{"id":54762,"date":"2026-08-24T11:48:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T09:48:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.turner.nl\/uncategorized\/column-by-peter-de-bruin-self-cleaner\/"},"modified":"2026-08-24T11:48:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T09:48:18","slug":"column-by-peter-de-bruin-self-cleaner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.turner.nl\/en\/blog-en\/column-by-peter-de-bruin-self-cleaner\/","title":{"rendered":"Column by Peter de Bruin | “Self-Cleaner”"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Column by Peter de Bruin<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\"Self-cleaner\"<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In his first column of the year, Peter de Bruin offers a New Year\u2019s wish for the Cabinet and the House of Representatives. To break the vicious cycle between populist politicians and disgruntled citizens, evaluating their behavior and actions is a key item on the governance agenda. <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\"Self-cleaner\"<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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During the Christmas break, I was listening to some music and heard U2\u2019s \u201cThe Troubles\u201d: \u201cYou think it\u2019s easier to put your finger on the trouble, when the trouble is you (\u2026). Well, it\u2019s the hardest thing.\u201d I\u2019ve realized for years how true that is for me, but I also know that this level of difficulty applies to most boardrooms. Now that there\u2019s a new Cabinet, at the start of this year of transitions, that makes for a nice New Year\u2019s wish. <\/p>

I\u2019m always impressed by people who stick their necks out for us. A new Cabinet\u2014I\u2019ve rarely seen such a thankless job in a glass house. \u201cYou know you\u2019re going to make mistakes; you just don\u2019t know which one they\u2019ll use to trip you up\u201d; a quote from an insider about the relationship between the Cabinet and Parliament. On top of that, more than 13 million people not only have the first and last word (if they bother to vote), but the constant cacophony from some of them turns the political system into a populist platform. <\/p>

Convicted Before the Start<\/strong><\/p>

The nearly impossible task facing the newly appointed Cabinet is already evident from the reactions even before it has taken office. People are falling over themselves to comment on issues such as the gender balance, the number of ministers with specific portfolios, the balance between those with and without political experience, the leadership style for female ministers, and the relevance of billion-dollar injections. Social media is also overflowing with what I call \u201cfirst aid for victimhood.\u201d For people who look for causes primarily outside themselves, finding scapegoats and complaining about the system of which they are a part is the easiest path. <\/p>

But there are also many complainers among politicians. Their tweets are rarely (self-)reflective; they\u2019re more about seeking attention. It won\u2019t be long before politicians start using Snapchat or opening a TikTok channel, \u201cbecause that\u2019s another way we can bridge the gap with our voters.\u201d Moreover, the dynamic between the Cabinet and Parliament isn\u2019t exactly a model of harmony. To the public, what they see on their screens is mostly political squabbling. <\/p>

Beyond Populism<\/strong><\/p>

I believe that populist politics and disgruntled citizens reinforce each other. For a breakthrough in this situation, this new beginning now hinges on the Cabinet and Parliament demonstrating a greater capacity for self-correction. The quality of the dialogue between \u201cgovernance\u201d and \u201coversight\u201d is key. Improving the integrity of cooperation within the Cabinet\u2014and with the House of Representatives\u2014is essential for building trust. <\/p>

This isn\u2019t something you can accomplish with a weekend-long team-building retreat, even though that\u2019s where it all starts, of course. It\u2019s about developing a culture of continuous reflection on decision-making and oversight. That\u2019s really very difficult\u2014as the U2 song also points out. Perhaps we can learn something from the business world and public organizations. There, driven by governance codes, periodic evaluation of behavior and actions is a regular agenda item. There is also increasingly often a CTO (Chief Transformation Officer) who, among other things, monitors the conditions for safe, integrated management of the transitions and evaluates the approach (both \u201chard\u201d and \u201csoft\u201d). <\/p>

I wish the Cabinet and Parliament would clean up their own act. That would build trust and make the \u201cpublic gallery\u201d a lot quieter. On the other hand, let the new team do its job. Instead of complaining online, listen to music a little more often. \u201cOne\u201d by U2, for example. <\/p>

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U2, The Troubles: https:\/\/spoti.fi\/3K5m3Rd<\/a><\/p>

U2, “One”: https:\/\/spoti.fi\/3HSasTE<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Meet the Author<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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