/s3/static.nrc.nl/images/gn4/stripped/data118797806-6e0c08.jpg "TV Review | Finally the question arises: “What does Van der Burgh actually do at VVD?”")
TV Review | Finally the question arises: “What does Van der Burgh actually do at VVD?”
It’s always nice to be introduced to him. Eight news (NPO1) was surprised by the news. Just fifteen minutes before the broadcast, US President Joe Biden announced on Channel X that he was withdrawing from the election. Presenter Annechien Steenhuizen had to improvise half of it and read the other half from an A4 sheet of paper. It was a bit chaotic, especially when it came to directing the image, but reporter Marieke de Vries was able to provide first aid over the phone. Biden’s move was not at all unexpected. So the news quickly turned into a ready-made video of Biden’s best mistakes.
As the first summer guest of the year on NPO2, VVD politician Eric van der Burgh was able to comment immediately. The former foreign minister was clear about the chances of Biden’s successor: “This is a deadlock. I fear for the Democrats that the race will be close.” He smiled at that. That confused me – Trump’s seizure of power also seems to be a serious problem for the party’s spokesperson abroad. But in those three hours Summer guests And it continued, Van der Burgh’s head always glowed.
Summer guests He also had a succession problem. Following allegations of mistreatment of women, presenter Theo Maassen had to pull out in May, after which Adriaan van Dis was appointed as his replacement. However, the 77-year-old author also had to pull out for health reasons, so the VPRO interview show is running with a changing cast of veterans this season. The first presenter on Sunday was Peter van Ingen. He is 74, but his only gaffes were confusing the deceased children’s book author Tonk Dragt with her living colleague Amy Dros.
Eric van der Burgh called himself a talkative, bouncing ball. According to him, he was sometimes mistakenly seen as superficial. This judgment turned out to be the case throughout the evening. He seemed sympathetic and enthusiastic, with a blush on his cheeks, but he was not interesting enough to be interviewed for three hours on television. His choice of parts in films such as Chameleon Captain, Legally Blonde, Illusion in Les Miserables It wasn’t interesting and he didn’t have much to say about it. What was interesting to him was his asylum policy, and it was rarely discussed – he didn’t want to talk about politics.
Stumbling emotions
He summed up his social face with his documentary parts. He said that his formation was the 1977 Moluccan school kidnapping and the 1992 plane crash in Bijlmer, in which he was involved as district manager. Then he decided: “I will be there for the voiceless.” According to him, the government must stand up for people who cannot do it themselves. The question began to arise, not only for presenter Peter van Ingen: What is this socially inspiring man doing in the VVD? Van der Burgh did not see the problem. According to him, the VVD has always been there for the weakest in society. “We are the people’s party.”
They weren’t talking about politics, but now the interviewer Van Ingen had to intervene. He elegantly packaged it as a “what was on your mind” question, but asked him anyway: Why does a social liberal like Van der Burgh support the current far-right government that, among other things, plans to throw its political asylum in the trash can for a living? Van der Burgh didn’t really answer, but you could tell from his faltering agitation that he was at least having a hard time with the current government. Van Ingen didn’t elaborate. This seems to be a recurring problem with politicians as guests on TV entertainment shows: there’s no room for persuasion.
Van der Burgh turned out to be a true VVD member in his optimistic and rosy outlook on society: “A great country!” He said without batting an eyelid about the reception of asylum seekers: “Dutch society has shown its best side in many respects.” He denied that the government had neglected its duties of care, as Van Ingen had said, referring, among other things, to the issue of benefits. Optimism and hope are good things, but problems cannot be denied. Especially for those who, as former ministers, are partly responsible for these problems. Van der Burgh insisted on ending the match on a positive note: Tomorrow will be better than today. Let’s hope so.
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