament of Geert Wilders' Freedom Party. Yet another first: never before has the prime minister of the Netherlands been a bachelor. The coalition partiesVVDThe official name of the party, which was formed in January 1948, is the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy. Although liberalism has a long tradition in Dutch politics, the movement had always been prone to factionalism and splits until the new VVD united several existing parties. The VVD is liberal is the sense that it favours a free market, free trade and individual liberties but otherwise right-wing and conservative, although there is quite a range of opinion within the party. CDAThe Christian Democratic Appeal was formed in October 1980 from the three major Christian parties, the Catholic People's Party ( KVP) and the protestant Christian Historical Union ( CHU) and Anti-Revolutionary Party ( ARP). These parties had been in power almost without interruption since 1918. Threatened by increasing secularisation and the defection of left-wing Catholics and Protestants in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the three parties first formed a federation and then merged into the new right-of-centre Christian Democrat party. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_People%27s_Partyen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Historical_Unionpl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partia_Antyrewolucyjna_%28Holandia%29en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti_Revolutionary_Party Anti-revolutionairy party election poster: 1946 election poster depicting a earth wall standing against a communist storm. It reads "Strengthen the eart wall" pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apel_Chrze%C5%9Bcija%C5%84sko-Demokratycznyen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Democratic_AppealPrime Minister - Mark Rutte (VVD party)also Cabinet Office Minister First liberal prime minister in nearly 100 years and, at 43, one of the youngest. A quick student, he has a reputation for being a 'nice guy', someone who makes people feel at ease and who can bridge conflicts. Is he perhaps too nice? He’s also the first bachelor to lead the country. Deputy Prime Minister - Maxime Verhagen (CDA party)also Minister of Economic Affairs, Agriculture & Innovation Maxime Verhagen has finally arrived at the pinnacle of power after spending much of his 54 years manoeuvring toward the top. Mr Verhagen was born in the southern city of Maastricht. He was a leader in the youth branch of the Christian Democrat party (CDA) and went to work in The Hague as assistant to an MP in the early 1980s. In 1989 he was elected to represent the party in the European Parliament. In 1994 he returned to The Hague as an MP. He chaired the CDA parliamentary party during Jan Peter Balkenende’s first governments, becoming Foreign Minister in 2007. A clash between Mr Verhagen and then Labour Party leader Wouter Bos about whether or not to extend the Dutch mission in Afghanistan brought down the last cabinet. The new cabinet owes its existence to Mr Verhagen’s ability to persuade and cajole reluctant members of his party into doing business with Geert Wilders' anti-Islamic Freedom Party (PVV). He is one of three CDA members from the last cabinet to get a senior position in this one. He is a fanatical twitterer. Deputy Economic Affairs Minister - Henk Bleker (CDA)Mr Bleker and Mr Verhagen have been nearly inseparable for the last few months and will continue working together. Mr Bleker (57) studied Political Science at the VU University of Amsterdam, and got his doctorate in law at the University of Groningen. He worked there as researcher and advisor until 1999 when he joined the executive council of the Province of Groningen. In June 2010 he was named temporary party chair of the CDA, and he helped Mr Verhagen massage his party into joining the current government. Mr Bleker is divorced and has three children. His passion is raising Welsh ponies Minister of Security & Justice - Ivo Opstelten (VVD)Ivo Opstelten was the man appointed by the queen who help cobble this cabinet together. At 66 he is one of the senior figures in the VVD and Mark Rutte’s mentor. Mark Rutte started doing much better after Mr Opstelten became VVD party chair in 2008. He was Mayor of Rotterdam from 1999–2008 and chairs the committee trying to bring the Olympics to the Netherlands in 2028. He is married and has four daughters. Deputy Security Minister – Fred Teeven (VVD)52 years old and born in Haarlem, he worked for the Public Prosecutor's office and gained a reputation as a crime fighter. He replaced Pim Fortuyn as top parliamentary candidate for the Liveable Netherlands party and was one of their two MPs 2002-2003. He then switched to the VVD and was elected to parliament again in 2006. He is a keen runner. Foreign Minister - Uri Rosenthal (VVD)Another senior figure in the VVD, Uri Rosenthal (65) also answered the Queen’s call to lead the formation negotiations this summer. Twice. He has been a senator since 1999 and leader of the parliamentary party for much of that time. Known as an intellectual, Mr Rosenthal earned his PhD in political science at Erasmus University in Rotterdam. He has been a professor since 1980. He is also the chairman of the Institute for Security and Crisis Management. He is married with two children. Deputy Foreign Minister – Ben Knapen (CDA)Ben Knapen (59), a journalist and historian, is one of only two members of this cabinet to be taking on his first position in national politics. He has been a member of the Scientific Council for Government Policy ( WRR) since 2001. He was Editor in Chief of a major Dutch daily newspaper, the NRC Handelsblad, in the early 1990s, working his way up from foreign correspondent. A cloud of controversy hangs over Ben Knapen due to a period when he was on the executive board of PCM, a publishing company. A national watchdog now says the company was badly mismanaged during the time Mr Knapen was on the board. Minister of the Interior & Kingdom Relations - Piet Hein Donner (CDA)Riding his standard black bike and wearing a black suit, Piet Hein Donner has for many years been a conspicuous figure in Dutch politics. The 61-year-old Christian Democrat will now head his third ministry since 2002. He started out as a jurist at the Economic Affairs Ministry and later move to the Justice Ministry where he established his image as an intelligent and level-headed administrator. In 2006 he resigned as Justice Minister following several deaths in a fire in the holding cells for asylum seekers at Schiphol airport. Five months later he rturned as Social Affairs Minister in a new cabinet. Part of his brief at the Interior Ministry is to cut back the number of civil servants. Mr Donner is generally regarded as an experienced, stablising force within the new cabinet. Defence Minister – Hans Hillen (CDA)The third of the " wise old men" Mark Rutte has chosen in his cabinet. Hans Hillen may be a few years junior (63) to his aforementioned colleagues, he is no less influential. Mr Hillen has been a senator for the CDA since 2007 and served as an MP for 12 years. He was also spokesman at the Finance Ministry (1983-1989). He was a journalist for 14 years, six of those as political correspondent. He is know as a political strategist who is not afraid to speak his mind. He criticized his own CDA for being too weak in opposition to Geert Wilders. But he also predicted a few years ago that Mr Wilders’ political career would fizzle out. Now he is in a cabinet thanks to Geert Wilders' phenomenal political growth. He is a conservative Christian-democrat of the right wing of the CDA. Finance Minister – Jan Kees de Jager (CDA)Jan Kees de Jager is one of the young up-and-coming members of the Rutte cabinet. Mr De Jager is a carry-over from the last cabinet, having served as Deputy Finance Minister until the government fell in February. He was then named as caretaker minister. Widely praised for his careful and thorough approach, he is also regarded as a good communicator. Before entering politics, he had his own internet company, ISM eCompany. In 2006, he won the ICT Personality of the year award. Deputy Finance Minister – Frans Weekers (VVD)Frans Weekers wills serve under Jan Kees de Jager at Finance. He is 43 years old and from Limburg. He has served the VVD in parliament since 1998. Minister of Immigration & Asylum - Gerd Leers (CDA)Gerd Leers (59) is widely known for his time as Mayor of the southern city of Maastricht (2002-2010) Unfortunately, he is just as famous for having to step down after alleged conflict of interest surrounding a holiday home in Bulgaria. He had a reputation as being tough but reasonable. He advocated legalising marijuana-growing but also tried to get the 'coffeeshops' (which sell it) in Maastricht moved to the outskirts of town. He has served as an MP for 12 years. In the past Mr Leers has been fiercely critical of Geert Wilders' anti-Islamic rhetoric. According to the Dutch media, he was summoned to a meeting with the Freedom Party leader to "clear the air" before being named to head what, for Wilders, is one of the most important ministries in the new government.Minister of Social Affairs & Employment - Henk Kamp (VVD)Henk Kamp returns to The Hague after a stint as Commissioner of the Netherlands Antilles, where he helped oversee a major constitutional reform. At 58, he belongs the senior cadre of politicians in the Rutte cabinet. He has been minister twice already: Defence 2003-2007 and Housing 2002-2003. He has also served a total of ten years in parliament. Deputy Social Affairs Minister – Paul de Krom (VVD)A member of the young guard of VVD MPs (since 2003), Paul de Krom has handled integration for the past two years. After a few years as a civil servant in the Defence Ministry in the late 1980s, Mr De Krom made his career at Shell, where he spent time in Dubai and London. Minister of Health, Welfare & Sport - Edith Schippers (VVD)Edith Schippers (46) has been Mark Rutte’s number two in the VVD parliamentary party for a number of years. She was at his side during the months of negotiations this past summer. She has long been tipped as a coming talent in the VVD. Deputy Health Minister – Marlies Veldhuijzen van Zanten (CDA)One of the few Rutte appointments to come from outside political circles in The Hague. Marlies Veldhuijzen is a doctor specialising in care for the elderly. Minister of Education, Culture & Science – Maria van Bijsterveldt (CDA)Maria van Bijsterveldt (49) has also received a promotion. In the most recent cabinet, she served as deputy minister in the same department. Now she gets a chance to run the show. Trained as a nurse, she became the youngest mayor in the Netherlands in Schipluiden in 1994. She became CDA party chair in 2002, the first chair to be elected by the members. She is married with two children. Her nephew is a senator for the Socialist Party. Deputy Education Minister – Halbe Zijlstra (VVD)Halbe Zijlstra (41) is part of the young guard. He got his political feet wet with Utrecht city council, and came to parliament in 2006. He quickly made his mark by getting a law passed to help go after football hooligans. Minister of Infrastructure & Environment - Melanie Schultz van Haegen (VVD)The baby of the Rutte cabinet at just 40 years old, Melanie Schultz van Haegan is returning to politics after a few years at insurance company Achmea. As Deputy Minister for Transport from 2002-2006, she ran into controversy regarding decisions about Schiphol airport and resigned. Deputy Infrastructure Minister – Joop Atsma (CDA) Joop Atsma (54) is best known for being a cycling fanatic. He was chair of Royal Dutch Cyclists Union for 12 years. As a Christian Democrat MP (since 1998), he has often promoted cycling. He recently authored a new government-wide cycling policy. |
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Post by pjotr on Oct 14, 2010 17:37:58 GMT 1
Mark Rutte Mark Rutte (ur. 14 lutego 1967, w Hadze), holenderski polityk, były sekretarz stanu, lider Partii Ludowej na rzecz Wolności i Demokracji (VVD) od maja 2006. 7 października 2010 desygnowany na urząd premiera Holandii, obejmie go 14 października 2010. Edukacja i praca zawodowaMark Rutte urodził się w 1967 w Hadze. W latach 1979-1985 uczęszczał do gimnazjum o profilu artystycznym. W 1992 ukończył historię na Uniwersytecie w Lejdzie. Studia łączył z działalnością w organizacji młodzieżowej VVD, której był przewodniczącym w latach 1988-1991. Po studiach wkroczył w świat biznesu, pracując w latach 1992-1997 jako menadżer ds. zasobów ludzkich w firmie Unilever. Od 1997 do 2000 był menadżerem Van den Bergh Nederland, spółki córki Unilevera. Następnie od lutego do lipca 2002 był dyrektorem ds. zasobów ludzkich w innej spółce córce, IgloMora Groep. Kariera polityczna22 lipca 2002 został mianowany wiceministrem (sekretarzem stanu) spraw społecznych i pracy w pierwszym gabinecie Jan Petera Balkenende. Stanowisko zajmował do 17 czerwca 2004. Od stycznia do maja 2003 wchodził z ramienia VVD w skład Tweede Kamer, niższej izby holenderskiego parlamentu. 17 czerwca 2004 został mianowany sekretarzem stanu ds. szkolnictwa wyższego i nauki. W marcu 2006 aktywnie uczestniczył w kampanii VVD w czasie wyborów lokalnych. 31 maja 2006, w czasie zjazdu VVD, został wybrany nowym liderem ugrupowania, zdobywając 51,5% głosów poparcia od delegatów. 27 czerwca 2006 zrezygnował ze stanowiska sekretarza stanu i dzień później powrócił do pełnienia mandatu deputowanego, zostając przewodniczącym klubu parlamentarnego VVD w Tweede Kamer[1]. W wyborach parlamentarnych w listopadzie 2006 Partia Ludowa na rzecz Wolności i Demokracji zajęła pod jego przewodnictwem czwarte miejsce i znalazła się w opozycji. PremierW wyborach parlamentarnych w czerwcu 2010 VVD odniosła zwycięstwo, zdobywając 31 mandatów w parlamencie. Markowi Rutte jako liderowi zwycięskiego ugrupowania przypadła rola sformowania nowego gabinetu. W czasie kampanii wyborczej jego partia opowiadała się za zdecydowanymi cięciami wydatków publicznych (co najmniej 20 mld euro w ciągu 4 lat), ograniczeniu wydatków na administrację, podniesieniu wieku emerytalnego i redukcją zasiłków dla imigrantów. 9 sierpnia 2010 VVD podjęła rozmowy koalicyjne z CDA oraz PVV. Załamały się one jednak na początku września, po miesiącu negocjacji, na skutek sprzeciwu części członków CDA wobec niektórych postulatów PVV, które uznali za zbyt radykalne. Dopiero 29 września 2010 trzy strony uzgodniły porozumienie na temat utworzenia mniejszościowego rządu na czele z Markiem Rutte, złożonego z członków VVD oraz CDA i wspieranego w parlamencie przez PVV. Porozumienie przewidywało ograniczenie wydatków budżetowych o 18 mld euro do 2015, zwiększenie liczby funkcjonariuszy policji, zaostrzenie przepisów imigracyjnych oraz wprowadzenie w kraju zakazu noszenia burek w miejscach publicznych. 2 października 2010 podczas partyjnej konwencji porozumienie koalicyjne ostatecznie zaakceptowali przedstawiciele CDA. 7 października 2010 królowa Beatrix powierzyła Markowi Rutte misję sformowania gabinetu (formateur)[8][9]. Nowy rząd zostanie zaprzysiężony 14 października 2010 i oprócz premiera będzie liczył 11 ministrów (5 z VVD i 6 z CDA).
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Post by pjotr on Oct 14, 2010 23:47:56 GMT 1
Mark Rutte Mark Rutte (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈmɑrk ˈrʏtə]; born February 14, 1967) is a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). He is the Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 14 October 2010. He served State Secretary for Social Affairs and Employment from July 22, 2002, until June 17, 2004, and State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science from June 17, 2004, until June 27, 2006, in the Cabinets Balkenende I and II. He resigned as State Secretary in June 2006 to return to the House of Representatives and became the Parliamentary leader of the VVD. He was the lijsttrekker ( list puller) for the VVD for the Dutch general election of 2006 and the Party leader of the VVD since May 31, 2006. He was once again the lijsttrekker ( list puller) for the Dutch general election of 2010 where his party became the biggest party. On October 8, 2010 he was appointed formateur and he already has formed his Cabinet. Rutte is the first Prime Minister of the Netherlands not from a Christian democratic party or the Labour Party as well as the first liberal to become PM since Pieter Cort van der Linden, who was Prime Minister from 1913 till 1918. He is also the first VVD PM. Early lifeRutte attended the gymnasium, specialising in the arts from 1979 till 1985. He continued to study history at the University of Leiden until 1992, although his original ambition was to attend the conservatory and become a concert pianist. He combined his studies with a position in the board of * the Youth Organisation Freedom and Democracy, the youth organisation of the VVD, of which he was chairperson between 1988 and 1991. After his studies he entered the business world, working as a manager for Unilever and Calvé. Until 1997 he was part of the human resource-department of Unilever and played a leading role in several reorganisations. Between 1993 and 1997 he was member of the national board of the VVD. Between 1997 and 2000 he was personnel manager for Van den Bergh Nederland, a subsidiary of Unilever. In 2000 he became member of the Corporate Human Resources Group. And since 2002 he was director of Human Resources for IgloMora Groep, another subsidiary of Unilever. He also served as member of the VVD candidate committee for the general election of 2002. PoliticsIn 2002 Rutte was appointed State Secretary for Social Affairs and Employment in the first Balkenende cabinet, a post which he held after the general election of 2003. He was responsible for fields including bijstand (municipal welfare) and arbeidsomstandigheden (Occupational safety and health). After the 2003 elections Rutte was briefly member of the House of Representatives, between January 30 and May 27, 2003. On June 17, 2004, Rutte was appointed State Secretary of Higher Education and Science, replacing Annette Nijs. When he was asked to replace her he had little choice: " Gerrit (Gerrit Zalm, the VVD Deputy Prime Minister) is not of the department of variables. I didn't have a choice. Furthermore, it's also very exciting". Rutte became an important figure within the VVD leadership. He was campaign manager for the 2006 municipal elections. In office, Rutte has shown particular interest in making the Dutch higher education system more competitive internationally by trying to make it more market oriented (improving the position of students as consumers in the market for education). 2006 leadership electionAfter the resignation of Jozias van Aartsen after the VVD loss in the 2006 Dutch municipal election, the VVD held an internal election for lijsttrekker, where Rutte competed against Rita Verdonk and Jelleke Veenendaal. On May 31, 2006, it was announced that Mark Rutte would be the next lijsttrekker of the VVD. He was elected by 51.5% of the party members. Rutte's candidacy was backed by the VVD leadership, including the party board, and many prominent politicians such as Frank de Grave, former minister of Defense, Ivo Opstelten, the mayor of Rotterdam and Ed Nijpels, the Queen's Commissioner of Friesland. The Youth Organisation Freedom and Democracy, the VVD's youth wing, of which he was chairperson, also backed him. During the elections he promised " to make the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy a party for everyone and not just of the elite". His youthful appearance has been likened to the successful former leader of the Labour Party, Wouter Bos. On accepting the role of candidate-lijsttrekker, Rutte has made clear that he wishes to change the face of the VVD into one where everyone, not just the " happy few" feels comfortable. He has also stated that with the current social security ideas of the Dutch Labour Party, which he called too conservative, it is unlikely that they will cooperate or form a coalition after the elections. More recently he has stated that he felt that the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party (the current coalition partner) was a party " the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy could do business with". On June 28, 2006, Rutte stood down as State Secretary and returned to parliament as parliamentary leader of the VVD. As State Secretary, he would have been succeeded by former The Hague alderman Bruno Bruins. Before Bruins could be sworn into office, the second Balkenende cabinet fell. In the third Balkenende cabinet Bruins succeeded Rutte after all, as State Secretary. 2006 Dutch general electionFor the Dutch general election, 2006, the VVD campaign with Rutte as leader did not get off to a good start. Rutte received criticism from within his own party for the campaign. Rutte was said to be overshadowed by his own party members Rita Verdonk and Gerrit Zalm, as well as being unable to penetrate between Wouter Bos and Jan Peter Balkenende, who were generally seen as the prime candidates to become the next Prime Minister of the Netherlands. On November 27, it became known that Rita Verdonk managed to obtain more votes than Mark Rutte; Rutte obtained 553,200 votes against Verdonk's 620,555. Decision to expel Rita VerdonkAfter repeated criticisms by Rita Verdonk on the policy of the VVD, Rutte expelled her on September 14, 2007, from the party's parliamentary fraction. 2010 Dutch general election The leader of the Dutch conservatives, Mark Rutte. Photo WFAFor the Dutch general election, 2010, Rutte was once again the lijsttrekker for the VVD. His party became the biggest in parliament after the elections, with 31 seats. Since then he went on to form a new coalition government with the CDA, condoned by the Party for Freedom ( PVV). In Polish: pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_RutteIn German: de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_RutteIn Russian: ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A0%D1%8E%D1%82%D1%82%D0%B5,_%D0%9C%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BA * Comment Pieter: I was a member of the the Youth Organisation Freedom and Democracy, JOVD, from 1991 until 1995. After that I was briefly a member of the Youth organisation of the left-liberal D66 and finaly a Labour member and activist from 1996 until 1998. I received political training from Labour. This training and what I learned from political activism, I use today in my work as a political journalist for the local radio. I am not affiliated to any political party. As a journalist my personal political preference is of no importance, and I keep it to myself. I am neutral, objective and fair in my interviews and reports. At least I hope so. On this Forum I show preferences or subjective opinions. In the Netherlands I don't. The contradictio in terminis was that I was a leftwing member of the rightwing liberal JOVD. My choice for the JOVD was a pragmatic and opportunistic one. The JOVD was the best youth organisation. I could learn debating skills there, liked the pragmatic liberalism of the organisation (it had members who were member of other parties then the VVD, while it was/is the youth organisation of Rutte's party. Independant, but connected to the VVD) Today the JOVD is critical towards the VVD-CDA government, because it is to conservative for the liberal youth organisation. The JOVD has a more liberal stance than the conservative mother party VVD, who moved towards Wilders and the rightwing christian parties, CDA and the Fundamentalist SGP. There was some appeasement politics towards the SGP to gain their support for the government. That irritated the young liberals.
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Post by pjotr on Oct 14, 2010 23:52:46 GMT 1
 JOVD, Youth Organisation Freedom and DemocracyThe Youth Organisation Freedom and Democracy (Dutch: Jongeren Organisatie Vrijheid en Democratie), officially abbreviated as JOVD, is one of the oldest political youth organisations in the Netherlands. It is a liberal organisation for people aged between fourteen and thirty one. Current President is Jeroen Diepemaat. JOVD has a contract of cooperation with VVD. The organisation is responsible for having trained many statesecretaries and well known members of the House of Representatives. For example, Mark Rutte, Leader of the VVD was JOVD chairman from 1988 to 1991. JOVD publishes the political magazine Driemaster for its members and stakeholders. Currently elected editor in chief is Allard Altena. JOVD is a member of both LYMEC and IFLRY.  Is it comparable to the Young Democrats of the Polish PO? I don't know? |
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Post by tufta on Oct 15, 2010 8:16:06 GMT 1
* Comment Pieter: I was a member of the the Youth Organisation Freedom and Democracy, JOVD, from 1991 until 1995. After that I was briefly a member of the Youth organisation of the left-liberal D66 and finaly a Labour member and activist from 1996 until 1998. I received political training from Labour. This training and what I learned from political activism, I use today in my work as a political journalist for the local radio. I am not affiliated to any political party. As a journalist my personal political preference is of no importance, and I keep it to myself. I am neutral, objective and fair in my interviews and reports. At least I hope so. On this Forum I show preferences or subjective opinions. In the Netherlands I don't. The contradictio in terminis was that I was a leftwing member of the rightwing liberal JOVD. My choice for the JOVD was a pragmatic and opportunistic one. The JOVD was the best youth organisation. I could learn debating skills there, liked the pragmatic liberalism of the organisation (it had members who were member of other parties then the VVD, while it was/is the youth organisation of Rutte's party. Independant, but connected to the VVD) Today the JOVD is critical towards the VVD-CDA government, because it is to conservative for the liberal youth organisation. The JOVD has a more liberal stance than the conservative mother party VVD, who moved towards Wilders and the rightwing christian parties, CDA and the Fundamentalist SGP. There was some appeasement politics towards the SGP to gain their support for the government. That irritated the young liberals. Pjotr, very interesting! Will you allow me to play devil's advocate for a while? Is it possible to totally hide one's political preferences while working in the media? Perhaps I have somewhat distorted preferences but to me the best, and the most 'safe' or honest journalists are those who do not hide their preferences. They do not forcibly present them either. Just in a natural way the preferences become visible. This way it is all clear and the media reader-watcher is able to find a honest, unslanted picture anyway. |
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Post by tufta on Oct 15, 2010 8:23:31 GMT 1
Mark RutteMark Rutte (ur. 14 lutego 1967, w Hadze), holenderski polityk, były sekretarz stanu, lider Partii Ludowej na rzecz Wolności i Demokracji (VVD) od maja 2006. 7 października 2010 desygnowany na urząd premiera Holandii, obejmie go 14 października 2010. Edukacja i praca zawodowaMark Rutte urodził się w 1967 w Hadze. W latach 1979-1985 uczęszczał do gimnazjum o profilu artystycznym. W 1992 ukończył historię na Uniwersytecie w Lejdzie. Studia łączył z działalnością w organizacji młodzieżowej VVD, której był przewodniczącym w latach 1988-1991. Po studiach wkroczył w świat biznesu, pracując w latach 1992-1997 jako menadżer ds. zasobów ludzkich w firmie Unilever. Od 1997 do 2000 był menadżerem Van den Bergh Nederland, spółki córki Unilevera. Następnie od lutego do lipca 2002 był dyrektorem ds. zasobów ludzkich w innej spółce córce, IgloMora Groep. Kariera polityczna22 lipca 2002 został mianowany wiceministrem (sekretarzem stanu) spraw społecznych i pracy w pierwszym gabinecie Jan Petera Balkenende. Stanowisko zajmował do 17 czerwca 2004. Od stycznia do maja 2003 wchodził z ramienia VVD w skład Tweede Kamer, niższej izby holenderskiego parlamentu. 17 czerwca 2004 został mianowany sekretarzem stanu ds. szkolnictwa wyższego i nauki. W marcu 2006 aktywnie uczestniczył w kampanii VVD w czasie wyborów lokalnych. 31 maja 2006, w czasie zjazdu VVD, został wybrany nowym liderem ugrupowania, zdobywając 51,5% głosów poparcia od delegatów. 27 czerwca 2006 zrezygnował ze stanowiska sekretarza stanu i dzień później powrócił do pełnienia mandatu deputowanego, zostając przewodniczącym klubu parlamentarnego VVD w Tweede Kamer[1]. W wyborach parlamentarnych w listopadzie 2006 Partia Ludowa na rzecz Wolności i Demokracji zajęła pod jego przewodnictwem czwarte miejsce i znalazła się w opozycji. PremierW wyborach parlamentarnych w czerwcu 2010 VVD odniosła zwycięstwo, zdobywając 31 mandatów w parlamencie. Markowi Rutte jako liderowi zwycięskiego ugrupowania przypadła rola sformowania nowego gabinetu. W czasie kampanii wyborczej jego partia opowiadała się za zdecydowanymi cięciami wydatków publicznych (co najmniej 20 mld euro w ciągu 4 lat), ograniczeniu wydatków na administrację, podniesieniu wieku emerytalnego i redukcją zasiłków dla imigrantów. 9 sierpnia 2010 VVD podjęła rozmowy koalicyjne z CDA oraz PVV. Załamały się one jednak na początku września, po miesiącu negocjacji, na skutek sprzeciwu części członków CDA wobec niektórych postulatów PVV, które uznali za zbyt radykalne. Dopiero 29 września 2010 trzy strony uzgodniły porozumienie na temat utworzenia mniejszościowego rządu na czele z Markiem Rutte, złożonego z członków VVD oraz CDA i wspieranego w parlamencie przez PVV. Porozumienie przewidywało ograniczenie wydatków budżetowych o 18 mld euro do 2015, zwiększenie liczby funkcjonariuszy policji, zaostrzenie przepisów imigracyjnych oraz wprowadzenie w kraju zakazu noszenia burek w miejscach publicznych. 2 października 2010 podczas partyjnej konwencji porozumienie koalicyjne ostatecznie zaakceptowali przedstawiciele CDA. 7 października 2010 królowa Beatrix powierzyła Markowi Rutte misję sformowania gabinetu (formateur)[8][9]. Nowy rząd zostanie zaprzysiężony 14 października 2010 i oprócz premiera będzie liczył 11 ministrów (5 z VVD i 6 z CDA). One interesting sentence follows this note "Rutte został pierwszym premierem Holandii od 1918 wywodzącym się z szeregów liberałów. " Rutte became the first PM of the Netherlands since 1918, originating from the liberals.That shows how little I still know about Netherlands. If you'd ask me from what party most of Dutch PM's came since the war I would asnwer- liberals! without any sign of hesitation.... |
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Post by pjotr on Oct 15, 2010 8:32:21 GMT 1
Tufta,
Most Dutch PM's since world war 1 were members of a christian or christian-democratic party, or after the second world war Labour (social-democrats) or Christian-democrats. Most government leaders were Christian-democrats.
Pieter
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Post by pjotr on Oct 15, 2010 8:46:41 GMT 1
* Comment Pieter: I was a member of the the Youth Organisation Freedom and Democracy, JOVD, from 1991 until 1995. After that I was briefly a member of the Youth organisation of the left-liberal D66 and finaly a Labour member and activist from 1996 until 1998. I received political training from Labour. This training and what I learned from political activism, I use today in my work as a political journalist for the local radio. I am not affiliated to any political party. As a journalist my personal political preference is of no importance, and I keep it to myself. I am neutral, objective and fair in my interviews and reports. At least I hope so. On this Forum I show preferences or subjective opinions. In the Netherlands I don't. The contradictio in terminis was that I was a leftwing member of the rightwing liberal JOVD. My choice for the JOVD was a pragmatic and opportunistic one. The JOVD was the best youth organisation. I could learn debating skills there, liked the pragmatic liberalism of the organisation (it had members who were member of other parties then the VVD, while it was/is the youth organisation of Rutte's party. Independant, but connected to the VVD) Today the JOVD is critical towards the VVD-CDA government, because it is to conservative for the liberal youth organisation. The JOVD has a more liberal stance than the conservative mother party VVD, who moved towards Wilders and the rightwing christian parties, CDA and the Fundamentalist SGP. There was some appeasement politics towards the SGP to gain their support for the government. That irritated the young liberals. Pjotr, very interesting! Will you allow me to play devil's advocate for a while? Is it possible to totally hide one's political preferences while working in the media? Perhaps I have somewhat distorted preferences but to me the best, and the most 'safe' or honest journalists are those who do not hide their preferences. They do not forcibly present them either. Just in a natural way the preferences become visible. This way it is all clear and the media reader-watcher is able to find a honest, unslanted picture anyway. Tufta, I think people see me a centrist, moderate leftwing-liberal in the Dutch sense of politics. In local politics I can get along well with people from the rightwing VVD, Centre-right CDA, the rightwing Populist (small) party "Proud of the Netherlands" (Rita Verdonks party, the oponent of Mark Rutte), the Socialists of the SP (in the Dutch sense you could call these people leftwing conservatives, Patriotic -sometimes nearly Nationalistic- But not xenophobe, they have a Turkish politician in the Arnhem council. One of them, a friend of mine is more liberal than socialist, and he hates communism, and any kind of totalitarianism), Labour (I know a lot of them of my time at Labour in Arnhem in the ninetees. Labour is not my favorite political party, but I can get along quite well with several of it's local politicians and former aldermen), the men and women of the GreenLeft I know very well (they are pragmatic liberal-democratic leftists) and the representative of the ChristianUnion ( a protestant and biblical party) is one of the best politicians, due to her knowledge of files, facts, journalism (she is a former journalist herself), and great experiance in the Arnhem local politics. I interview her regulary. Pieter P.S.- Although they know me as a liberal journalist with a heart for the leftist hobby ( ) culture, they know I am fair and unbiased. I don't treat the right or centre-right differant than the left or centre-left. You have to find a ballance in your attention for all the political parties and look each time at the subject your are busy with. Due to this work I moved to the centre of politics. I was leftwing and today I am more centrist. Somewhere inbetween the Polish Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe and Platforma Obywatelska. Maybe left from the Civic Platform and right from the SLD. |
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Post by tufta on Oct 15, 2010 9:01:29 GMT 1
I've got your point, Pjotr. I know you are able to maintain neutrality! What I mean is the situation in the nationwide media - those journalists whose views are visible, yet they remain professional standards, follow the audiatur et altera pars rule etc etc. are able to concentrate much more interest from the watchers. Both those who agree with them (and love them) and disagree with them (and hate them). Both these groups watch and read - because theu are able to learn how the things really are , in spite of journalists views being clear. That's Janusz Palikot! ;D ;D ;D |
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Post by tufta on Oct 15, 2010 20:37:51 GMT 1
Pjotr, I have just read an article in The Economist about Dutch politics
Not exactly Dutch courage
The new government unveils its uninspiring vision for the country
Oct 7th 2010 | THE HAGUE
MEET the Netherlands. A small, affluent, densely populated northern European country, economically timid, with the potential for ethnic strife simmering just under its quiet surface. That is the picture painted by the agreement underlying the new Dutch centre-right minority government, consisting of the liberal VVD and the Christian Democrats. With the backbench support of the far-right Freedom Party and its leader, Geert Wilders (see Charlemagne), the new government will have a majority of just one in the 150-seat parliament.
Mr Wilders has extracted a range of policy goodies in return for his support. The new government will ban the face-covering Islamic veil, and forbid police and workers in judicial institutions from wearing the headscarf. Immigration via marriage will be curbed. State subsidies for newcomers’ language courses will be turned into loans, and a failure to pass the subsequent tests could become grounds for a refusal to grant residence permits.
The agreement is long on heavy-handed police tactics as a response to crime-ridden ethnically mixed neighbourhoods, but has nothing to say about poor infrastructure, school drop-out rates, skills shortages and low social mobility among both immigrants and natives in such areas.
More surprisingly, the government has shunned any serious attempts at structural economic reform. Mark Rutte, leader of the VVD and prime minister-in-waiting, campaigned on a pledge to revitalise the Dutch economy. But no substantial effort will be made to reform either the labour market or the inflated government-subsidised housing market. The generous pension system will remain, and the pension age will creep up by just a year, from 65 to 66, and then not until 2020. “This must be the most conservative and anti-reform economic programme we have had in the past 40 years,” says Sweder van Wijnbergen, professor of economics at the University of Amsterdam.
And despite the professed radical liberalism of both the VVD and Mr Wilders, there is a whiff of social conservatism to their vision for the country. Nobody questions issues such as euthanasia, abortion or gay marriage, considered to be private matters, but this liberal spirit will not extend to the public space—the famous coffee shops of Amsterdam will become members-only clubs closed to foreigners. The ranks of the police will grow by 3,000, a policy which will please Mr Wilders.
Under the new dispensation the Netherlands, traditionally a fairly outward-looking place, will adopt a more critical attitude towards the European Union. The government is likely to oppose Turkey’s EU membership bid, and will look sceptically on any further expansion of the club. Spending on foreign aid will be cut.
Some observers expect that the new coalition, the first minority government in modern Dutch history, will fall apart at the first hint of trouble. But the parties may hold each other in a firmer grip than some expect. They are well attuned to the concerns of Dutch voters, many of whom, outside the big cities that are frequented by tourists, are a socially conservative bunch, anxious about the economic and social changes globalisation can bring. Instead of helping them to face up to today’s challenges, the government has chosen to play upon their fears.
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Post by tufta on Oct 15, 2010 20:39:24 GMT 1
and reader's comment I liked!
JayJayV wrote:
Oct 7th 2010 4:29 GMT
Hmmm.. it seems the PvdA (the Dutch socialists) have infiltrated the Economist. Disregarding the growing public support for this coalition, stereotyping non-city dwellers, factual inconsistencies (no focus on infrastructure???), quoting a far-left economist; Come on, Economist, this is all a bit to easy.
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Post by tufta on Oct 15, 2010 20:41:27 GMT 1
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Post by pjotr on Oct 16, 2010 0:01:44 GMT 1
and reader's comment I liked!JayJayV wrote: Oct 7th 2010 4:29 GMT Hmmm.. it seems the PvdA (the Dutch socialists) have infiltrated the Economist. Disregarding the growing public support for this coalition, stereotyping non-city dwellers, factual inconsistencies (no focus on infrastructure???), quoting a far-left economist; Come on, Economist, this is all a bit to easy. Tufta, Now I have to say that I do not totally agree with Mr. JayJayV (or Mrs. JayJayV). There is truth in the article of the Economist, which I regard to be the best or one of the best European magazines. Okay it is a centre left publication, but it is good and I always enjoy reading the country sections in it. This government really isn't that rightwing as the VVD-CDA-PVV wanted it to look or be. The reason is a sort of Checkmate in the negociation period towards this coalition. Other attempts to creat a centre-left coalition and excactly this (the same coalition) earlier failed. The coalition has a very small base to depend on. The VVD had and has a very market oriented, on cut backs, reforms, less government, less spending program and aim. But the PVV has very leftwing, social-economical views, with left from the Dutch Labour (PvdA) standpoints (actually ideas like the Leftwing " populist" Socialist Party). The Leftwing program of Wilders minimalizes the rightwing character of the new cabinet. Next to the PVV you always have had the social progressive wing of the CDA, the leftwing of the Christian democratic party with *Unionists, and progressive Protestants and Catholics. The rightwing Pro-Government group in the CDA consist mainly of Southern Catholics like Maxime Verhagen and conservative protestants. The PO like VVD will not have it easy with experianced, manipulative, stubborn Christian-democratic ministers and the PVV who will watch and criticize the new government very closely. Pieter * en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christelijk_Nationaal_Vakverbond |
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Post by tufta on Oct 16, 2010 6:27:44 GMT 1
Yes, the Economist is still readable But they sometimes d publish really controvercial or starighforward slanted texts. It is the non-Polish language magazine I read the longest. I started during communism! Ages ago. I must say that although still readable generally the level of journalism has dropped there a bit. I am glad you agree in part with JayJayV! It seems he is partly right. And at the same time the article is good. It is exactly what I meant in our discussion about journalism - if we know about a slight bias we can still learn from the text. I did. And just for fun - another example of comment, rather typical when special kind of a reader does not agree with an author ;D SuperMart wrote:
Oct 14th 2010 1:43 GMT
Dear Economist, this is about the worst article about the Netherlands since you called Wouter Bos Walter. This journalist read the Volkskrant's translations for a day and uses them for his source. Makes me doubt your articles i cannot double check. Please get informed on small countries or do not comment.
Regards, Martien
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Post by pjotr on Oct 16, 2010 12:14:47 GMT 1
Pjotr, I have just read an article in The Economist about Dutch politics
More surprisingly, the government has shunned any serious attempts at structural economic reform. Mark Rutte, leader of the VVD and prime minister-in-waiting, campaigned on a pledge to revitalise the Dutch economy. But no substantial effort will be made to reform either the labour market or the inflated government-subsidised housing market. The generous pension system will remain, and the pension age will creep up by just a year, from 65 to 66, and then not until 2020. “This must be the most conservative and anti-reform economic programme we have had in the past 40 years,” says Sweder van Wijnbergen, professor of economics at the University of Amsterdam. Tufta, Sweder van Wijnbergen is a former top civil servant, secretary general of the ministry of economical affairs for two liberal ministers, first for the left liberal D66 minister Hans Wijers and later for the rightwing liberal VVD minister Annemarie Jorritsma. With the latter he could't get along well and he resigned. Before this he worked as chief economist at the Worlddbank, with as fields of interest Mexico and Latin-America between 1980 and 1992 and after the collapse of the Berlin Wall Central- and Eastern Europe. He was professor of macro-economics at the University of Amsterdam from 1992 until 1997. After his job as secretary general of the ministry of economical affairs he again became professor of economics at the University of Amsterdam. He is a member of the Labour party, but of the rightwing, market oriented social liberal wing of the social-democrats. ( He worked with market oriented liberals, and carried out VVD and D66 policies). That's the complicated thing of Dutch politics. Leftwing or centre-left political parties in government can have a quite liberal (PO) like approach to the economy, labour market, social affairs and so on. And rightwing or centre-right coalitions or parties can be more progressive in practice than they appeared to be in their electoral campains, programs and etc. Mark Rutte yesterday said that after rightwing Netherlands he also want to be the prime-minister for leftwing Netherlands (for all the Dutch people). To come to the point Sweder van Wijnbergen is a Labour man, De Volkskrant newspaper the obviously Dutch native Martien (SuperMart) mentioned is a leftwing newspaper (read by Labour, SP -" Socialist Party", GreenLeft supporters and leftwing-intellectuals). It is a good quality newspaper, but not the newspaper of the followers or critical (more objective, fair or ballanced) critics from the centrist or centre-right liberal NRC Handelsblad (my newspaper). In that you see clearly the leftwing or progressive nature of the Economist, which in my view is in the direction of New Labour of Blair. To get ballanced I read the clearly rightwing Dutch magazine * Elsevier and every now and then the German conservative * Frankfurther Allgemeine. Tufta, you have to understand that the Netherlands are spilt right now, polarised in a leftwing and rightwing camp as never befor. The government is conservative in the sense of that most ministers and state secretaries are conservatives by nature. It is a government of parties which are right of the centre, the Christian-democrats are centre-right (with a minority of 1/3 of the leftwing Christian democrats which were against this government with PVV backing, but mind you a lot of the leftwing Christian democrats endorsed this government, because they simply wanted the CDA in power, to keep inlfuence in this government. That's the complexity and multi-layered situation right now). The left and centre-right opononts of this government are waiting for this government to collapse, and they hope the fall of this government will tair down Wilders with it. * en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsevier_%28magazine%29** en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankfurter_Allgemeine_Zeitung** pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankfurter_Allgemeine_Zeitung |
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Post by tufta on Oct 16, 2010 16:58:09 GMT 1
Tufta, you have to understand that the Netherlands are spilt right now, polarised in a leftwing and rightwing camp as never befor. I will try to, Pjotr ;D I have a good training on the political splits in Poland... |
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Post by pjotr on Oct 17, 2010 1:00:04 GMT 1
Yes, the Economist is still readable But they sometimes d publish really controvercial or starighforward slanted texts. It is the non-Polish language magazine I read the longest. I started during communism! Ages ago. I must say that although still readable generally the level of journalism has dropped there a bit. Tufta, A good alternative is the Financial Times, Newsweek (It also publishes editions in Polish, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Rioplatense Spanish, Arabic, and Turkish, as well as an English language Newsweek International.) and the New York Times and Washington Post if you can get them in Warsaw? Maybe it is a general development of the last recent years that the quality of the Western press has dropped due to the decreasing level of research journalism, commercialism and cut backs in the media industry? Pieter |
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Post by tufta on Oct 17, 2010 6:55:10 GMT 1
Yes, the Economist is still readable But they sometimes d publish really controvercial or starighforward slanted texts. It is the non-Polish language magazine I read the longest. I started during communism! Ages ago. I must say that although still readable generally the level of journalism has dropped there a bit. Tufta, A good alternative is the Financial Times, Newsweek (It also publishes editions in Polish, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Rioplatense Spanish, Arabic, and Turkish, as well as an English language Newsweek International.) and the New York Times and Washington Post if you can get them in Warsaw? Maybe it is a general development of the last recent years that the quality of the Western press has dropped due to the decreasing level of research journalism, commercialism and cut backs in the media industry? Pieter Yes, we can get practically all the press in Warsaw. But the popularity of printed editions has dropped sharply since the introduction of electronic versions. In my subjective opinion New York Times, Washington Post or in fact any US-based newspaper is very weak in reporting the matters of Europe, with an exception of very few publicists. Polish edition of Newsweek after several fantastic years is now sharply diving. |
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Post by pjotr on Oct 18, 2010 0:44:08 GMT 1
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Post by tufta on Oct 18, 2010 7:14:19 GMT 1
I think that both happened - electronic versions made more people read foreign newspapers and the overall amount of readers dropped. But I am not sure, just an impression.
Yes, but isn't it normal? Before the advent of those free newspapers many people read cheap 'pre-tabloids' just to have something to put one's eye on while commuting. Most people are not that interested about working out their own view on the world. They do not need it and I say that without irony. Just two hundred years ago an average man throughout his life acquired the amount of 'news' form external world equal to the amount of news printed in the weekend edition of a major newspaper of today. And he wasn't less happy , probably. Family life, social life, own professional life, nature, religion, took his time completely.
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Post by pjotr on Oct 18, 2010 8:59:00 GMT 1
I think that both happened - electronic versions made more people read foreign newspapers and the overall amount of readers dropped. But I am not sure, just an impression. Yes, but isn't it normal? Before the advent of those free newspapers many people read cheap 'pre-tabloids' just to have something to put one's eye on while commuting. Most people are not that interested about working out their own view on the world. They do not need it and I say that without irony. Just two hundred years ago an average man throughout his life acquired the amount of 'news' form external world equal to the amount of news printed in the weekend edition of a major newspaper of today. And he wasn't less happy , probably. Family life, social life, own professional life, nature, religion, took his time completely. Tufta, Ofcourse you are right, and I am only speaking out my regret that quality newspapers and newspapers in general are struggeling to survive. Old and new publishing houses are closing down and the graphical sector is in decline. I saw that development comming in my former job as Desk Top Publisher. The written press is in a dramatic situation in the Netherlands. Cut backs, termination of employment, dropping numbers of selling. In my former job I inherited a love for printing, ink, printing press, differant seizes of papers, computer to plate and etc.  A Heidelberg printing press I saw at my former publisher Printer (publishing) company. This is the past now, and I am watching back with hapiness that I was able to do that fine job, and with melancholy, how you look back on a former position or your high school or student (art academy) years. I hope that the electronic edition, e-readers (electronic pages) and iPads will be succesful successors of the printed press.   Pieter |
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Post by tufta on Oct 18, 2010 21:07:28 GMT 1
I think that both happened - electronic versions made more people read foreign newspapers and the overall amount of readers dropped. But I am not sure, just an impression. Yes, but isn't it normal? Before the advent of those free newspapers many people read cheap 'pre-tabloids' just to have something to put one's eye on while commuting. Most people are not that interested about working out their own view on the world. They do not need it and I say that without irony. Just two hundred years ago an average man throughout his life acquired the amount of 'news' form external world equal to the amount of news printed in the weekend edition of a major newspaper of today. And he wasn't less happy , probably. Family life, social life, own professional life, nature, religion, took his time completely. Tufta, Ofcourse you are right, and I am only speaking out my regret that quality newspapers and newspapers in general are struggeling to survive. Old and new publishing houses are closing down and the graphical sector is in decline. I saw that development comming in my former job as Desk Top Publisher. The written press is in a dramatic situation in the Netherlands. Cut backs, termination of employment, dropping numbers of selling. In my former job I inherited a love for printing, ink, printing press, differant seizes of papers, computer to plate and etc. A Heidelberg printing press I saw at my former publisher Printer (publishing) company. This is the past now, and I am watching back with hapiness that I was able to do that fine job, and with melancholy, how you look back on a former position or your high school or student (art academy) years. I hope that the electronic edition, e-readers (electronic pages) and iPads will be succesful successors of the printed press. Pieter Pieter, I share your nostalgia for the old means of 'communication'. Paper books for instance is still the only acceptable form of a book for me. For my children - not at all! They don't mind reading a book on the screen, without the smell of paper, touch of paper etc. But I think the tablet will change even my attitudes. |
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Post by tufta on Oct 18, 2010 21:14:59 GMT 1
Newsweek (It also publishes editions in_________Russian___________, Not anymore. The present edtition is the last one. And the only weekly critical towards Putin and Kremlin is gone... |
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