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Dirk Vandebergh expressed sharp criticism of a person whom he referred to with an insulting term. He wrote that, in his opinion, that person could go further and had no decency or moral sense, and asked what should be done with someone like that. https://t.co/UFrVj7wNnx #triest #moreel #fatsoen (translated)

What Are We Busy With? wrote to Ed Nijpels, Pauwen de Wit, and WNL Today that Halsema found it arrogant and morally superior again. According to the account, she did not act as a mother to the citizens but as the chairperson of an activist organization. It also encouraged Nijpels to take another sip. #Halsema #Politiek #Arrogantie (translated)

Max von Kreyfelt stated in his column that the government should first cut its own spending before asking citizens to be frugal. He cited the renovation of the Binnenhof as an example: it was estimated in 2015 to cost 475 million euros, but according to him, the costs had risen to at least 2.7 billion euros by 2026. He wrote that the Court of Audit had called the original estimate unrealistically low. Von Kreyfelt urged ministries to demonstrate what their expenditures yielded. He mentioned European contributions, nitrogen policy, climate programs, migration, and development aid, and asked what problem was being solved, at what cost, and when funding would stop. He also suggested that it should first be demonstrated at 2.5 percent of GDP what Defense could purchase, organize, and staff. According to him, the NATO agreement for 2035 required 5 percent: at least 3.5 percent for defense and a maximum of 1.5 percent for broader security. He wrote that Donald Trump had requested 5 percent. The columnist also criticized the use of consultants and administrative layers. According to him, budget deficits could arise from overly ambitious promises, poor estimates, and too few cuts, and these did not prove that citizens were paying too little. He concluded that the government needed to shrink first. https://t.co/V2P6pFuNy1 #Overheid #Financiën #Soberheid (translated)

The transport sector staff keeps the world moving. They deserve respect, fair pay, safe working conditions, and a strong union. Employers organize their activities across borders. Therefore, we must also collaborate, disregarding borders," emphasized Frank Moreels. #ITF #transport #syndicat (translated)

Sander Sassen wrote that Rob Jetten's call for all possible support for Ukraine amounted, in his view, to prolonging a war of attrition. He argued that the front line barely moved, that the Russian economy had adapted, and that Western munitions stocks and political support were finite. According to Sassen, diplomatic solutions were wrongly dismissed as a sign of weakness. Sassen referred to Ukrainian estimates of more than 1.5 million Russian dead and wounded and to Western analyses, including those from CSIS, which he claimed spoke of hundreds of thousands of casualties and over one hundred thousand deaths in Ukraine. He argued that the war constituted a demographic disaster for both countries and that further pressure from sanctions and weapons would result in more casualties. Negotiations, according to Sassen, were not capitulation but the way to end the war. He claimed that a full Ukrainian recapture of the borders of 1991 was militarily unrealistic without direct NATO intervention, risking a war with Russia. He advocated for territorial compromises, likely along the current front line, security guarantees for the remaining Ukraine, and an end to mobilization. He noted that Ukrainian men were forcibly taken off the streets in this process. Sassen acknowledged that such compromises would feel unjust and could reward aggression, but argued that they were better than continuing the current bloodshed. He accused Jetten and like-minded individuals of blocking serious diplomacy and urged the Prime Minister to immediately pursue a diplomatic solution. #Oorlog #Diplomatie #Vrede (translated)

Oscar Hammerstein wrote that intimidation and hate-mongering at Dam Square, in his opinion, undermined the freedom that is commemorated there. He argued that disgust and outrage were not enough and that leaders must set and enforce boundaries. According to him, moral authority was demonstrated by the willingness to act, not by the sharpness of statements. https://t.co/PvRsApoJEQ #vrijheid #respect #samenleving (translated)

A former woke teacher wrote that MP Nicole Moinat described, according to them, an established order that had lost its moral compass. The teacher stated that criminal organizations were recruiting very young people for explosions, drug trafficking, and assassinations because, according to them, juvenile offenders were hardly punished. In The Hague, according to the teacher, young criminals were primarily seen as victims of their circumstances. The teacher criticized explanations of crime based on disadvantage, personal problems, and a difficult childhood, because those explanations, according to them, obscured the responsibility of the offenders. The teacher also stated that the compassion for offenders was greater than the concern for victims. Young people deserved a second chance, according to them, but it should not outweigh the safety of society. The teacher wrote that the government, out of fear of appearing inhumane, no longer dared to set limits and that the consequences of this were borne by people who obeyed the law. #rechtstaat #criminaliteit #veiligheid (translated)

Bart Schut asked Prime Minister Jetten if he would also commemorate the millions of German citizens who, according to Schut, were killed by Allied forces during World War II on May 4. Schut said that Jetten, his party, and the cabinet did not have a moral compass according to him and called the cabinet ultra-hypocritical and anti-Zionist. #TweedeWereldoorlog #geschiedenis #moreelkompas (translated)

David wrote that the Dutch Prime Minister had, three years after October 7, mentioned Hamas victims and Israeli civilian casualties in the same breath. According to David, this created the impression that the perpetrator and the response were morally equivalent. He called the statement unworthy and said that the Prime Minister did not speak on his behalf. #NietMijnPremier #Politiek #Hamas #Israël (translated)

King Willem-Alexander has served the Netherlands by offering apologies for the role of the royal family in the history of slavery, which is not only morally necessary but also proves to be strategically important in the changing geopolitical landscape. #slavernijverleden #excuses #koningshuis (translated)

In an opinion piece, Niels Roelen, a former military, advocates for a consistent approach to moral responsibilities in warfare and states that the Israeli forces, despite their claims of acting morally, tolerate fatal collateral damage based on assumptions, which constitutes a violation of the principles of self-defense. #Oorlog #Ethiek #Zelfverdediging (translated)

Isa Yusibov wrote that he had shared the photo of Vasyl Shtefko earlier, when Dutch experts claimed in March 2022 that Zelenskiy needed to cede territory for peace. Shtefko lost both his legs in 2004 and registered to defend Ukraine after the Russian invasion, according to Yusibov. He criticized the Dutch peace movement for claiming from a safe position that resistance is pointless and that Ukraine should make peace with Russia. Yusibov wrote that Shtefko stood more morally firm than those who presented capitulation as pacifism. According to him, the peace movement advocated not for peace, but for surrender to Putin, paid for with other people's land, freedom, and lives, in the naïve hope that this would make the world safer. #Oekraïne #Vrede #Verzet (translated)

Incredible @helenestafleu. Anyone who has the discipline to save, to deny themselves things, and to postpone purchases, has absolutely no moral obligation to share the reserve they have built up with those who have not shown that discipline. Come on, that's the reverse world! For the saver, this meant less often, or not at all, going on vacation, a cheaper car, not getting a new phone every year, not eating out regularly but just at home at the dining table, living more frugally, making second-hand purchases instead of new, etc. It is a choice with a price: you deny yourself things so that you have a buffer later, for when things go wrong, when unforeseen expenses arise, but also to be able to live more comfortably in old age. Those who are not willing to make that effort and pay that price have no right to someone else's savings. Do you realize that when you label the unwillingness to share built-up savings as 'petty,' you are actually mocking the discipline and self-control that savers have shown? Is this perhaps because you yourself have not been able to muster this discipline, Helene? People who save generally also handle their own setbacks, do not rely on social services when times are tough, and show that they are morally made of the right stuff. What you are doing here, trying to instill a sense of shame in savers, as if the saver is a miser and the non-saver is a victim, is truly dishonorable, petty, and small-minded. Ugh! #sparen #discipline #zelfbeheersing (translated)

Incredible @helenestafleu. Someone who has the discipline to save, to deny themselves things, and to postpone purchases absolutely does not have a moral obligation to share that accumulated reserve with those who have not exhibited that discipline. Come on, that's the opposite world! For the saver, this meant less frequent vacations, a cheaper car, not getting a new phone every year, not regularly dining out but just eating at the dining table at home, living more frugally, making second-hand purchases instead of new ones, etc. It's a choice with a price: you deny yourself things so that you have a buffer later, in case things go wrong, when unexpected costs arise, but also to be able to live more comfortably in your old age. Those who are not willing to make that effort and pay that price have no right to the accumulated savings of another. Do you realize that as soon as you label the unwillingness to share accumulated savings as 'small-minded,' you are actually mocking the discipline and self-control that savers have exhibited? Is it perhaps because you have not been able to muster this discipline yourself, Helene? People who save generally also cope with their own setbacks, do not rely on social services when things go wrong, and show moral character in that respect. What you are doing here, trying to instill a sense of shame in savers, as if the saver is a miser and the non-saver is a victim, is truly dishonorable, narrow-minded, and small-minded. Yuck! #sparen #disciplinedelevensstijl #financieelgezond (translated)