I travel all over the Netherlands, but I don’t see a crisis with refugees. What I do see is a shortage of workers in nearly every sector. We need people.
Besides, the number of refugees arriving is already decreasing. And let’s not forget: we often share responsibility for the very conditions they’re fleeing.
The real challenge isn’t about who comes here—it’s about how we keep this country moving forward. Strangers become a lot less strange once you know them. And today, with the internet in your pocket, there’s no excuse not to.
The hysteria around turning people into enemies is beyond stupid. We’ve lived in a globalized world for decades—pretending we can return to some mythically pure, homogeneous society is a joke. Who are we fooling?
After 25 years of political grandstanding—mostly under right-wing governments—one thing is clear: populism doesn’t solve anything. It just hits pause.