Power Behind Closed Doors: Dutch Elite Meet in Secret as Justice and Democracy Blur
In a recent report by the independent investigative outlet Follow the Money, a troubling overlap between political power, judicial authority, and corporate influence in the Netherlands has come to light.
At the center of the revelations is a little-known yet powerful private club — 'de Haagsche Schouw' once described as a “debate society,” but whose membership list reads more like a who’s-who of the Dutch establishment. According to the investigation, this exclusive group includes:
High-ranking politicians, including current and former Prime Ministers;
Supreme Court judges;
The chairman of the Dutch government's own oversight body;
Military leaders, such as the commander of the Dutch Air Force — which controls most of the country's active combat regiments;
Royal advisors, who counsel the monarchy on matters of state;
And perhaps most concerning of all: the judge who presides over all major lawsuits against the Dutch government.
This convergence of power — judicial, political, military, and corporate — within a single private network is unprecedented in how it has been brought to the public light.
Also attending these closed-door meetings are the CEOs and directors of the Netherlands' largest corporations, including:
Shell
Unilever
AkzoNobel
KLM
Philips
Heineken
FrieslandCampina
What do you think they're "debating" in their "debate society"?