Monday, 6 September 2021

Thanks to Prince Bernhard, Formula 1 returns to Zandvoort – the recipe for a new PUBLIC RELATIONS fiasco.

 



PlusAchtergrond

Bernhard: prince without social antenna

 

Thanks to Prince Bernhard, Formula 1 returns to Zandvoort – the recipe for a new PUBLIC RELATIONS fiasco. The prince has no idea what society wants from him, says Maarten van Dun, who wrote a book about him.

 

Maarten van Dun27 August 2021, 18:53

https://www.parool.nl/nederland/bernhard-prins-zonder-maatschappelijke-antenne~b6c0c3aa/

 

Singer Joshua Nolet of the popular band Chef'Special  aired his heart this week in a video on Instagram about the invitation he received on behalf of Prince Bernhard and his business partners, owners of the circuit in Zandvoort. Whether  Chef'Special  wanted to perform for free next weekend during the Grand Prix in Zandvoort. Free. And that at a time when many artists earn virtually nothing due to the corona measures and the money will soon flow in to Formula 1, which, unlike other multi-day events, will be allowed to continue from the cabinet.

 

Nolet's post caused a stir: how is it possible that a wealthy businessman is too fussy to pay an artist for a performance in front of 70,000 paying guests? The man who owes his success and fortune partly to his surname and princely title seems to take so little account of the position of less fortunate compatriots.

 

Head-of-jut

He abrogs it himself, but Prince Bernhard is always a catalyst for the most important discussions that the Dutch are having heatedly with each other: the craziness in the housing market, the growing wealth inequality, the responsibility that comes with privilege, the crippling climate crisis and the inscrutable corona measures. A prince in business is a grateful head-of-jut for critics to go along with, as the PvdA plan for the Prince Bernhard tax showed. But research for the book Zakenprins about the stormy career of Bernhard, by Michiel Couzy  and the undersigned, already yielded the image of a prince who lacks a social antenna from the very beginning of his business career.

 

Bernhard's hollow offer to the musicians is not really surprising.

 

Uitspekken

For Zakenprins, the authors spoke with more than a hundred sources that Bernhard experienced up close, and did research in archives at home and abroad.

 

Most striking are the hundreds of buildings in Amsterdam, where Bernhard and his business partners violated the rental rules to 'expand' their houses for high monthly rents, as it is called. It earned him the predicate 'pawnshop prince' and his reputation is seriously smeared. Only when the municipality threatens with penalty payments and there is scathing criticism from its compatriots, will there be improvement. In small circles, however, Bernhard is incensed: it is only because I am a prince, he says to his friends, according to insiders.

 

Earlier, in 2011, to the surprise of stock market experts, Bernhard accepted a supervisory position at the listed company Antonov,which shortly afterwards disappeared from the stock exchange and left investors disillusioned.

 

Corruptiezaken

If he becomes involved with radio station Wild FM as an investor during the same period, a valuable business unit will be siphoned off and continued during the bankruptcy, leaving employees unpaid. Bernhard remains a shareholder through a BV shareholder, but years later the case is settled with the receiver. He develops huge real estate projects in the Balkans and takes full advantage of the excellent contacts with local officials, who are emerging in serious corruption cases.

 

Bernhard of Orange never wanted to respond to these issues, as also described in Business Prince. Even if the province of Noord-Holland finds in May 2020 that steamrolles without the right permits lay slabs of asphalt in the dunes around the circuit in Zandvoort, officials do not have to count on a mea  culpa from Bernhard. Only an expensively paid lawyer reports.

 

Already at the beginning of his career, Bernhard can count on raised eyebrows, when his company Ritzen  Koeriers, founded during his student days, has fellow students with a public transport annual pass bring around packages: Bernhard finds it no problem that he makes a profit thanks to a train season ticket that has been paid for with general funds. The courier company must later reach a settlement to avoid a criminal case for unpaid social security contributions.

 

For Bernhard, it's just a pebble in the shoe.

 

With a resume full of legal settlements and an address book with dubious contacts in the Balkans, the pawnshop prince has become the symbol of a proletarian elite that thinks only of its own pleasure and wallet. At the same time, there is also another side. As a member of the royal family, he does earn his own money, and with his foundation Lymph&Co raises money for the fight against cancer, after he himself had recovered from the disease. But it's that other image that sticks, and causes him  to soon get more rubbed than he's responsible for. As with the plan to drive cars on the beach around the grand prix. Another idea of the prince, it sounded then, while Bernhard now knew nothing about it.

 

The accommodating attitude of the municipality of Zandvoort, which covers everything around the circuit with the cloak of love, is also wrongly attributed to Bernhard's origins. It is not only awe of a prince: from conversations with those involved from Zandvoort, the image emerges of a municipality that wants to see the grand prix return at all price.

 

Petty-bourgeois whining

Justified criticism or not, Bernhard certainly does not seem to learn anything about reputation management. Despite criticism from the Amsterdam city council, the House of Representatives and even his nephew King Willem-Alexander, he continues to disregard public opinion, while he cannot escape it because of the place of his cradle. From the conversations with sources around Bernhard it appears that he does not want to pay attention to the responsibility that his origins entail. It is not second nature for him to have a feeling for the common good.

 

Bernhard's best friends and loyal business partners, mostly fellow students from Groningen, prefer to focus on business success. They, too, do not remind him of the responsibilities that come with privilege, wealth and a princely title. Pointing this out is dismissed as petty-bourgeois whining, insiders say.

 

And yet, around the grand prix there are countless opportunities for Bernhard to make a gesture to all those people who do not win because of Formula 1. To the Zandvoort  entrepreneurs whose business is not located on the tightly fenced access roads, for example, and will no longer sell a portion of bickering. Or to the vulnerable children who cannot go to school, because the vans that transport them cannot drive due to the traffic disruption.

 

Meanwhile, Bernhard keeps Formula 1 in the news: singer Davina Michelle announced that she would perform for free at the grand prix provided that other artists do get paid.

 

Six more long days until the racing festival erupts.




Thousands of places to sleep

Anger at camping at Formula 1 in Zandvoort: 'It's depressing that this is allowed'

 

18 August 2021 12:30

Updated: 18 August 2021 16:38

Photo for illustrationImage  © ANP

https://www.rtlnieuws.nl/nieuws/nederland/artikel/5248739/woede-om-toestaan-camping-f1-zandvoort-hemeltergend-dat-dit-mag

 

MPs, festival organisers and others from the event sector are stunned that a campsite with thousands of places to sleep is rising right next to the Formula 1 site in Zandvoort. This is allowed, while the government put a stop to multi-day festivals with overnight stays. "Conjure with words, heavenly", sounds the criticism from the event sector.

 

'A place to sleep that everyone is jealous of. A unique location, right next to the circuit.' On the site of the Dutch Grand Prix, the temporary campsite right next to the Zandvoort circuit is touted with appealing phrases. From 295 euros per person, trail visitors can rent a tent. Tents are also offered for several nights.

 

Sky-to-earth

On social media, it's raining angry and outraged comments. Because: why is this allowed? After all, multi-day camping festivals such as Lowlands were cancelled by the cabinet.

 

Lowlands director Eric van Eerdenburg  doesn't have a good word for it. 'Heavenly'', the Lowlands director calls it. "This is double standards. It smells like corruption."

 

Getting the fuss

We understand the fuss, says spokesman Simon Keizer of the Dutch Grand Prix, the organization that organizes the gp  in Zandvoort, to RTL Nieuws. "I also understand that the promotional text about the campsite on the site is in the wrong throat. But a separate permit has been issued for this campsite. The campsite is covered by its own permit and therefore not by that of the grand prix."

 

But the campsite has been set up especially for the racing event and is located right on the course. "Still, it's a regular campsite. The site offers sleeping places, just like all other campsites in the Netherlands. For the grand prix you have to buy a separate ticket."

 

However, inquiries show that there are also combination tickets available: for both camping and the F1 race.

 

No DJs

According to the spokesperson, a large part of the campsite is intended for crew. Keizer: "A smaller part is for visitors. Each person has 7.5 square meters for himself. There are also clear corona rules at the campsite. The DJs and festivities that were planned have been abolished."

 

The permit application shows that the campsite offers space for 2,900 racing fans and 1,900 crew members.

 

A spokesperson for the Dutch Grand Prix says that so far 1078 racing fans have booked a place on the campsite. In total, based on the granted permit, there is room for 4800 people. Some of that is for crew members. The relationship between race fans and crew members can be completed by the organization itself.

 

Municipality of Zandvoort

The municipality of Zandvoort has issued the permit. Walter Sans of the municipality says in a response: "Normally this is a sports ground but a smart entrepreneur now wants to temporarily rename this site into a campsite. That is allowed, because it is a campsite comparable to all other campsites in Zandvoort." And, the municipality spokesman continues: "The campsite is also outside the event site."

 

Inquiries show that this smart entrepreneur is DGP Race BV, the organization that is also behind the Dutch Grand Prix.

 

Conjure with words

Lowlands director Van  Eerdenburg  calls it 'conjuring with words'. "The Lowlands campsite is also not on the festival site. I just don't have words for it."

 

He receives support from MPs, including PvdA MP Attje  Kuiken: "I think it's rather absurd." Lisa Westerveld (GroenLinks) says she wants clarity. She is going to ask a question about it during the corona debate this afternoon. The local GroenLinks group also wants clarification from the executive board of the municipality of Zandvoort and has asked questions to the college.

 

The mayor of Zandvoort, David Moolenburgh,informs RTL Nieuws in a response that the grand prix will not be a disguised festival. "It is a campsite like so many of us have in Zandvoort. The campsite is only meant for sleeping." He understands the fuss, but says it is the result of choices made in The Hague. "In Zandvoort, we are in any case very happy that we can continue to organize Formula 1 in a limited setting."

 

Agnes the Good and Eline Rietkerk



Dutch Grand Prix: Cheers and jeers as Zandvoort returns to the fold Sport

September 4, 2021 Max Verstappen will carry the hopes of Dutch fans on Sunday.

 https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2021/09/dutch-grand-prix-cheers-and-jeers-as-zandvoort-returns-to-the-fold/

 

Thirty-six years after the chequered flag fell for the last time on a Dutch Grand Prix, the circuit in the dunes is back on the Formula One calendar. Some 67,000 racing fans will pack the stands hoping to witness a titanic battle between world champion Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, the 23-year-old pretender to the throne.

A win for Verstappen in front of his home crowd would propel him to the top of the standings with nine races to go.   But the race has also attracted plenty of criticism. Environmental campaigners argue it flies in the face of the Netherlands’ obligations to reduce pollution, while some in neighbouring communities are fed up with the engine noise from the circuit and traffic congestion. The events industry is incensed that Zandvoort is able to put on a three-day extravaganza while much smaller music festivals have been cancelled under coronavirus restrictions. And the sight of hordes of fans at the circuit – despite the government classifying the Grand Prix as a ‘placed event’ where spectators are supposed to stay in their seats – has angered critics of the Dutch pandemic response.

The first free practice session on Friday was accompanied by a protest by 20 farmers who are pressing supermarket chain Jumbo, one of the race’s main sponsors, to pay fairer prices. Court battles More concerted opposition has come from environmental groups such as Mobilisation for the Environment, (MOB) who claimed it would generate excessive levels of pollution. The group failed this week to obtain an injunction to stop the race, but has vowed to continue its legal challenge to the race, which is on the calendar until 2023. There have also been objections on grounds of noise pollution, with the Zandvoort circuit restricted to 12 days a year on which it can exceed the normal legal limits. Other races have been cancelled or folded into the Formula One weekend to comply with the rules. Some people living in the area are unhappy with the ban on traffic passing through Zandvoort, which has only one main access road out of the dunes. Children who rely on minibus transport to get to Haarlem were kept off school on Friday because the bus operator was not prepared to ask for permits for its 350 vehicles. Coronavirus rules The most vocal criticism has come from events organisers, who had to cancel almost the entire programme of summer music festivals after the government imposed strict limits of 750 tickets and no overnight camping. ‘This casts a very unsettling light on the 18 months of lockdown,’ Hans Paul 

Nieskens, one of the organisers of ParkCity Live in Heerlen, told 1Limburg. ‘It’s incredible that this can go ahead. It gives me a sick feeling in my stomach.’ The circuit’s co-owner Prince Bernhard, a cousin of King Willem-Alexander, said this week that ‘only a small group of people’ were against the race taking place. ‘I think a lot of people are in favour of it and there are some people who, with good reason, are against it,’ he said. ‘Of course they’ll get a platform.’ ‘And you see that the people who are in favour are really enjoying themselves and you see how happy they are. That gives me so much energy.’ The road back Formula One fell out of love with Zandvoort in the 1980s. The facilities were outdated, the venue was too inaccessible and, crucially for the sport’s boss Bernie Ecclestone, it was losing money. In 1985, after Niki Lauda pipped Alain Prost in a thrilling race, Ecclestone pulled the plug. The road back to Grand Prix status was long and difficult. Ecclestone’s departure in 2017 removed a major obstacle, while Prince Bernhard’s investment added to the circuit’s financial and lobbying clout. Zandvoort town council put up more than €4 million to improve the infrastructure around the circuit, including a new €500,000 new access road. Revamped layout The track itself has also been modernised, with two new corners added to the 4.3km circuit at a cost of €15 million. Veteran Dutch racing driver Jan Lammers said drivers would have few opportunities to overtake on the narrow, twisting racetrack, which gives little margin for error. ‘This is a very fast track, the average speed will be very high,’ Lammers told Reuters. ‘The newly introduced banked curves especially make it truly unique. There is no other circuit like it in Formula One.’ The drivers reacted enthusiastically to Zandvoort’s ‘old-school’ circuit after Friday’s free practice session, with Hamilton describing it as ‘epic’. ‘I knew it was great when I was in Formula Three, but it’s crazy in a Formula One car,’ he said. French driver Esteban Ocon said it was a ‘pure pleasure to drive on this track. It’s good fun, the banking but also just the layout in general.’

 

Read more at DutchNews.nl:


THE DUTCH ROYAL FAMILY visits Zandvoort ignoring huge negative criticism 





Criticism of Prince Bernhard

King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima and their daughters are not the only ones present in the royal family. Prince Bernhard, a nephew of Willem-Alexander, is co-owner of the circuit in the Dunes of North Holland.

 

Prince Bernhard received a lot of criticism last week because artists were asked to perform on his behalf for free during the event. In return, they would only get VIP cards.

 

Bernhard solved it by apologizing and paying all the artists who perform during the Grand Prix. Davina  Michelle will perform the Wilhelmus on Sunday - without being paid for it.

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