THE PEOL MAY SAY: That schoolmaster tone of Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Minister Ferdinand Grapperhaus (Justice, CDA) at the press conference on Monday? That was a thoughtful choice of the crisis team, describe NRC chief Den Haag Guus Valk and Floor Rusman. And this was not only addressed to groups that did not comply with the corona advice yet, but also as a signal to all Dutch people who had annoyed themselves by this behaviour. This is a recurring trend: remarkably often the Cabinet tries to stand alongside the population. The mission: to emphasise that, although this is unprecedented strict policy, it is a policy that the people support. “It's a fight against the disaster, but it's also a struggle for legitimacy,” explains Professor of Public Administration Paul't Hart.

When Minister Ferd Grapperhaus (Justice and Security, CDA) announced more stringent measures to combat coronavirus last Monday, nearly 7.5 million people looked through NOS and RTL. In the crisis team, this number was shared with satisfaction a day later. Grapperhaus had strongly addressed Dutch people who had gone to parks, beaches and shopping centers that weekend because of their “sloppy, laconic and therefore antisocial way of dealing with measures”. According to a member of the team, it was a national “moment of intrusion”.


Are the bastards listening?