Name? Mark Rutte
Westphalian identity? As Dutch as they come.
Age? 53
Why is he in the news? As Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Rutte held a press conference on Covid19. It was the kind of speech that you would expect in this environment: vague on details, providing only partial analysis, and with some dark scaremongering to soften the ground for further draconian measures.
Why do we care? Well, one of us is Dutch. More importantly, we are desperate for some signs of true and courageous political leadership in the current global environment. We are still waiting.
Why should you care? All these political leaders are contributing to the current destruction wreaked upon our world by the anti-corona reactions. Every little speech of half-truths, half-baked analysis and political cowardice causes further unnecessary victims. You may only be affected in relatively minor ways (online work or classes, for example) but millions of people in an already vulnerable positions in society are in dire straits. Oh, and your own governments are also likely to have started displaying fascist tendencies.
Who else cares? Well, the Dutch population, eager for some genuine leadership in these dark times. They are still waiting.
Any further comments? The Netherlands and Rutte are not yet as advanced in totalitarian policies as, say, the Spanish or Italian governments. However, he used some very familiar tactics, stating that “large segments of the population will eventually be affected” (creating existential fears), using simplistic scenarios to lay the foundations for further policy intensification, and demanding loyalty from everyone by asking for people to unite, presumably behind everything he, as glorious leader, will decide. And, judging from the lack of push-back, the Dutch have got exactly the level of glorious leadership they deserve.
