Dilan Yeşilgöz: The Comedic Tragedy of Dutch Politics
Ladies and gentlemen, gather around! We’re about to delve into a story that sounds like it could be ripped straight from a sketch comedy show, but alas, it’s all too real. Enter Dilan Yeşilgöz, the VVD leader whose knack for spinning yarns has earned her a place in the pantheon of political stand-up. You can practically hear the trumpet blaring each time she opens her mouth—yes, folks, it’s time for a new episode of “As the Political World Turns”!
The Flight of Fancy
Let’s start with the grand tale of her journey from Turkey to the Netherlands. Dilan spun a narrative where the Dutch government came to her rescue like a washed-up superhero. "KLM paid for my ticket!" she claimed, showcasing an asylum experience that could make even the most inventive sitcom writers weep with envy. Fast forward, and suddenly we discover she was on a hero’s quest in a rickety boat. A boat?! Did I miss the part where we started casting for a new version of Titanic?
The irony, of course, is rich—she’s gone from "KLM to subpar vessels" quicker than I lose my lunch when my mate tells a dodgy joke! The hilarity of it all—Kos being “as far from Turkey as Amsterdam is from Amsterdam-Noord”—is just too delicious!
The Tall Tales Continue
Next, we delve into another delightful chapter—her CV. She claimed to be the right hand of the esteemed Eberhard van der Laan in the safety department. Reality check: it turns out she was more of a distant cousin at a family reunion—there were hands involved, but they didn’t belong to her! Typical Dilan, indeed, pretending to be a bit more crucial than she actually was. Reminds me of that guy at the pub who insists he played for the national team but really was just the water boy.
And speaking of family reunions (no, not the kind with awkward conversations about the family dog or the time Uncle Bob got stuck in a tree), Dilan brought the idea to the forefront in a major way—promising a “reunion after reunification” crisis with “thousands” of people knocking on our doors. It’s a like a bad horror movie—cue the ominous music—only to discover that what she really meant was a few dozen cases per year. Picture it: “the thousands” previously were just her neighbors coming to borrow a cup of sugar.
Numbers, Numbers Everywhere, But Not a Fact to Check
Now let’s talk about the glorious art of embellishment in statistics! Dilan’s campaign blunders were like watching a comedic magician who pulls rabbits from hats and instead releases ferrets into the audience—except the ferrets are full of misinformation! Amidst her fervent rants about poverty, education cuts, and tax increases, she eloquently claimed the VVD would perform a miracle. A true Houdini act! Only for someone to point out, “Actually, we’ll be performing a financial disappearing act!”
Luc Stultiens, a candidate with a keen eye for numbers and honesty, composed a list of Dilan’s fables—seven untruths in a week, folks! She was like a walking, talking “fact-check me if you can” advertisement!
The Political Circus Continues
It would be easy to laugh at the absurdity of it all—if it weren’t for the serious consequences of Yeşilgöz’s escapades. Her misrepresentation has not just entertained us, but also stirred an anti-immigration sentiment that bolstered the likes of Geert Wilders. Who knew a comedy of errors could turn into a horror story for democracy!
Her antics have left us in a muddle, a political quagmire where truth and fiction blur into a narrative that’s easier to digest than it is to dissect. When the audience starts laughing at the clown rather than enjoying the political performance, you know you’re in trouble!
The Final Curtain Call
So what do we take away from this tragicomedy? Dilan Yeşilgöz has gone from a political leader to a punchline, leaving democracy as a collateral damage on the way. Her statements have sullied public trust in politics, proving that spinning a good yarn can sometimes lead to a tangled web—one that not even the sharpest of politicians can easily escape.
Maybe we ought to find a nice, comfy seat, grab the popcorn, and see how this show unfolds next. If there’s anything political satire has taught us, it’s that the absurdity plays on, and the audience is left to wonder—what will they come up with next?
Dilan Yeşilgöz, the VVD leader, lies so often and so adamantly that she has even become an inspiration for cabaret, as can be seen below in a video from Even tot hier.
It started with her flight story. She was brought from Turkey by KLM – paid for by the hard-working Dutchman – as she wrote herself when she was still an active member of the SP. (not just as a youthful sin, but for seven years).
Here is the first version of her escape story, written in the SP magazine.
A long time ago, there was once a country that treated asylum seekers like human beings. That country was called the Netherlands. When, as a little girl of seven, I had to flee from Turkey with my mother and three-year-old sister from the Turkish regime, the Dutch government invited us and even paid for our KLM ticket. My father was already waiting for us there. His journey had been a lot harder, over the mountains of Iran and Iraq. The church furnished our home. My mother got a beautiful cross to hang above her bed and even though we were not religious, the nuns thought we could use a helping hand, no matter where it came from.
The SP newspaper
IIn later versions there is talk of a heroic flight in a rickety boat, from Turkey to Kos. That is strange in many respects: she said herself (when she was still very left-wing) that she came by KLM. Moreover, Kos is as far from Turkey as Amsterdam is from Amsterdam-Noord. And tourist boats sail there regularly
The flight story sets the tone and course for Dilan. On the way to power you sometimes have to fantasize. And she did.
‘Typical Dilan, pretending to be a little bigger than you are.’
This was followed by other mistakes in her CV. For example, she would have been Eberhard van der Laan’s closest colleague in the field of Security. An important function. But she didn’t have one. Maureen Sarucco Sarucco was Eberhard van der Laan’s most important advisor. not Dilan Y. Former manager of Yesilgoz at the municipality Patricia Collette emphasized against FTM that Yeşilgöz did not work directly for the mayor: ‘That impression sometimes arises in the media, typical Dilan, pretending to be a little bigger than you are.’
Very good fragment of how Peter Pannekoek tackles the malicious deceitfulness of @DilanYesilgoz explains 👇
The ‘reunion on reunification’ lie
The fall of the Rutte IV cabinet was a turning point in the Dutch political landscape. After all, then came Schoof and all the fuss and loss of direction that that causes. Dilan dropped the cabinet with lies and then lied that her VVD would not govern with Wilders.
The VVD, led by Dilan Yeşilgöz, advocated a harder line on asylum policy. This led to irreconcilable differences within the coalition, especially with the Christian Union which did not want to agree postponement of family reunification.
Yeşilgöz’s claims about subsequent travelers
After the fall of the cabinet, Dilan Yeşilgöz, as VVD party leader, started a campaign in which she presented the phenomenon of ‘reunion after reunification’ as a major problem. In an Op1 broadcast just a day after the cabinet fall, Yeşilgöz claimed that stacked family reunification .
Despite the criticism, Yeşilgöz continued to reiterate her position. In an interview with de Volkskrant, a week before the elections, she made her claims even more specific. She stated that the following trip involved “thousands of people – we don’t know exactly how many”. This statement caused a stir and led to questions about the veracity of her claims.
The actual numbers
The figures eventually released by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) painted a very different picture than what Yeşilgöz had claimed. These data showed that the phenomenon of family reunification actually only involved a few dozen cases per year. This was in stark contrast to the “thousands” Yeşilgöz spoke of.
What raises even more questions is that as early as August 2023, shortly after Yeşilgöz’s statements to Op1, the IND had analyzed the extent of family reunification in a concept note. This concept note already indicated that the figures were much lower than what Yeşilgöz claimed. It is unclear why this information was not released earlier or why Yeşilgöz did not correct her statements.
Yeşilgöz’s distortions during the election campaign
The 2023 election campaign was marked by a series of controversial statements by VVD party leader Dilan Yeşilgöz. Her positions on asylum policy and family reunification came under fire for inaccuracies and exaggerations. This situation led to a growing need for fact-checking and a critical look at her statements.
Seven untruths in one week
A striking aspect of Yeşilgöz’s campaign was the number of incorrect claims she made in a short time. Luc Stultiens, candidate MP for GroenLinks-PvdA and applied mathematician, listed seven exaggerations and untruths by Yeşilgöz in one week. This list illustrates how the VVD party leader repeatedly distorted the facts to support her political agenda.
Some examples of these untruths are:
- Yeşilgöz claimed that with the VVD, poverty would decreasewhile figures show that the number of people in poverty would actually increase if the VVD program is implemented.
- She denied a €1 billion cut in education, while the VVD actually cuts €1.3 billion in education.
- Yeşilgöz stated that taxes on income would decrease, while they would increase by €2.6 billion under the VVD plans
- She claimed that GroenLinks-PvdA would create fewer jobs, while this party would provide the most jobs of all parties (+200,000).
Fact checks of her statements
Dilan Yeşilgöz’s statements on asylum policy and family reunification came under particularly strict scrutiny. Her claim that “very often” several families come to the Netherlands on one asylum permit, and that it concerns “thousands of people”, turned out to be unfounded.
Fact-checkers and experts refuted this claim. Migration scientist Carolus Grütters from Radboud University called it a “ghost image created by the VVD” and “a form of mood-mongering”.
The controversy surrounding Yeşilgöz’s statements reached a peak when she had to admit in a parliamentary debate that her claim about “thousands of people” who would come to the Netherlands via family reunification was incorrect. “I shouldn’t have done that,” she acknowledged.
However, this recognition only came after new documents revealed that Yeşilgöz’s ministry had provisional figures that refuted its claims shortly after the fall of the cabinet. This led to sharp criticism from several MPs, who accused Yeşilgöz of having known throughout the campaign that her statements were incorrect.
Impact on imaging
Dilan Yeşilgöz’s statements about asylum policy have had a significant influence on the image in Dutch politics. With her claims about ‘reunion after reunification’, the VVD party leader has created an atmosphere in which the powerless middle seemed to have lost control over the borders. She lied, but the image of a tsunami of foreigners and asylum seekers remained.
Influence on voting behavior
Yeşilgöz’s rhetoric has had a significant impact on the voting behavior of the Dutch population. Her exaggerations and untruths have contributed to a shift in voters’ political preferences. No one benefited as much from Yeşilgöz’s exaggeration as Geert Wilders, who with his anti-immigration rhetoric no less than .Won 37 seats
It is remarkable that the VVD, by spreading incorrect information about asylum policy, has unintentionally strengthened the position of more extreme parties.
Undermining democracy
The consequences of Yeşilgöz’s lies extend beyond just the direct impact on elections. They have a broader corrosive effect on democracy. The systematic spreading of incorrect information by a leading politician damages confidence in politics and democratic institutions.
With her statements, the VVD party leader has contributed to a climate in which facts and fiction are mixed. This makes it increasingly difficult for citizens to make informed choices during elections. Moreover, it has led to a situation where, as one expert puts it, “any politician can just make up something and get away with it.”
The undermining of democracy is further reinforced by the fact that Yeşilgöz, even after her claims were debunked, did not fully distance herself from her previous statements.