"I think it’s quite sick, frankly,” said Sigrid Kaag, a former UN diplomat who until recently helmed Democrats 66 (D66), a progressive, socially liberal and pro-European party in the Netherlands. “The tone and the intimidation and the easy threats that are issued via social media against a broad range of people serving in the public domain … it’s become so rampant that I really feel it’s up to politicians to draw a line in the sand.”
Earlier this year Kaag, 61, announced she had decided to step down rather than lead her party in the Netherlands’ upcoming general elections. At the time she pointed to the toll that the years of “hate, intimidation and threats” had taken on her husband and children. “I just couldn’t do this to them again,” she said.
Her departure adds to the growing list of high-profile female politicians who have turned their backs on politics, from Finland’s Sanna Marin to Scotland’s Mhairi Black.
Politics really is fucked these days, huh?
I’m actually a bit hopefull with the rise of NSC and PvdA/GL. The prime minister from the last 13 years has decided to quit next election so that’s good too. The FVD has gone so far off the rails that it’s costing them a significant amount of votes and many of their members have split off into smaller parties.
@qaz @photonic_sorcerer #Volt all the way but yeah, those two are positives
Voted volt last time and probably will do so again.