Low Country Lowdown

Coalition Talks Face Issues & Maternity Care Crisis in Poor Neighborhoods

On today's Lowdown, the last one of Season 2, the D66 and the CDA political parties have been tasked with drafting the blueprint for a new government, a fragile starting point that excludes major players and leaves the country staring at two messy, uncertain coalition paths. Our second segment discusses a stark new investigation that reveals collapsing maternity-care access in poorer neighbourhoods, where infant mortality is higher and commercial providers are pulling out. After running through a handful of other headlines, we get to the Holland Hotline, where our international guest gets to ask their most pressing question about Dutch society. Our guest Ned wonders what the Dutch think of the anglicization of the Netherlands in general and their language in particular. Dutch news Who cares? You do. -------------------------------------------------------------- Follow us on Instagram! @lowdown.nl Email us for inquiries and tips: info@lowdown.nl [info@lowdown.nl] Host: Allart van der Woude Guest: Ned Production: Daniel da Costa & Allart van der Woude Music: David Coehorst & Andrés Aracena @davidcoehorst1000 @undres.a Graphic Design: Linus Bonduelle @studio.lieneman Social Media: Marguerite Nolan @margueritennolan www.lowdown.nl [www.lowdown.nl]

Migrant Workers Protection Axed, Ozempic in the Netherlands, and the Dutch Welfare State - Lowdown #20

Today on Lowdown, two quiet policy shifts with big consequences: the Dutch caretaker government has scrapped long-promised protections for low-paid migrant workers and, at the same time, approved new public insurance coverage for costly weight-loss drugs like Wegovy and Mounjaro. We dig into what these choices expose about who really benefits from Dutch policy--from exploited workers to those at the front of the health queue--and what it all says about power and inequality in the Netherlands today. After running through a handful of other headlines, we get to the Holland Hotline, where our international guest gets to ask their most pressing question about Dutch society. After Mamdani's win in New York, our guest Kristo is curious about the Dutch welfare system. Dutch news Who cares? You do. -------------------------------------------------------------- Follow us on Instagram! @lowdown.nl Email us for inquiries and tips: info@lowdown.nl Host: Allart van der Woude Guest: Kristo Production: Daniel da Costa & Allart van der Woude Music: David Coehorst & Andrés Aracena @davidcoehorst1000 @undres.a Graphic Design: Linus Bonduelle @studio.lieneman Social Media: Marguerite Nolan @margueritennolan www.lowdown.nl

The Election: Rob Jetten's D66 Wins Big & Geert Wilders' PVV Suffers Defeat - Lowdown #19

The election results are in, and they’ve shaken up Dutch politics. Under Rob Jetten’s leadership, the center-left D66 surged from 9 to 26 seats, overtaking Geert Wilders’ PVV to become the largest party in parliament. Wilders’ PVV saw a dramatic drop, slipping from 37 to 26 seats, just a few thousand votes shy of D66. But beneath the headlines, the broader story is one of shifting ground: a continued normalization and entrenchment of the (far) right across the political landscape. For parties to the left of D66, the night proved to be a historic defeat. In this episode, we unpack what drove these results by running you through the six most important points, from campaign strategies to voter behavior, and what challenges lie ahead in forming a new cabinet after one of the most consequential elections in recent memory. Dutch news Who cares? You do. -------------------------------------------------------------- Follow us on Instagram! @lowdown.nl Email us for inquiries and tips: info@lowdown.nl [info@lowdown.nl] Host: Allart van der Woude Guest: Eleni Production: Daniel da Costa & Allart van der Woude Music: David Coehorst & Andrés Aracena @davidcoehorst1000 @undres.a Graphic Design: Linus Bonduelle @studio.lieneman Social Media: Marguerite Nolan @margueritennolan www.lowdown.nl [www.lowdown.nl]

Dutch Election Special with Political Reporter Coen van de Ven - Lowdown #18

This week, we're shaking things up a bit: we're doing an extra long special on the October 29th election! We've invited Coen van de Ven, a political reporter, investigative journalist and published author on Dutch politics. Coen has been writing for many different newspapers and magazines for over a decade, and is widely regarded as one of the most knowledgeable journalists on the topic.  We're starting off with an overview of the fundamentals of Dutch politics: How does the system work? What are the pro’s and cons? Why are there that many parties ? Why do elections take forever? Then, we'll dive into the failure of the last cabinet, and talk about what went wrong there and what it might teach us. Finally, we discuss what's ahead. What are the polls and trends saying, and what should we expect of the elections and the cabinet formation that comes after? Dutch news Who cares? You do. -------------------------------------------------------------- Follow us on Instagram! @lowdown.nl Email us for inquiries and tips: info@lowdown.nl [info@lowdown.nl] Host: Allart van der Woude Guest: Ned Production: Daniel da Costa & Allart van der Woude Music: David Coehorst & Andrés Aracena @davidcoehorst1000 @undres.a Graphic Design: Linus Bonduelle @studio.lieneman Social Media: Marguerite Nolan @margueritennolan www.lowdown.nl [www.lowdown.nl]

China and US Fighting over Chips & More Violent Extreme Right Protests - Lowdown #17

On this week's Lowdown, we'll discuss how Dutch companies keep getting caught in the trade war between China and the US, putting the Dutch economy at risk. Also, we'll talk about yet another round of violent extreme right protests across the country, seemingly part a spiral of violence. After running through a handful of other headlines, we get to the Holland Hotline, where our international guest gets to ask their most pressing question about Dutch society. In this episode, Ned's question is about how the 'water boards' (Waterschappen) work. Dutch news Who cares? You do. -------------------------------------------------------------- Follow us on Instagram! @lowdown.nl Email us for inquiries and tips: info@lowdown.nl [info@lowdown.nl] Host: Allart van der Woude Guest: Ned Production: Daniel da Costa & Allart van der Woude Music: David Coehorst & Andrés Aracena @davidcoehorst1000 @undres.a Graphic Design: Linus Bonduelle @studio.lieneman Social Media: Marguerite Nolan @margueritennolan www.lowdown.nl [www.lowdown.nl]