President European Commission: Don’t be afraid, Ferd

(tekst: ingezonden)

Baroso

European Commission

Brussels

To the mayor of the municipality of Leeuwarden

Mr. Ferd Crone

Hofplein

Leeuwarden

14 – 11 – 2013

Dear Ferd,

Some weeks ago we met each other in my homeland Portugal. You were there on vacation. You told us about  your city in Friesland (Netherlands), and  its election as  European Cultural Capital 2018. As you eager to say to me, the success of Leeuwarden as ECC 2018 had to do with the special sense of community in your city, and in the whole province of Friesland. You called this phenomenon the  “mienskip”. We were really somewhat impressed. All things in Leeuwarden, we heard, are done “bottom up”, with big support of the inhabitants, and almost all the people are very content with you as mayor, and the aldermen mr.  Deinum, and mrs. Koster and Diks. I almost forgot mr. Ekhart. As for the  named mrs. Diks you said, she had been very busy with an operation of cutting the budgets for cultural organisations. It could for the international jury CC 2018 have been a little bit embarrassing to elect your city, with mrs. Diks as important representant, she  being so hostile  towards culture. So you held her out of the wind. And did this job yourself. Of course a very wise move.  In my position as president of the EC I appreciate this kind of political tactics very much.  You seemed a shrewd man to me. I certainly could learn a lot from you.  And I was thankful for your invitation to come to your city.

Germany

As you have heard of course, I now at first must go to Germany. In Germany it is economically going very good, too good, you might say, and that is a disadvantage for my beloved Portugal. I must talk with mrs. Merkel about this subject. I was planning to visit you, as second in importance, after my inspection of the situation in Berlin.

But now, today, I found a very confidential report on my desk. It was about the elections in your municipality. Your city is expanding and I congratulate you with that. Growth, is what we want, and nobody will stop us. In that matter we understand each other very well.

Disappointed

Nevertheless I was disappointed, and  really confused, when I saw the results of your elections. Of course that has nothing to do with PvdA and or VVD. Although I know Dijsselbloem (or was it the Samsom, he is not known to me as much as Jeroen; you said in Portugal you were very close to both men) and Rutte have been seen in your city, frightening the voters , and chasing them to  the ballot – box. Not even that helped enough. Of course the most Friesians and Ljouwerters are not afraid of a few national politicians. They voted by staying at home. So I am told by my assistant. Is he right?

My unhappiness is born out of the only 39,5% of the citizens of your city ,who were ready to go to the ballot-box. So 60,5% stayed at home. This shocked me really. Not because of the fact that such things happen, but because of the fact that it happens in your city. I have to ask myself now, if your stories about “mienskip”, bottom- up, enthusiasm for the ECC in the population, and your own popularity are reliable enough.

Sloppily

My personal assistant has, because of this, very confidentially gathered information about your bidbook for the ECC. He found in it for instance very positive “facts” about the  airfoil for the ECC. But he also found out that you did not organize real opinion-polls . So the question rises: has the International Jury done its work sloppily. Or was the old Englishman, president of the Jury, fooled by you? Flags is not the same as support. One of the first tasks of the Jury is to look  if there is a broad  adherence in the population for the ECC. You said there is. My assistant was very surprised,  that the party in the elections, that was the real winner, D66, was strongly opposed to the ECC. How is that possible, remembering what you told me in Portugal.

Slauerhoff

So, it seems to me, to be necessary that you inform me shortly  why the recent elections in your city were such a failure . How representative is your municipal government at this moment. That is to us important, where it  is expected from you to  make a succes of the ECC 2018. A city – government, that is built upon a  minority of the voters, is something that can lead only to trouble. And we have enough other trouble in Europe. It has to end, and  not become worse. We know  in Portugal the province of Friesland mostly through the poems of J. Slauerhoff. He wrote for instance:  “Alleen voor Friesland heb ik nog een zwak”. He was an admirer of the great Portuguese poet Camoës. My assistant found out, that Slauerhoff did not get a place in the bidbook for the ECC. In my eyes this is an “affront” (Hollande likes this word) to us. It disappoints us also very much, that in your city the shop of Slauerhoff has recently disappeared.  What have you done about that. What are you –  de facto – in general  doing with your cultural inheritance, I might ask. We were informed about your plans (or alderman Deinums) to demolish the famous  “Zalen Schaaf”. If things don’t change, our( = the EC) “ zwak” for Friesland will dwindle as snow in the sun.

Marseille

So herefore, I think it inevitable to send to you a committee  for doing research in relation to the political instability in your city, as well as  in relation to the trustworthiness of the bidbook. Last year in Maribor there were outbursts of social conflict. This year in Marseille we have problems too. Nobody is happy with these things. The news from your city is disturbing.

Cancel visit

For the moment, I have to cancel my visit to you. I will wait and see, what the committee will report to me. You can of course improve your  position through sending me some of the typical Frisian titbits (oranjekoek, woudboontjes, en dúmkes, as you called them). This you promised me anyway, but  I did’t see anything up till now. I am not happy about that either. A Friesian horse,  I would appreciate too.

Deinum

So all can come well, in the end, but  you still have a lot to do. Is it for instance true, that – as my  assistant told me – your alderman Deinum said in the campaign that without him the city was only een “pietepeuterige “ place. Is he right? Is he really such a “Macher”, as Angela Merkel would call it?  Maybe, he can bring some “flow” (his strong point, I understand) in Europe too. But be careful, Ferd, such a strong man can become easily  a threat to you. Is mrs. Koster already digging the tunnels under the “Europaplein”? We as European Commission want to have a look at it first. In general, all squares with the name of Europe, in whole Europe, have been put recently under our supervision. Too much is going wrong with these squares. We did receive letters of Leeuwarder citizens, asking for our help (protection of cultural heritage). Culture, again, mr. mayor.  Therefore, especially in the case of this “Europaplein”,  in connection with the ECC, we cannot tolerate cultural barbarities. Can there be a relation between mrs. Kosters unrelentlessness, and the deploring non- participation in the election?

Huilebalken

And mrs. Diks again, did she call her adversaries in the city-council “huilebalken” and “molenstenen om haar nek”, while she was destructing the cultural institutions? What a wild place you live in.  What exactly does that mean: huilebalken.  And does she shout at you huilebalk too, when you disagree with her? If she goes too far, throw her out. Don’t be afraid, Ferd. She seems dangerous to me. This does not mean directly, that we  want  her to be launched  into the European Parliament. That would  bring her even in our own neighbourhood. I am not ready for that.

Tilma

Anyway, where is the promised communion between you politicians in the city-council of Leeuwarden. Or Ljouwert, according to the  Friesian National Party (FNP). Mr. Pier Tilma wrote us a letter about it. Again disagreement, where we as EC expect peace and harmony. That is what you promised us.

Deep gap

Or is the communion (mienskip )only meant for the voters? In the way, of bringing applause to the government of the city? My conclusion, for the time being, must be that there is a deep gap between you ,together with your aldermen, and the simple not-voting citizen. A lot has written about that gap, you know it, dear mayor.  And you seem to have fallen in it. Even in Leeuwarden.

Potemkin

You will oblige us, when your  answer reaches us soon. About the arrival of our committee of inspection to your city, we will inform you later. It is possible, the committee will at first do some work incognito. Otherwise, we fear that new villages of Potemkin will be built. Someone like your alderman Deinum seems to me to be an expert in that field.

Respectfully, your friend

Baroso

P.s. The costly carillon of your city hall seems not be played anymore. We got some disturbing letters about that too. We expect an explanation. Your government, so it is said, is already four years silent about this strange way of doing. Your mrs. Koster is named as the functionary, responsible for what is going on.

I am afraid I have not been even complete in summing up (cultural) questions that are worrying your citizens, according to the letters we receive. With your status as ECC 2018, we are worried about these complaints. Are you, as mayor, enough vigilant, is my question. Being ECC brings about that Europe is watching you.