While in the Netherlands hate blog GeenStijl swayed the votes of 400,000 concerned Dutch people to its own anti-European tune, Flanders came up with something new: the civic cabinet. A thousand ordinary Flemings worked for three months on and offline on recommendations for culture minister Sven Gatz's cultural policy. In the end, a group of one hundred and fifty citizens were chosen to come up with a text. It was presented to the minister yesterday, and the minister has since pledged to take the recommendations seriously. In a statement on Sunday, September 27, he stated that 'the Citizens' Cabinet text will not remain a dead letter‘.
This form of direct citizen engagement is better than a referendum, which can only give a one-off answer to a question, the wording of which alone can lead to many misunderstandings. The citizen cabinet can come up with considered opinions after long consultations. That suits an open society better.
The recommendations are reflected in a voluminous report which explains in detail how the text was arrived at. Too woolly perhaps for fast shouters, but it actually contains things that, if the minister adopts them, will bring about a cultural change in Flanders. And it is not even about money.
For instance, the Citizens' Cabinet calls for an equal share of arts and sports in public broadcaster news programmes. It also wants support for street culture and calls for the introduction of a culture pass for all.
So citizens are now coming up with 17 things that, if Sven Gatz realises even three of them, could represent progress compared to the poor position of Dutch art. And that by talking, not shouting.
But maybe next time, we can also dice for it. Kiew the video below for that.
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