Of all the professionals available to help form a corruption free Province Government after Bovens & Co. left, the representatives chose Mr. Onno Hoes. Which says more about these representatives than about Hoes.

I myself voted for Pascalle Plusquin of the Animal Party, current chairwoman of the Integrity Committee. When I used her public WhatsApp number 06-10919855 to alert her to some documents produced by the Maastricht PD and DA’s office, she blocked me. Other MPs just ignored me.

Pressured basically by an NRC publication, Parliament had no option but to tell the King’s Commissioner to leave, although strictly speaking it only was the far right PVV that proposed a motion of no-confidence. But Bovens didn’t feel inclined to wait for the verdict, so it never came to a vote. He just walked away.

Subsequently all parties consented to opening the door for the axed mayor of Maastricht turned real estate broker Hoes, pictured here in the yearly Servatius Procession next to Bovens. If one were to quantify the proceedings, on balance, it would comfortably amount to a net progress of -50%.

And no headway in sight. The key is lying in the Province of Limburg Parliament. Not that it is hidden or anything. Members just have to look from a different angle. Somebody eventually will pick it up and unlock the door to the 21st century.