![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/pieternijmeijer/Eq371iuiFStReVGda8cc6k2rAtZNn6KNJmuJ5zacTQFqR6jbkhcK2n9tcwTvwGZ8JBL.png)

Hello Hivers,

First off, it's been a while; when I saw that my last written article was dubbed 'a month ago', I realized it was time to do some writing once again. I look around me on this platform, and seeing people post with clockwork regularity every day or once every few days, and I simply cannot keep up with that type of online connectivity. I've never been one for social media and the regularly updating that goes along with it, and sometimes it shows. Recent books I've read didn't really warrant a review in my opinion, even though most of them were good. I feel that for me to write a review about them, I'd need to have something of note/value to add to them myself; if that isn't possible, then I probably don't bother.

But this isn't a book review, but a thought-piece about current events in the Netherlands, and about Europe overall. And it will be about everyone's favourite subject (insert sarcasm here); Covid-19. I preferred it when political talk was about something else than this. But when the mainstream has reduced it to basically its only talking point, it's sometimes necessary to go along with the flow.

**A turn in the tide?**

To get to the crux of what I wanted to talk about in this article: public opinion in the Netherlands, and seemingly a large part of Europe, has taken a large swing regarding covid-19. More specifically, a swing in opinion about the necessity of measures that affect society in a large way. By this I mean lockdowns (which the Netherlands did once again for a month a short while ago), the necessity of a QR-code pass system, view on vaccination, etc.

All contentious issues, which all have had their proponents and opponents since the start of the whole matter two years ago. That people are getting sick of it all (appropriate choice of words), is something I can completely understand. Yet the media and the political scene seem to agree with this growing group of people, all of a sudden, after two years of stonewalling any sceptical sentiment regarding this pandemic (or 'pandemic'). And I cannot, for the life of me, figure out why this is, exactly.

To zoom in towards the Dutch scene specifically: the lockdown ended, many venues are able to stay open longer again, keeping distance and masks are being phased out in many venues. With the important asterisk that the QR-system is essentially still in place, which might be the end-goal of this whole ordeal, but more on that later. The campaign to get everyone vaccinated for a third time is not going smoothly; they seem to lose quite the amount of people with this round, who have gone twice but are now seriously doubting this pharmaceutical experiment.

Why the softening from the side of politics? Why the sudden space for sceptics deriding the measures as ineffective in the media, where these voices have been in exile for two years? The more cynical man in me would say: electoral politics. There are municipal elections in March, so if the ruling parties would keep everyone basically in lockdown, the election would become a referendum on the measures, and this would cost the current coalition dearly. So, to prevent this from happening, they put their foot off the gas for a while, to improve their own chances. A friend of mine pointed out that this exact scenario happened a year ago, with the national election as well: evening curfew then was cancelled, and other measures were relaxed, only to increase in severity again right after the vote.

Perhaps that is simply it, but the Dutch reaction does match a wider trend in Europe; Britain seems to have thrown many measures out the window, Sweden and Denmark are almost back to 2019-standards, and many more examples can be found, with Austria playing a very discordant note with their compulsory vaccination law.

**What's the way forward?**

So, to recap some of the points made thus far:
-Public opinion seems to turn against Covid-related measures in Netherlands and Europe
-This is visible through reduced vaccination grades etc.
-Politics and media go along, perhaps because of election troubles otherwise

So where do we go from here? Are the reduced measures a more permanent situation? If so, there is still a long road to go, at least in the Netherlands. The QR-pass system should be abolished completely, since it would mostly be used as a system of control by the government of its citizens. 

Also, the Dutch constitution should be restored. This one might sound odd, but the way the Dutch government has been able to impose lockdowns, curfews and other hard measures was by temporarily side-stepping the constitution. A remarkable action. This was instated by a simple majority, which is even more astounding. To make changes to the Constitution, one needs a two-thirds majority in both Houses, yet to temporarily abolish it one does not, seemingly. A gaping hole in the Dutch political system if I ever saw one, and yet people do not seem to be very bothered by it.

Or is the reverse true, as was feared earlier on? Are the current relaxations simply electoral gaming, and will they be back with full force soon? If so, how does the goverment deal with the swing in public opinion? They have derided opposition to be on the fringes, and a small group. But they have had to admit several times recently that the discontent is growing, both in number and in severity.

This leads to an important, somewhat philosophical question; if politics and media make the swing again, will the people go along with it? I've chosen a sheep as the top image, which might have given away my view on the Dutch public as critical thinkers. I think it's possible that many of the discontented now will swing back to the pro-measure camp if politics and media tell them that their position is not in vogue anymore. That might be a cynical view of my people and the human species overall, but I can't shake it: the longer I live, the more I find that many people are not able to think critically, and will follow the herd.


I hope you've enjoyed reading, and I'd like to know your views on these issues in your home country. It's been good to stretch the writer's muscle, and I'm afraid this won't be the last that is said about covid-19 and its political and societal implications. I'll see you all in a next article,

***-Pieter Nijmeijer***



(Top image sourced from [here](https://pixabay.com/nl/photos/schaap-dier-weide-zomer-landschap-4615685/))