Ben Coates
@bencoates1.bsky.social
Author - 'THE INVENTION OF AMSTERDAM' out now! (https://amzn.to/2QJx3bh). Writer, aid worker, speechwriter, recovering Tory. Columnist @ADnl; articles NYT, Telegraph, New Statesman, Groene Amsterdammer etc. Buy my new book, it’s good!
has anyone asked what the people who work for him think of his comments? Or what his team will look like once he’s kicked out all the people from immigrant ancestry?
February 11, 2026 at 10:07 PM
has anyone asked what the people who work for him think of his comments? Or what his team will look like once he’s kicked out all the people from immigrant ancestry?
Reposted by Ben Coates
the local council seems to have voted through the plan thinking it would use energy equivalent to maximum 5,000 households, when it’s actually 200,000
"We didn't have this fully in mind," says D66 council member Sanne de Wilde
Just an extraordinary story
How many other places have done the same?
"We didn't have this fully in mind," says D66 council member Sanne de Wilde
Just an extraordinary story
How many other places have done the same?
February 11, 2026 at 1:09 PM
the local council seems to have voted through the plan thinking it would use energy equivalent to maximum 5,000 households, when it’s actually 200,000
"We didn't have this fully in mind," says D66 council member Sanne de Wilde
Just an extraordinary story
How many other places have done the same?
"We didn't have this fully in mind," says D66 council member Sanne de Wilde
Just an extraordinary story
How many other places have done the same?
Forecast annual electricity consumption of a new data centre being built in Lelystad: 753 gigawatt hours
Current annual electricity consumption of all people and businesses in Lelystad: 402 gigawatt hours
🤯
www.nu.nl/klimaat/6385...
Current annual electricity consumption of all people and businesses in Lelystad: 402 gigawatt hours
🤯
www.nu.nl/klimaat/6385...
Datacenter slurpt straks meer stroom dan heel Lelystad, raad wist van niks
Bij Lelystad komt een datacenter dat meer stroom gaat verbruiken dan de hele stad nu doet. De gemeenteraad werd verkeerd geïnformeerd over het energieverbruik en het project van de Amerikaanse datacen...
www.nu.nl
February 11, 2026 at 1:02 PM
Forecast annual electricity consumption of a new data centre being built in Lelystad: 753 gigawatt hours
Current annual electricity consumption of all people and businesses in Lelystad: 402 gigawatt hours
🤯
www.nu.nl/klimaat/6385...
Current annual electricity consumption of all people and businesses in Lelystad: 402 gigawatt hours
🤯
www.nu.nl/klimaat/6385...
Gouda’s pubs are moving upmarket, it seems
February 11, 2026 at 12:11 PM
Gouda’s pubs are moving upmarket, it seems
is it just me or is having a phone conversation in a cafe on speaker, with your iPhone out on the table, just an absolutely deranged Dahmer-level lunatic way to behave? What’s the procedure to get someone committed?
February 11, 2026 at 9:59 AM
is it just me or is having a phone conversation in a cafe on speaker, with your iPhone out on the table, just an absolutely deranged Dahmer-level lunatic way to behave? What’s the procedure to get someone committed?
A 🇳🇱 commission analyzed 1000s of speeches in parliament, and found politicians’ hate speech leads to normalization of it.
“There is a direct correlation. A statement made in Parliament, then printed in a newspaper, then explodes on social media… [for example] when Wilders called Kaag a witch”
“There is a direct correlation. A statement made in Parliament, then printed in a newspaper, then explodes on social media… [for example] when Wilders called Kaag a witch”
February 11, 2026 at 9:35 AM
A 🇳🇱 commission analyzed 1000s of speeches in parliament, and found politicians’ hate speech leads to normalization of it.
“There is a direct correlation. A statement made in Parliament, then printed in a newspaper, then explodes on social media… [for example] when Wilders called Kaag a witch”
“There is a direct correlation. A statement made in Parliament, then printed in a newspaper, then explodes on social media… [for example] when Wilders called Kaag a witch”
Yeah maybe. I have had four beers and am reading it in a pub, so probably not the best judge
February 10, 2026 at 9:46 PM
Yeah maybe. I have had four beers and am reading it in a pub, so probably not the best judge
from AN Wilson’s book on London, which is excellent
February 10, 2026 at 8:23 PM
from AN Wilson’s book on London, which is excellent
on Oswald Mosley, and Brits never voting for fascism
February 10, 2026 at 8:23 PM
on Oswald Mosley, and Brits never voting for fascism
Ik vermoed dat een minister van Volkshuisvesting niet veel invloed zal hebben op het defensiebeleid, ook niet in de ministerraad, dus misschien is dat niet de reden waarom ze de baan heeft gekregen. Maar ja, natuurlijk ben ik waarschijnlijk dom en snap ik niet hoe iets werkt.
February 10, 2026 at 7:34 PM
Ik vermoed dat een minister van Volkshuisvesting niet veel invloed zal hebben op het defensiebeleid, ook niet in de ministerraad, dus misschien is dat niet de reden waarom ze de baan heeft gekregen. Maar ja, natuurlijk ben ik waarschijnlijk dom en snap ik niet hoe iets werkt.
(Context for the confused: his Dutch fiancée won a gold at the Olympics)
February 10, 2026 at 2:45 PM
(Context for the confused: his Dutch fiancée won a gold at the Olympics)
I have to say it is not great to see lots of the Dutch media doing their best to cheerfully promote Jake Paul, a racist scam artist who thinks Covid is a hoax, supports ICE and has been accused of multiple sexual assaults
February 10, 2026 at 2:45 PM
I have to say it is not great to see lots of the Dutch media doing their best to cheerfully promote Jake Paul, a racist scam artist who thinks Covid is a hoax, supports ICE and has been accused of multiple sexual assaults
Leuke theorie, maar kan een minister van Volkshuisvesting echt veel invloed hebben op Defensie? Ze zullen elkaar zelden zien. Ontwikkelingssamenwerking is voor haar logischer dan wonen
February 10, 2026 at 1:00 PM
Leuke theorie, maar kan een minister van Volkshuisvesting echt veel invloed hebben op Defensie? Ze zullen elkaar zelden zien. Ontwikkelingssamenwerking is voor haar logischer dan wonen
Old habits die hard!
February 10, 2026 at 12:56 PM
Old habits die hard!
February 10, 2026 at 12:17 PM
Proportion of adults with a job who work from home:
Finland 22%
Germany 13%
Netherlands 13%
Spain 7%
Poland 5%
Greece 2%
(UK figure was about 5% but pre-Covid)
Finland 22%
Germany 13%
Netherlands 13%
Spain 7%
Poland 5%
Greece 2%
(UK figure was about 5% but pre-Covid)
February 10, 2026 at 12:15 PM
Proportion of adults with a job who work from home:
Finland 22%
Germany 13%
Netherlands 13%
Spain 7%
Poland 5%
Greece 2%
(UK figure was about 5% but pre-Covid)
Finland 22%
Germany 13%
Netherlands 13%
Spain 7%
Poland 5%
Greece 2%
(UK figure was about 5% but pre-Covid)
Yes, very true. The proportion of Dutch workers who work part time is extraordinary, and pushes their number down. But it remains mildly amusing to tell Dutch people they are the laziest workers in Europe.
February 10, 2026 at 12:07 PM
Yes, very true. The proportion of Dutch workers who work part time is extraordinary, and pushes their number down. But it remains mildly amusing to tell Dutch people they are the laziest workers in Europe.
Lazy Dutch need to become more like hardworking Greeks or Italians 🙂
February 10, 2026 at 10:41 AM
Lazy Dutch need to become more like hardworking Greeks or Italians 🙂
I literally do not know a single person who works full time in an office now. Everyone spends part of the week at home, and most work part-time and also spend part of the week at home
Three in five Dutch employees can actually work from home www.dutchnews.nl?p=263411
Three in five Dutch employees can actually work from home - DutchNews.nl
Around 80% of companies in the Netherlands allowed employees to work remotely in 2025, with just over 60% of workers able to make use of the option in practice, new figures from national statistics agency...
www.dutchnews.nl
February 10, 2026 at 10:39 AM
I literally do not know a single person who works full time in an office now. Everyone spends part of the week at home, and most work part-time and also spend part of the week at home
It’s almost as if they never had any real principles at all
a man with long hair and a beard is making a funny face with the word grifft written on his face .
ALT: a man with long hair and a beard is making a funny face with the word grifft written on his face .
media.tenor.com
February 10, 2026 at 9:54 AM
It’s almost as if they never had any real principles at all
An obvious point but it is insanely weird how MAGA/populist people spent years fantsising about Bilderberg conspiracies & the existence of secret paedophile rings and now there is an actual paedophile ring run by the world’s most powerful men they just do not care at all
Secretary Howard Lutnick lied to the country about his ties to Epstein.
Now we learned that they were in business together.
He has no business being our Commerce Secretary.
He should resign.
www.politico.com/live-updates...
Now we learned that they were in business together.
He has no business being our Commerce Secretary.
He should resign.
www.politico.com/live-updates...
Howard Lutnick faces bipartisan calls to resign over latest Epstein revelations
Recently disclosed records suggest a closer relationship than the Commerce secretary previously indicated.
www.politico.com
February 10, 2026 at 9:54 AM
An obvious point but it is insanely weird how MAGA/populist people spent years fantsising about Bilderberg conspiracies & the existence of secret paedophile rings and now there is an actual paedophile ring run by the world’s most powerful men they just do not care at all