A question of taste [January 11, 2010]

The headless violin player near our street has acquired a very nice dress to keep him warm during the big freeze.

Election news
So Rita Verdonk's stupidly named party Trots op Nederland is going to contest the local elections in the Netherlands is it? Apparently the lovely Rita has found enough suitable candidates to take part in 38 elections.

In Amsterdam the campaign is being led by former VVD member Ans van der Velde. This is a literal translation of part of an interview with her in the Parool.

What do you want to achieve?
More openness in government. Amsterdammer no longer think they are being listened to. The language of normal folk is rarely heard. We want more blue on the street (police on the beat), by utilising the police in other ways. We have enough to say about the police.

But the local council has very little to say about the police.
If we want to employ the police in other ways, they can be more on the street and less in their stations. Really, we have enough to say about the police.

And financially?
We have to look again at what we subsidise.

So you would like to cut some local council subsidies?
We have to look at where the money goes. But I don't have an answer at the moment.

Oh boy. What a well-rehearsed, dynamic, full of brilliant ideas candidate you've found for the capital, Rita.