This Hell Was Once a Paradise

This Hell Was Once a Paradise

15 September 2026

It would seem like a funny title if the subject were not so painful.

It took a lot of energy to get through the day today. Anything that was not done before ten o’clock became an ordeal because of the unbearable heat.

Among other things, I spent some time on an article arguing that the climate crisis poses a greater threat to humanity than AI, which is becoming increasingly autonomous.

But what particularly caught my attention in the newspaper were the articles “Contours of Poverty Policy; Pisas Government Promises: In the Last Quarter of 2026” and “SER Advises on AOV.” On paper, quite a lot is being done to combat poverty. The government has also come to realize that not everyone benefits from economic growth. There is talk of an integrated approach that focuses, on the one hand, on income and, on the other, on changing attitudes and mindsets.

The government takes a multidimensional approach to poverty. Based on income alone, fewer people would be considered poor, but from a multidimensional perspective, more households would actually be at risk. Millions will be made available to enable people on low incomes to participate in the Mi Kas Awor project as well. What follows, however, is a list of separate measures—anything but an integrated approach. Most of the measures once again focus on disposable income. Starting in 2027, for example, an additional 30 million guilders will be allocated to support low-income AOV pensioners, rising to 80 million guilders annually from 2029.

This does not strike me as integrated policy. But my main objection is that there is a great deal of talking about the poor and not with the poor. What I miss in these plans is the voice of the people they are meant to serve. Poverty is already a complex problem, which makes effective policymaking extremely difficult. Without that voice, however, the chances of such policies being effective become very small indeed.

For people living in poverty, this is no paradise—certainly not with the temperatures we are experiencing today.

Miguel Goede