Johan Remkes, the government's polder tsar, works his magic again as Dutch farmers cautiously welcome his plan to buy out up to 600 of the biggest nitrogen polluters - essentially the same plan that sparked two years of furious protest. There seems little hope of reconciliation between Khadija Arib and her successor as chair of parliament, Vera Bergkamp, after Arib quits as an MP and accuses Bergkamp and her PvdA colleagues of stabbing her in the back. The coronavirus season begins with the traditional 'don't panic' message from the health ministry as hospital beds fill up. Inflation rises to record levels, led by the bill for the government's energy price cap, which hits €23.5 billion. Nine men go on trial in Lelystad accused of being involved in a fatal attack on another Dutchman in Mallorca. And the remains of two medieval lions are dug up in The Hague, just as Ajax suffer their worst mauling in the history of the Champions League. * Henk Krol tweet: https://twitter.com/HenkKrol/status/1577963576437997569 * Five Live scene: https://twitter.com/AlexMazereeuw/status/1576844319306022912 * Nitrogen crisis explainer: https://www.dutchnews.nl/features/2022/06/whats-all-the-fuss-about-nitrogen-in-the-netherlands/

A bleak autumn looms as inflation surges to a new high, hospital beds start filling up with coronavirus patients and a battle royale breaks out between the Tweede Kamer's past and present chairwomen. Wages are also rising, though not as fast as inflation, and healthcare workers suffering from Long Covid could be in line for a €15,000 payout. But it's not all doom and gloom: some of Rembrandt's finest works are going on display in the Mauritshuis and Oranje have qualified for the finals of the glittering Nations League. And there's good news about the murder rate, which has come down by half in the last 20 years.

The inverted flags weren't the only sign of distress as the king opened Parliament for what looks set to be a gruelling year. The speech was rewritten at the last minute to include the goverment's hastily agreed energy price cap, one of several measures designed to bring down the soaring inflation rate. The cabinet walked out of parliament in protest at Thierry Baudet's latest conspiracy theory about Sigrid Kaag, who also came under fire for wanting to splash out on a more sustainable budget briefcase. Louis van Gaal is caught out embroidering his playing career as the Netherlands make progress in the Nations League. And there's animal news galore with happy lions, thriving wolves and a feisty seagull. Hofvijverpan video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CtI8yoBUeA&feature=youtu.be

As a winter of bankruptcies and financial lockdown draws nearer, the government dips into its pockets to help households struggling with their energy bills. The train drivers' strike is settled with a 9.25% pay rise, but Schiphol's boss, Dick Benschop, pays the price for a summer of airport chaos. Another big earner, Sywert van Lienden, anxiously awaits to see if the report into his €100 million face mask deal will salvage his reputation. And Heerenveen's mascot scores a win over his own club after a court ruled it strayed offside by suspending him in a dispute about last winter's lockdown rules.

The entire podcast team abandoned Paul by fleeing abroad, so no hour long episode as usual but only a brief overview of this week’s headlines. Agriculture minister Henk Staghouwer resigned after concluding he wasn’t the man for the job, Dutch leaders offered their condolences to the British Royal Family following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the NS plans to cancel all train services as rail workers continue to strike for better pay and conditions, the Netherlands hit the EU target of filling gas reserves by 80% and Max Verstappen won the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort the second time in a row.

Exactly 350 years after the disaster year of 1672, the government faces an energy crisis, a refugee accommodation crisis and a nitrogen pollution crisis all at once. Wopke Hoekstra experiences an identity crisis as he oscillates between supporting the government's nitrogen policy as a cabinet minister and attacking it as leader of the Christian Democrat party. The earthquake crisis in Groningen triggers seismic levels of blame-shifting at the parliamentary inquiry. And we look back at a sporting summer in which Sarina Wiegman became the most powerful Dutch person in England since William III and Spain ruled the southern provinces again as the Vuelta a España rolled through Brabant. - NRC Vandaag podcast episode on Ter Apel (in Dutch): https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2022/08/31/waarom-de-langverwachte-opvangcrisis-in-ter-apel-niet-voorkomen-werd-a4140324

Farmers this week stepped up their protests against the government's nitrogen policy by blocking deliveries of food to supermarkets. That was especially bad news for the government's new team of tax inspectors who have the Herculean task of classifying fruit and vegetables. While the farmers came under fire for ploughing up a nature reserve, police are facing questions after shooting at a tractor driven by a 16-year-old boy. Photos are released of the jewel thieves in cloth caps who raided an art fair in Maastricht before fleeing on electric scooters, in a straight-to-TikTok remake of Peaky Blinders. And the orange season is over at Wimbledon as both Dutch players lose in the men's fourth round. Amsterdam arrest: https://twitter.com/AmericanFietser/status/1544458680917180422

Farmers stepped up their protests this week, bringing two cows to The Hague to illustrate the effect of the government's nitrogen reduction plans. One cow would go to the slaughterhouse today, the other would go back to the farm to be slaughtered later. Police described the hardliners' approach as a threat to democracy as CDA MP Derk Boswijk was forced to stay home after his family was visited by a fleet of tractors. Hard-hitting tactics were also favoured by jewel thieves who raided the Tefaf art fair in Maastricht using a sledgehammer. It's not just farmers who have an axe to grind: family doctors held a demonstration on the Malieveld to protest against long hours and bureaucracy. Mark Rutte breaks his silence on the farmers but says it's the wrong time to… TEFAF robbery video: https://twitter.com/HWHofs/status/1541730594211725312

After a two-year ceasefire during the pandemic, farmers warn their tractors are not for turning as a new wave of protests begins against the government's plans to cut nitrogen emissions. Coronavirus infections are rising but health minister Ernst Kuipers sees no cause for alarm, as long as everyone follows his lead and washes their hands. Mark Rutte makes a U-turn on Ukraine, Rob Jetten does an about-face on coal-fired power stations and beleaguered Lelystad Airport is given another stay of execution. And archaeologists in Gelderland make a unique discovery: a building project that wasn't cancelled for want of an environmental permit.

It was the week the Dutch government discovered the truth of what a famous Scotsman once said about the best laid plans of mice and men. Schiphol airport announced thousands of flights will be cancelled this summer because it can't recruit enough staff. Agriculture minister Christianne van der Wal was doorstepped by angry farmers and censured by her party after admitting the current plans to curb nitrogen pollution weren't adequate. And health minister Ernst Kuipers came under fire for not doing enough to prepare for the next wave of coronavirus infections. The AIVD unmasked a Russian spy who used a fake Brazilian identity to infiltrate the ICC, while an unsung Dutch tennis player dispatched another Russian in Rosmalen to earn a ticket to Wimbledon.