Recently the Dutch government went down over the Afghanistan military mission, in a way only a Dutch cabinet can. Fingers were pointed, responsibilities were shunned, opportunism mixed up with historical revisionism, ‘lessons were learned’, the dust seemed to settle a bit, but stirred up again in light of the upcoming municipal elections and…not long after some back room tap dancing it has become crystal clear that the status quo will be restored between now and the new general elections in June.

However, there was one little, and dare I say it, revolutionary storm whirling around the Dutch Parliament building in The Hague…shaking things up, knocking a different kind of status quo….of course, I’m just kidding! We’re still talking about the Netherlands! Jeeeezzz…

Then again, it was a national news item (video):

Minister Donner (Social Affairs & Labor) was handed a new 3-speed bicycle as a gift last week. Now, don’t think that would instantly replace his trusty black old (some would say ‘vintage’), mint condition one-speed Gazelle bicycle. Like many of his colleagues and his predecessors he rides to work every day, and he doesn’t stop when he has to consult with the Queen at her palace.

“This is my first bike with gears. These days, with so much work to do, they will come in handy.” Acting-minister Piet Hein Donner happily accepted his new bike. “A new bicycle, a new beginning”, he stated optimistically.

The two-wheeler is a gift from the Employee Organization VNO-NCW. Chairman Bert van de Haar handed the bicycle to ‘the role model of Dutch cycling’. Donner always cycles to work from his home in Statenkwartier [neighborhood in The Hague]. The Christian Democrat does so on a very reliable model, the type of bicycle that people once called ‘the steel stallion’. “I keep it for my commute. It’s so old that it won’t get stolen’, the minister says.

He’d like to use his new bicycle (“Blimey, lights without dynamo”) for his rides between the House of Parliament and his ministry. He can’t keep the bicycle. “It probably costs more than €50. I will have to put it in the locker with all the other gifts for officials….or use it as an official departmental bicycle.” [which is most likely, as each department has a bike garage full of them]

There are 18 million bicycles in the Netherlands, says Donner’s colleague Joop Atsma. “In 2006 765.000 bicycles were stolen. It looks like that number has been going down by 100.000 each year. The next government needs to bring that number below 500.000. All new bicycles need to be registered and have chips installed. Police and parking facilitators need to be equipped with readers to track down stolen bicycles.”

So there you have it.

Often enough our leaders piss us off, disappoint us and we wish they’d just go away. But touch on a subject like this and for a brief moment they suddenly makes sense again.

This weekend, on Sinterklaas night, the well-known Amsterdam photographer Thomas Schlijper heard people argue and shout in the street. He looked out his window and decided to record this scene. This unfolded:

The local TV station AT5 ran this video on the news and stated: “The Amsterdam photographer Thomas Schlijper recorded remarkable footage this Saturday night of a very brave woman. During a fight that took place on Herengracht five boys attacked one other boy. A woman on a bicycle intervened and tried to calm things down.”

Hat off to her. And to Schlijper for exposing these thugs.