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Ben Coates @bencoates1.bsky.social · 1h

the Dutch be like

Ben Coates @bencoates1.bsky.social · 1h

“Limiting the number of international students coming to the Netherlands for a degree course could cost the Dutch economy up to €4.8 billion, five major universities have warned”

but hey, at least your waitress might speak Dutch!

Dutch News @dutchnewsnl.bsky.social · 2h

“Cutting foreign student numbers will hit Dutch economy hard” www.dutchnews.nl?p=258389

“Cutting foreign student numbers will hit Dutch economy hard”

www.dutchnews.nl

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Ben Coates @bencoates1.bsky.social · 1h

Woerden

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Ben Coates @bencoates1.bsky.social · 2h

A totally obvious point which seems to escape some people:
Brokering a ceasefire in Gaza is a very good thing but absolutely not the same as securing peace in the Middle East.
For the latter you’d deserve a Nobel; for the former less so.

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Ben Coates @bencoates1.bsky.social · 2h

It’s really quite funny that after collapsing TWICE with the departure of two out of four governing parties, the shrunken cabinet is still riven by splits and incapable of agreeing over anything.
The average BBB minister could start a fight in an empty cupboard.
nos.nl/l/2585884

VNO-NCW aan kabinet: grote zorgen over stikstofplan BBB-minister

Volgens de organisatie schaden de plannen mogelijk het ondernemingsklimaat en kunnen ze bestaande vergunningsproblemen ernstig vergroten.

nos.nl

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Ben Coates @bencoates1.bsky.social · 4h

Congratulations to all the Palestinians who will soon be on their way home!

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Ben Coates @bencoates1.bsky.social · 4h

“near the city of Wassenaar” 🤨

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Woman in Dutch beach cold case named after 21 years

An Interpol-led operation has identified German citizen Eva Maria Pommer after a police tip-off.

www.bbc.com

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Ben Coates @bencoates1.bsky.social · 13h

Great slogans of our time:

“Yes We Can”

“Get Brexit Done”

“Do you choose strong, logical well-founded plans to strengthen our economy, or do you choose parties that don’t dare make the choices necessary for a Netherlands that is ready for the future? As far as the VVD is concerned, the former!”

Maarten Hopman @maartenhopman.bsky.social · 14h

Leest lekker weg

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Ben Coates @bencoates1.bsky.social · 14h

sorry I missed the Beckham speech, sounds like a good one

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Ben Coates @bencoates1.bsky.social · 15h

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Ben Coates @bencoates1.bsky.social · 17h

Belgian police foil a plot to assassinate prime minister Bart de Wever with an IED mounted on a drone.
This is the future of terrorism, I guess.

www.rtl.nl/nieuws/buite...

'Aanslag op Belgische premier Bart de Wever verijdeld'

De Belgische politie heeft vermoedelijk een aanslag op premier Bart De Wever verijdeld. Dat melden Belgische media. Vandaag zijn drie personen aangehouden op verdenking van het beramen van een aanslag...

www.rtl.nl

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Ben Coates @bencoates1.bsky.social · 17h

It’s a tricky issue but FWIW I think I’d take the D66 approach. Confront and humiliate, rather than ignore.

(There’s also a meaningful difference between blocking a small party like FvD and a larger governing one like PVV)

bsky.app/profile/came...

Cameron Brick @cameronbrick.bsky.social · 18h

What do you think about it? I'm conflicted. Debate, yes, in general; but Volt has a point to try to avoid debating climate change with a denier. It would make little sense to debate with a Holocaust denier.

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Ben Coates @bencoates1.bsky.social · 18h

An interesting little divide riling Dutch politicos today:

One centre-left party, D66, says it’s happy to debate with team Wilders; we’re all grown ups who should be able to talk calmly

Another, Volt, refuses to “give oxygen” to parties which deny basic democratic rights, and won’t debate them

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Ben Coates @bencoates1.bsky.social · 20h

We’re becoming immune to it, but it’s worth emphasizing:

In a country generally known for its good governance and good sense, *more than a third* of all seats in parliament are set to be won by the anti-immigrant populist far right

(PVV+BBB+JA21+FvD = 52 seats, out of 150)

Ben Coates @bencoates1.bsky.social · 1d

Latest Dutch ‘poll of polls’, 20 days before election:

- Wilders still comfortably first
- centre right (CDA) and left (GLPvdA) strong second
- VVD’s pandering to the far right still woefully unpopular
- lunatic-adjacent JA21 doing v well

And only 11% of PVV voters say stable govt is important!

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Ben Coates @bencoates1.bsky.social · 23h

Youth problem? What youth problem? These young Tories look cool cool cool

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Ben Coates @bencoates1.bsky.social · 1d

A healthy brunch with @realbaddiel.bsky.social

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Ben Coates @bencoates1.bsky.social · 1d

As with past polls, the biggest surprise is lack of surprise. Despite anti-immigrant riots etc the polls are barely moving week to week. But a large number of voters still undecided so there’s potential for big shifts in the next 3 weeks

nos.nl/l/2585755

peilingwijzer.tomlouwerse.nl/methode.this

Hoe werkt de Peilingwijzer? – Peilingwijzer

peilingwijzer.tomlouwerse.nl

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Ben Coates @bencoates1.bsky.social · 1d

Latest Dutch ‘poll of polls’, 20 days before election:

- Wilders still comfortably first
- centre right (CDA) and left (GLPvdA) strong second
- VVD’s pandering to the far right still woefully unpopular
- lunatic-adjacent JA21 doing v well

And only 11% of PVV voters say stable govt is important!

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Ben Coates @bencoates1.bsky.social · 1d

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_ri...

High rising terminal - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

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Ben Coates @bencoates1.bsky.social · 1d

On the other hand, Wilders is now describing a handful of crusty students standing on a train track as “pure terror”. Seems like he scares quite easily?

a man is crying and talking on a cell phone .

ALT: a man is crying and talking on a cell phone .

media.tenor.com

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Ben Coates @bencoates1.bsky.social · 1d

Extinction Rebellion, a group which wants us to fight climate change more urgently, is blocking low-carbon public transport because it’s a part of an anti-palestine economic system, or something. Seems like maybe they haven’t thought things through.

www.ad.nl/binnenland/a...

Activisten Extinction Rebellion lopen spoor op bij Amsterdam Centraal, treinen stilgezet

De activisten van Extinction Rebellion (XR) hebben woensdagavond opnieuw treinsporen geblokkeerd. Ditmaal bij station Amsterdam Centraal. De politie is volop aanwezig op het station.

www.ad.nl

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Reposted by Ben Coates

Keith W. Dickinson @keithwdickinson.bsky.social · 2d

Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.

The Verge @theverge.com · May 26

Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry

Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.

buff.ly

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Ben Coates @bencoates1.bsky.social · 1d

Source: www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Evaluating the impact of two decades of USAID interventions and projecting the effects of defunding on mortality up to 2030: a retrospective impact evaluation and forecasting analysis

USAID funding has significantly contributed to the reduction in adult and child mortality across low-income and middle-income countries over the past two decades. Our estimates show that, unless the a...

www.thelancet.com

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Ben Coates @bencoates1.bsky.social · 1d

A study in the Lancet estimated that U.S. foreign aid cuts could cause 14 million additional deaths by 2030, including over 4.5 million children under five.

4.5 million. Children under five.

And the people doing this say they’re “pro-life”.

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 1d

i desperately want everyone involved in the destruction of USAID to have to, st the very least, answer to the american people for the suffering and misery they have caused apnews.com/article/myan...

Starving children screaming for food as US aid cuts unleash devastation and death across Myanmar

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly said “no one has died" because of his government’s decision to gut its foreign aid program.

apnews.com

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Ben Coates @bencoates1.bsky.social · 1d

Oukoopsedijk

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