Oligarchy in the polder

Linear thinking is limited, black and white, less attention for the other person (s). Most pro-democratic and / or social parties can make a significant contribution to a future oligarchy through linear thinking. How?

I was locally active for a political party 5 years ago. One of the dangers I warned about at that time, I already encountered 2 times in the news in the past few weeks, although splintered, but the danger I saw then is now lurking. For that reason I write this piece.

It is about three topics:

  1. The chosen mayor
  2. Formation of National Police versus BOAs
  3. Current Nationalist, Linear, Political “Right” -, Exclusion culture

From a linear point of view these topics are carefully discussed with attention and policy.

The chosen mayor has been on the agenda for years and is even a showpiece of D66. D66 is happy that it will finally happen. And for the sake of fairness, linearly, I can not say much about it either.
The same applies to the National Police. I myself have been allowed to walk around for a while and saw a very successful change given the size and culture of the organization, the police man of whom we expect other things in the current and future time and the efficient and innovative power that is increasingly present. Every change hurts.
From that Police many tasks were replaced by BOAs. Within the National Police and to municipalities. Police officers became BOAs and many BOAs always wanted to become policemen. The differences were mostly in training and weapon equipment (and pay scale and uniform).

Dehumanise, traditions, do not ask questions
The current Netherlands has a strong nationalistic character. Condemnation, Dehumanisation, Exclusion occurs more and more often on the basis of color, origin, income, love, beliefs or beliefs. People want to prevent compulsion and, if necessary, with violence, that changes take place. Stick to traditions (zwarte piet, beliefs). They do not want movement. People judge, ask no questions, make no knowledge, keep thinking in the box. Black and white. Next. A leader.

From a circular point of view, these issues can cause a disaster for democracy.

For the emergence of a municipality of the police (BOAs) that now have limited weapon equipment, but that need more and other weapons. These BOAs do not go to a police academy, but follow a course. These are not police officers. These BOAs are employed by the municipality. They are controlled by the mayor. The municipal police is the enforcement of the mayor. What happens if the mayor is elected? The chosen mayor by the population? At this time?

Someone who does well in the media or makes empty promises, has money for his electorate, comes to power in a village or city that has its own armed municipal police and gets more and more control over what the money in the municipality is spent on ( transition decentralization to municipality).

Our national government will increasingly start to play a connecting role between municipal politics and European politics. The mayors get an increasingly important role in the Netherlands.
I hold my breath for these developments. Because ideas are good apart from each other. But place them in the current time, next to the other developments and look at the trends.

It is not about achieving your objective, it is about seeing whether your objective is still relevant in the current climate and context. Think more circular!