Week 11 Elections have consequences
Week 11
“The trouble is, you think you have time.” Buddha
(I read an article about why we think time goes so quickly as we get older)
Probably a boring read but the water boards are part of that fascinating history of the Netherlands - the struggle against the water...
We had to vote on Wednesday
In addition to the provincial council, the 15th March election includes voting on a uniquely Dutch branch of government: the Water Boards (also elected for four year terms).
The boards cover the provinces, sometimes spanning one of more, and are the oldest form of democratically elected local government in the Netherlands. Water boards are responsible for managing dunes, dikes, quays, and levees to maintain sustainable water levels; waterway and polder water level maintenance; and water waste and pollution treatment.
The first official water board was the Hoogheemraadschap van Rijnland, which was established in 1255 by Count William II of Holland . The Water Board of Schieland dates from 1273 and that of Delfland from 1289. Count Floris decided in the 13th century that his representative in Rhineland would be called dijkgraaf.
As for the water board elections, they are the first Dutch election that most internationals are able to vote in. And even if it may seem like a somewhat obscure level of governance, in a country that is mostly below sea level, the water boards are actually extremely important: they maintain the earthen dikes and waterways that keep flood waters under control. As climate change has an increasingly significant impact on water levels and weather patterns, the water boards are more vital than ever.
The higher than expected turnout (for this election) has delayed some of the provincial election counts and that has had a knock-on effect on the water board results, the organisation said. In total, 13.3 million Dutch nationals and some 900,000 foreign nationals were able to vote for the 21 water boards. Turnout in 2019 was just 51%. The role of the water boards dates back centuries and their job is literally to manage water in their territory, a task which includes maintaining dykes and sluice gates, ensuring that water levels remain constant and that waste water is properly purified.
The voting day was also to choose representatives for the Provinces - this remains a rather obscure body - to me. In practice, my first encounter with the "Province" was to have their "Schoonheids Commissie" (Beauty Commission) take 6 weeks to determine what colour our window frames could be - as part of our first major building works - around 1997.
In the latest election (the voters in) all 12 provinces overwhelmingly voted for the Boer Burger Beweging (BBB) (Farmer Citizen Movement). (Apparently, this election in the provinces determines the make-up of the Senate)
They also gained considerable representation on the Water Boards.
The main plank of the BBB is that there will be absolutely no compulsory buy out of farmers. (This was the Governments proposal in order to meet the EU mandated Nitrogen Oxide levels by 2030).
A few weeks ago, I wrote that I thought that the farmers were winning the argument - with their protests and organisation - but no one had expected such a huge result at the ballot box.
The Govt. estimate was that 11000 farms would have to cease operations if the Nitrogen levels were to be attained. So that begs the question now "what about meeting the EU requirements?". (They were specifically related to conservation of Natura 2000 areas -)
Natura 2000
- Stretching over 18% of the EU’s land area and more than 8% of its marine territory, Natura 2000 is the largest coordinated network of protected areas in the world. It offers a haven to Europe's most valuable and threatened species and habitats.
https://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/index_en.htm
...and, as if that's not enough to worry about...
Every year, ahead of the summer season, water quality for swimming is rated (apparently?) - the Netherlands has the worst quality in Europe.
A high level of urbanisation adds to the pressure. Problems related to the management of swimming waters in cities include pollution from upstream, overflows from sewers during heavy rains, untreated sewage from ships and boats, sudden surface runoff from paved areas, built-up water banks with insufficient vegetation and narrowed riverbeds.
Now, relating this back to the election result...
The Water Boards also control the water table levels - the farmers want the water table lower so that they have more land for farming...
The farmers thought that they were being unfairly singled out - the building industry is also an extremely large producer of nitrous oxide. As the Provinces (and Local Councils) determine building permits - the BBB will now have influence over building permits (for the 900,000 new houses required, for example). (The building industry had also been targeted for reductions - which resulted in a slow-down of building projects).
The BBB is seen as far right (but not as bad as the anti-establishment Geert Wilders and Thierry Baudet parties). The Prime Minister (Rutte) (mostly right-wing) suggested that they might still be able to govern with a coalition of the left - which prompted an outcry from the BBB that "that would be scandalous - you should be listening to the message just given by the people" (words to that effect).
Perhaps the message is more one of discontent with...just about everything, really. Energy prices, food prices, fuel prices (the outrageous cost of owning a car), nitrous oxide, climate control, the war, inflation.
At least it will be interesting to see if the BBB have anything to offer - the responsibilty of being "for" something might be totally different...rather than simply being "against" something.
The Natura 2000 thing is quite a big deal. The Netherlands is already legally committed to it - so, walking away from it will have consequences - not to mention the adverse effect of the continuing nitrogen oxide problem.
It's been interesting to see the (very effective) emotional campaign for the farmers - the national flag flying upside down just about everywhere, cars driving around with a typical "farmer's handkerchief" attached, signs protesting that "without farmers there will be no food". I have yet to learn what they want instead of the nitrogen reductions - it seems to me like another exercise in climate denial. ie Nitrogen Oxide Deniers?
Reading about the Natura 2000 project led me to other information - some of which made me question if the BBB people have even read any of this???
Netherlands, Co-Host of the UN 2023 Water Conference
Too many "musts" and "shoulds" for my liking, but interesting reading nonetheless...
https://turningthetide.watercommission.org/
(I've written before that when I first came here, I wondered where the water storages were? ie the Ord River, the Thompson Dam, the Snowy Mountains Project - ha! there aren't any - the Ijjselmeer is fresh water and was cited as a water reserve in the drought of 2018). So, even here water storage might have to become a thing...
First, we must invest urgently in freshwater storage systems, which have been depleted to the point of being greatly inadequate even in meeting today’s needs. Groundwater reserves are in critical danger in several regions in the Global South as well as in Europe, underscoring the urgent need to protect natural storage systems.
The Global Commission on the Economics of Water (GCEW) is redefining the way we value and govern water for the common good. It is presenting the evidence and the pathways for changes in policy, business approaches and global collaboration to support climate and water justice, sustainability, and food-energy-water security. The Commission is convened by the Government of the Netherlands and facilitated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It was launched in May 2022 with a two-year mandate. The GCEW is executed by an independent and diverse group of eminent policy makers and researchers in fields that bring novel perspectives to water economics, aligning the planetary economy with sustainable water-resource management. Its purpose is to make a significant and ambitious contribution to the global effort to spur change in the way societies govern, use and value water.
From the Euobserver (about AI)
(Coincidentally, This Week In Google had a discussion this week on the same subject)
Brussels is currently at a crossroads for dealing with the enormously important questions about the role we see for AI in our society and, importantly, where we need to draw red lines.
It has been almost two years since the European Commission published draft legislation to regulate AI systems, and discussions in the EU institutions are now reaching the critical stage. The European Parliament will finally set out in the next few weeks what it thinks the AI Act should do.
The ball is now in the camp of the European Parliament. This new AI law is a great opportunity for the EU to foster and lead on socially valuable innovation. It should ban technology which can cause serious harm. It should put consumers, citizens, and democracies at the front and centre in the AI age. ChatGPT isn't the only AI application coming our way.
And perhaps this is the real threat of social media: it does not necessarily make us lonelier or angrier or more selfish or more spiteful — it simply enables the lonely and angry and selfish and spiteful to self-organize and be heard like never before.
The Boat
Still learning: I had always thought these were either one or the other - but now I find out that they are actually meant to complement each other :)
I think I am just in time to save the timber trim on the inside of the hatch. It is now dry at least.
A creative use for an old cooking pot!
Boeke had a haircut...
He said he met some nice people and had a good time...including bareback horse riding!
“The trouble is, you think you have time.” Buddha
(I read an article about why we think time goes so quickly as we get older)
Probably a boring read but the water boards are part of that fascinating history of the Netherlands - the struggle against the water...
We had to vote on Wednesday
In addition to the provincial council, the 15th March election includes voting on a uniquely Dutch branch of government: the Water Boards (also elected for four year terms).
The boards cover the provinces, sometimes spanning one of more, and are the oldest form of democratically elected local government in the Netherlands. Water boards are responsible for managing dunes, dikes, quays, and levees to maintain sustainable water levels; waterway and polder water level maintenance; and water waste and pollution treatment.
The first official water board was the Hoogheemraadschap van Rijnland, which was established in 1255 by Count William II of Holland . The Water Board of Schieland dates from 1273 and that of Delfland from 1289. Count Floris decided in the 13th century that his representative in Rhineland would be called dijkgraaf.
As for the water board elections, they are the first Dutch election that most internationals are able to vote in. And even if it may seem like a somewhat obscure level of governance, in a country that is mostly below sea level, the water boards are actually extremely important: they maintain the earthen dikes and waterways that keep flood waters under control. As climate change has an increasingly significant impact on water levels and weather patterns, the water boards are more vital than ever.
The higher than expected turnout (for this election) has delayed some of the provincial election counts and that has had a knock-on effect on the water board results, the organisation said. In total, 13.3 million Dutch nationals and some 900,000 foreign nationals were able to vote for the 21 water boards. Turnout in 2019 was just 51%. The role of the water boards dates back centuries and their job is literally to manage water in their territory, a task which includes maintaining dykes and sluice gates, ensuring that water levels remain constant and that waste water is properly purified.
The voting day was also to choose representatives for the Provinces - this remains a rather obscure body - to me. In practice, my first encounter with the "Province" was to have their "Schoonheids Commissie" (Beauty Commission) take 6 weeks to determine what colour our window frames could be - as part of our first major building works - around 1997.
In the latest election (the voters in) all 12 provinces overwhelmingly voted for the Boer Burger Beweging (BBB) (Farmer Citizen Movement). (Apparently, this election in the provinces determines the make-up of the Senate)
They also gained considerable representation on the Water Boards.
The main plank of the BBB is that there will be absolutely no compulsory buy out of farmers. (This was the Governments proposal in order to meet the EU mandated Nitrogen Oxide levels by 2030).
A few weeks ago, I wrote that I thought that the farmers were winning the argument - with their protests and organisation - but no one had expected such a huge result at the ballot box.
The Govt. estimate was that 11000 farms would have to cease operations if the Nitrogen levels were to be attained. So that begs the question now "what about meeting the EU requirements?". (They were specifically related to conservation of Natura 2000 areas -)
Natura 2000
- Stretching over 18% of the EU’s land area and more than 8% of its marine territory, Natura 2000 is the largest coordinated network of protected areas in the world. It offers a haven to Europe's most valuable and threatened species and habitats.
https://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/index_en.htm
...and, as if that's not enough to worry about...
Every year, ahead of the summer season, water quality for swimming is rated (apparently?) - the Netherlands has the worst quality in Europe.
A high level of urbanisation adds to the pressure. Problems related to the management of swimming waters in cities include pollution from upstream, overflows from sewers during heavy rains, untreated sewage from ships and boats, sudden surface runoff from paved areas, built-up water banks with insufficient vegetation and narrowed riverbeds.
Now, relating this back to the election result...
The Water Boards also control the water table levels - the farmers want the water table lower so that they have more land for farming...
The farmers thought that they were being unfairly singled out - the building industry is also an extremely large producer of nitrous oxide. As the Provinces (and Local Councils) determine building permits - the BBB will now have influence over building permits (for the 900,000 new houses required, for example). (The building industry had also been targeted for reductions - which resulted in a slow-down of building projects).
The BBB is seen as far right (but not as bad as the anti-establishment Geert Wilders and Thierry Baudet parties). The Prime Minister (Rutte) (mostly right-wing) suggested that they might still be able to govern with a coalition of the left - which prompted an outcry from the BBB that "that would be scandalous - you should be listening to the message just given by the people" (words to that effect).
Perhaps the message is more one of discontent with...just about everything, really. Energy prices, food prices, fuel prices (the outrageous cost of owning a car), nitrous oxide, climate control, the war, inflation.
At least it will be interesting to see if the BBB have anything to offer - the responsibilty of being "for" something might be totally different...rather than simply being "against" something.
The Natura 2000 thing is quite a big deal. The Netherlands is already legally committed to it - so, walking away from it will have consequences - not to mention the adverse effect of the continuing nitrogen oxide problem.
It's been interesting to see the (very effective) emotional campaign for the farmers - the national flag flying upside down just about everywhere, cars driving around with a typical "farmer's handkerchief" attached, signs protesting that "without farmers there will be no food". I have yet to learn what they want instead of the nitrogen reductions - it seems to me like another exercise in climate denial. ie Nitrogen Oxide Deniers?
Reading about the Natura 2000 project led me to other information - some of which made me question if the BBB people have even read any of this???
Netherlands, Co-Host of the UN 2023 Water Conference
Too many "musts" and "shoulds" for my liking, but interesting reading nonetheless...
https://turningthetide.watercommission.org/
(I've written before that when I first came here, I wondered where the water storages were? ie the Ord River, the Thompson Dam, the Snowy Mountains Project - ha! there aren't any - the Ijjselmeer is fresh water and was cited as a water reserve in the drought of 2018). So, even here water storage might have to become a thing...
First, we must invest urgently in freshwater storage systems, which have been depleted to the point of being greatly inadequate even in meeting today’s needs. Groundwater reserves are in critical danger in several regions in the Global South as well as in Europe, underscoring the urgent need to protect natural storage systems.
The Global Commission on the Economics of Water (GCEW) is redefining the way we value and govern water for the common good. It is presenting the evidence and the pathways for changes in policy, business approaches and global collaboration to support climate and water justice, sustainability, and food-energy-water security. The Commission is convened by the Government of the Netherlands and facilitated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It was launched in May 2022 with a two-year mandate. The GCEW is executed by an independent and diverse group of eminent policy makers and researchers in fields that bring novel perspectives to water economics, aligning the planetary economy with sustainable water-resource management. Its purpose is to make a significant and ambitious contribution to the global effort to spur change in the way societies govern, use and value water.
From the Euobserver (about AI)
(Coincidentally, This Week In Google had a discussion this week on the same subject)
Brussels is currently at a crossroads for dealing with the enormously important questions about the role we see for AI in our society and, importantly, where we need to draw red lines.
It has been almost two years since the European Commission published draft legislation to regulate AI systems, and discussions in the EU institutions are now reaching the critical stage. The European Parliament will finally set out in the next few weeks what it thinks the AI Act should do.
The ball is now in the camp of the European Parliament. This new AI law is a great opportunity for the EU to foster and lead on socially valuable innovation. It should ban technology which can cause serious harm. It should put consumers, citizens, and democracies at the front and centre in the AI age. ChatGPT isn't the only AI application coming our way.
And perhaps this is the real threat of social media: it does not necessarily make us lonelier or angrier or more selfish or more spiteful — it simply enables the lonely and angry and selfish and spiteful to self-organize and be heard like never before.
The Boat
Still learning: I had always thought these were either one or the other - but now I find out that they are actually meant to complement each other :)
So, first the black and then a layer of the copper colour, which gives a smoother finish...
I went to the boat this morning - easy 25 minute drive on a Sunday morning....
...and put some (more) anti rust stuff on the main hatch. The last lot seemed to have worked ok - ha! I have about 4 different varieties of rust killer :)
I now have to wait until 14 April to go in the shed to paint the bottom and put the hatch back on - and then back in the water to sort out an ongoing problem with the motor - hopefully under warranty.
Around the farm...
I often joke with my my helper Tjeerd that it is "weer een verassingsdag" - another surprise day - because we end up doing things that hadn't been thought of or planned.
One of the apartments had fungus growing inside one of the doors!
I had repaired it once, probably 10 years ago - but everything rots over here, so it was time to do it again...
...and even this is a temporary fix - we have a couple of new doors ready to go - just have to fit some double glazing to them.
...and the next surprise was to remove an old exhaust hood - first installed 23 years ago for our refugees
Lucas had his 60th Birthday!
Ben having the time of his life in Mexico...
He had mostly been doing his freelance copywriter work but he had an offer of some modelling work - didn't pay much but he had a 5 hour train ride and a hotel provided - to model cowboy hats !!
He said he met some nice people and had a good time...including bareback horse riding!
...and then on Saturday, a balloon flight...
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