In late November we had a general election and in mid-February we got a new government. But it won’t be until mid-June – seven months after the election – that we will actually get an inkling of what the new cabinet is planning to do.

Because first it had to go on a 100-day fact-finding tour of the country, which it rounded off with a mass tv interview on Monday night.
Well over half a million viewers tuned in so they must be keen to find out what the government is up to. But we’ve still got a few more weeks to wait. Mind you, we’ve had a few indications already.
Take environment minister Jacqueline Cramer’s call for a ban on traditional light bulbs. Or home affairs minister Guusje ter Horst’s off-the-cuff plea for a ban on alcohol sales to the under-18s. Or health minister Ab Klink’s apparent decision to bring back the own-risk element into health insurance.
Did anybody actually vote for any of these things? No. We voted for more spending on healthcare and education and tax cuts and better mobility and a better life and all those big, broad policy sweeps that nobody seems to be talking about.
Ministers, you have three weeks to get your act together. June 14 has a lot to live up to.