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!
I’m not sure I see what the fuss is about here.
If you go on TV and describe a famously litigious celebrity as corrupt, it’d be more surprising if they left it in than if they edited it out.
But as always, Bregman is good at promoting himself
www.theguardian.com/media/2025/n...
If you go on TV and describe a famously litigious celebrity as corrupt, it’d be more surprising if they left it in than if they edited it out.
But as always, Bregman is good at promoting himself
www.theguardian.com/media/2025/n...
Reith lecturer accuses BBC of censoring his remarks on Trump
Dutch writer Rutger Bregman says claim that Trump was ‘most openly corrupt president in US history’ was removed
www.theguardian.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:21 PM
I’m not sure I see what the fuss is about here.
If you go on TV and describe a famously litigious celebrity as corrupt, it’d be more surprising if they left it in than if they edited it out.
But as always, Bregman is good at promoting himself
www.theguardian.com/media/2025/n...
If you go on TV and describe a famously litigious celebrity as corrupt, it’d be more surprising if they left it in than if they edited it out.
But as always, Bregman is good at promoting himself
www.theguardian.com/media/2025/n...
A small but significant step: Dutch national broadcaster NOS is leaving X.
“The volume of hateful comments and disinformation on X is enormous and flows freely. This also applies under our own posts, meaning we unintentionally contribute to their spread”
over.nos.nl/nieuws/nos-p...
“The volume of hateful comments and disinformation on X is enormous and flows freely. This also applies under our own posts, meaning we unintentionally contribute to their spread”
over.nos.nl/nieuws/nos-p...
NOS plaatst vanaf vandaag geen nieuwsberichten meer op X - Over NOS
De NOS en Nieuwsuur (NOS/NTR) zijn gestopt met posten op X. Het platform past niet meer bij onze visie op...
over.nos.nl
November 25, 2025 at 11:13 AM
A small but significant step: Dutch national broadcaster NOS is leaving X.
“The volume of hateful comments and disinformation on X is enormous and flows freely. This also applies under our own posts, meaning we unintentionally contribute to their spread”
over.nos.nl/nieuws/nos-p...
“The volume of hateful comments and disinformation on X is enormous and flows freely. This also applies under our own posts, meaning we unintentionally contribute to their spread”
over.nos.nl/nieuws/nos-p...
A lovely, insightful interview of Ken Clarke by @lewisgoodall.com here, covering Attlee to Starmer and many things in between.
Working (briefly, very unimportantly) as an adviser to Ken was one of the most enjoyable parts of my career to date. A true original, and a thoroughly decent man
Working (briefly, very unimportantly) as an adviser to Ken was one of the most enjoyable parts of my career to date. A true original, and a thoroughly decent man
Was a true pleasure to go to Nottingham to interview Ken Clarke, truly the archetypal big political beast.
In an extended conversation, we talk about Reeves nightmare Budget, his long political journey and his fears for where politics might go next.
Listen 👇
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...
In an extended conversation, we talk about Reeves nightmare Budget, his long political journey and his fears for where politics might go next.
Listen 👇
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...
November 25, 2025 at 8:55 AM
A lovely, insightful interview of Ken Clarke by @lewisgoodall.com here, covering Attlee to Starmer and many things in between.
Working (briefly, very unimportantly) as an adviser to Ken was one of the most enjoyable parts of my career to date. A true original, and a thoroughly decent man
Working (briefly, very unimportantly) as an adviser to Ken was one of the most enjoyable parts of my career to date. A true original, and a thoroughly decent man
Removing doctors from decisions about whether to provide euthanizia seems crazy to me. There’s now 200 euthanasias a week in NL, with demand growing by 10% a year. No reason to think there’s huge unmet demand. And Rob Jetten’s idea that it should be used more for psychiatric cases is very troubling.
A petition calling for euthanasia to be fully decriminalised will be debated in parliament after receiving nearly 75,000 signatures.
Petition to decriminalise euthanasia receives 75,000 signatures - DutchNews.nl
A petition calling for euthanasia to be fully decriminalised will be debated in parliament after receiving nearly 75,000 signatures. Campaign group Stichting Levenseinderegie wants the decision to be…
www.dutchnews.nl
November 25, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Removing doctors from decisions about whether to provide euthanizia seems crazy to me. There’s now 200 euthanasias a week in NL, with demand growing by 10% a year. No reason to think there’s huge unmet demand. And Rob Jetten’s idea that it should be used more for psychiatric cases is very troubling.
Reposted by Ben Coates
A nice review of my new book from @dutchnewsnl.bsky.social
“Coates joins a Keti Koti parade, smokes weed, visits synagogues and revisits the site of the Bijlmermeer plane crash… he is a warm and witty guide, and it is easy to feel you are out walking with him”
www.dutchnews.nl/2025/11/the-...
“Coates joins a Keti Koti parade, smokes weed, visits synagogues and revisits the site of the Bijlmermeer plane crash… he is a warm and witty guide, and it is easy to feel you are out walking with him”
www.dutchnews.nl/2025/11/the-...
November 21, 2025 at 7:15 AM
A nice review of my new book from @dutchnewsnl.bsky.social
“Coates joins a Keti Koti parade, smokes weed, visits synagogues and revisits the site of the Bijlmermeer plane crash… he is a warm and witty guide, and it is easy to feel you are out walking with him”
www.dutchnews.nl/2025/11/the-...
“Coates joins a Keti Koti parade, smokes weed, visits synagogues and revisits the site of the Bijlmermeer plane crash… he is a warm and witty guide, and it is easy to feel you are out walking with him”
www.dutchnews.nl/2025/11/the-...
Reposted by Ben Coates
45% off! You’d be mad not to.
November 24, 2025 at 2:40 PM
45% off! You’d be mad not to.
“We lose 12,000 dads, brothers, sons and friends to this disease every year. Too many men are dying from a curable disease”
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Former PM David Cameron reveals he had prostate cancer
The former PM is calling for more men to be screened for the disease, which is the most common cancer in males in the UK.
www.bbc.com
November 24, 2025 at 9:45 PM
“We lose 12,000 dads, brothers, sons and friends to this disease every year. Too many men are dying from a curable disease”
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
In the past plutocrats built public libraries, sponsored university buildings, eradicated diseases, named hospitals after their parents. Now we get this.
Everything about this might be the saddest thing I’ve ever seen
November 24, 2025 at 8:16 PM
In the past plutocrats built public libraries, sponsored university buildings, eradicated diseases, named hospitals after their parents. Now we get this.
A study by the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research has estimated that in the first two years of the war in Gaza, between 99,997 en 125,915 Palestinians have been killed, with 27% of the dead aged under 15
www.bnr.nl/nieuws/inter...
www.bnr.nl/nieuws/inter...
Dodental Gaza veel hoger dan gedacht: meer dan 100.000 Palestijnen gedood door Israël
Uit nieuw onderzoek van het onafhankelijke Max Planck Instituut voor Demografisch Onderzoek blijkt dat de situatie waarschijnlijk een stuk schrijnender is d...
www.bnr.nl
November 24, 2025 at 6:10 PM
A study by the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research has estimated that in the first two years of the war in Gaza, between 99,997 en 125,915 Palestinians have been killed, with 27% of the dead aged under 15
www.bnr.nl/nieuws/inter...
www.bnr.nl/nieuws/inter...
Mark Rutte says Trump is bringing peace worldwide, and has already effortlessly solved conflicts in India/Pakistan, Gaza and Iran.
Careful mate, you’ll get rug burn on your knees like that
Careful mate, you’ll get rug burn on your knees like that
November 24, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Mark Rutte says Trump is bringing peace worldwide, and has already effortlessly solved conflicts in India/Pakistan, Gaza and Iran.
Careful mate, you’ll get rug burn on your knees like that
Careful mate, you’ll get rug burn on your knees like that
45% off! You’d be mad not to.
November 24, 2025 at 2:40 PM
45% off! You’d be mad not to.
Reposted by Ben Coates
I think there are good reasons for leaving X, which is why I’ve largely done so.
But a lot of people do seem blind to the downsides of leaving
As someone who earns part of my living from freelance journalism, I have seen my income plummet since moving to B.Sky. I wish this wasn’t the case, but it is
But a lot of people do seem blind to the downsides of leaving
As someone who earns part of my living from freelance journalism, I have seen my income plummet since moving to B.Sky. I wish this wasn’t the case, but it is
November 23, 2025 at 2:13 PM
I think there are good reasons for leaving X, which is why I’ve largely done so.
But a lot of people do seem blind to the downsides of leaving
As someone who earns part of my living from freelance journalism, I have seen my income plummet since moving to B.Sky. I wish this wasn’t the case, but it is
But a lot of people do seem blind to the downsides of leaving
As someone who earns part of my living from freelance journalism, I have seen my income plummet since moving to B.Sky. I wish this wasn’t the case, but it is
I spent the weekend at a wedding which was 50% Dutch and 50% Belgian and honestly, the Belgians sat on chairs and watched the dancing all night, while the Dutch were holding a breakdancing contest to the Grease soundtrack at 3am
November 24, 2025 at 8:16 AM
I spent the weekend at a wedding which was 50% Dutch and 50% Belgian and honestly, the Belgians sat on chairs and watched the dancing all night, while the Dutch were holding a breakdancing contest to the Grease soundtrack at 3am
I have found my calling.
Gonna give it all up and start a cake decorating business. Sonic the hedgehog as the specialty. 💯
Gonna give it all up and start a cake decorating business. Sonic the hedgehog as the specialty. 💯
November 23, 2025 at 8:23 PM
I have found my calling.
Gonna give it all up and start a cake decorating business. Sonic the hedgehog as the specialty. 💯
Gonna give it all up and start a cake decorating business. Sonic the hedgehog as the specialty. 💯
Satire can’t keep up with reality these days
November 23, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Satire can’t keep up with reality these days
MAGA: violently opposed to offshoring American jobs - except when it comes to memeslop politically commentary
It’s hilarious and revelatory that a bunch of giant MAGA/America First X accounts are actually based in Eastern Europe and Nigeria.
Top MAGA Influencers Accidentally Unmasked as Foreign Actors
A new feature on Elon Musk’s X has given deeper insight into the online “America First” movement.
www.thedailybeast.com
November 23, 2025 at 6:19 PM
MAGA: violently opposed to offshoring American jobs - except when it comes to memeslop politically commentary
I think there are good reasons for leaving X, which is why I’ve largely done so.
But a lot of people do seem blind to the downsides of leaving
As someone who earns part of my living from freelance journalism, I have seen my income plummet since moving to B.Sky. I wish this wasn’t the case, but it is
But a lot of people do seem blind to the downsides of leaving
As someone who earns part of my living from freelance journalism, I have seen my income plummet since moving to B.Sky. I wish this wasn’t the case, but it is
November 23, 2025 at 2:13 PM
I think there are good reasons for leaving X, which is why I’ve largely done so.
But a lot of people do seem blind to the downsides of leaving
As someone who earns part of my living from freelance journalism, I have seen my income plummet since moving to B.Sky. I wish this wasn’t the case, but it is
But a lot of people do seem blind to the downsides of leaving
As someone who earns part of my living from freelance journalism, I have seen my income plummet since moving to B.Sky. I wish this wasn’t the case, but it is
Reposted by Ben Coates
Shopping for gifts this weekend?
You know what to do 👇
You know what to do 👇
A nice review of my new book from @dutchnewsnl.bsky.social
“Coates joins a Keti Koti parade, smokes weed, visits synagogues and revisits the site of the Bijlmermeer plane crash… he is a warm and witty guide, and it is easy to feel you are out walking with him”
www.dutchnews.nl/2025/11/the-...
“Coates joins a Keti Koti parade, smokes weed, visits synagogues and revisits the site of the Bijlmermeer plane crash… he is a warm and witty guide, and it is easy to feel you are out walking with him”
www.dutchnews.nl/2025/11/the-...
November 22, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Shopping for gifts this weekend?
You know what to do 👇
You know what to do 👇
In Den Bosch, a ‘schandhuik’, or shame cloak, from 1688, decorated with rats and toads. Women who committed adultery or worked as prostitutes would be chained into it and paraded through Den Bosch before being expelled from the city forever. (There was no equivalent punishment for men, obviously)
November 23, 2025 at 8:23 AM
In Den Bosch, a ‘schandhuik’, or shame cloak, from 1688, decorated with rats and toads. Women who committed adultery or worked as prostitutes would be chained into it and paraded through Den Bosch before being expelled from the city forever. (There was no equivalent punishment for men, obviously)
Odd that the BBC keeps prominently reporting that the Dutch military tried to shoot down drones in Eindhoven. Unless I missed something this was not necessarily the case - the defence minister has made a point of not saying what measures they took
November 23, 2025 at 7:32 AM
Odd that the BBC keeps prominently reporting that the Dutch military tried to shoot down drones in Eindhoven. Unless I missed something this was not necessarily the case - the defence minister has made a point of not saying what measures they took
Shopping for gifts this weekend?
You know what to do 👇
You know what to do 👇
A nice review of my new book from @dutchnewsnl.bsky.social
“Coates joins a Keti Koti parade, smokes weed, visits synagogues and revisits the site of the Bijlmermeer plane crash… he is a warm and witty guide, and it is easy to feel you are out walking with him”
www.dutchnews.nl/2025/11/the-...
“Coates joins a Keti Koti parade, smokes weed, visits synagogues and revisits the site of the Bijlmermeer plane crash… he is a warm and witty guide, and it is easy to feel you are out walking with him”
www.dutchnews.nl/2025/11/the-...
November 22, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Shopping for gifts this weekend?
You know what to do 👇
You know what to do 👇
@johnbloorprint.bsky.social
You blocked me for a polite answer to your question?
You blocked me for a polite answer to your question?
Someones Touchy Today Amelia Jones GIF
ALT: Someones Touchy Today Amelia Jones GIF
media.tenor.com
November 21, 2025 at 4:35 PM
@johnbloorprint.bsky.social
You blocked me for a polite answer to your question?
You blocked me for a polite answer to your question?
Incredible not just that this happened, but that it’s not even a second or third tier news story, let alone something Farage will actually be held accountable for. Doesn’t make the top 15 stories on either the BBC or the Guardian! Filed under “Wales”.
November 21, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Incredible not just that this happened, but that it’s not even a second or third tier news story, let alone something Farage will actually be held accountable for. Doesn’t make the top 15 stories on either the BBC or the Guardian! Filed under “Wales”.
Particularly wild that this is happening while the PM is literally the country’s former top intelligence official!
The Netherlands talks a big game about tech sovereignty, but is now about to allow the domestic cloud provider that underpins its national digital identity system and several other critical government services to be sold off to a new American owner.
Incomprehensible.
nos.nl/artikel/2591...
Incomprehensible.
nos.nl/artikel/2591...
Zorgen in de Tweede Kamer over Amerikaanse overname van DigiD-partner
Het van oorsprong Nederlandse cloud-bedrijf Solvinity komt mogelijk in Amerikaanse handen.
nos.nl
November 21, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Particularly wild that this is happening while the PM is literally the country’s former top intelligence official!