For 7 years, Tim de Wit has been the voice of England for us. He appears everywhere when the word Brexit is mentioned and we cling to his news with all our might in hopes of understanding something about what is happening on the island. In this book we are re-acquainted with a country for which it is impossible to give a clear description.

To observe

“As correspondents, we see movements taking place in society, we are in the middle of a force field but also still on the margins.” The stories asked by De Wit’s homeland were not always the ones he would tell. Expectations rarely match reality. We see how De Wit observes and draws new conclusions very carefully.

We in the Netherlands will not settle for dubious observations, we want facts, clarity, clear explanations, concise stories. But what do you do when that unambiguous sound proves impossible? How do you explain clearly the situation when the picture remains cloudy? There’s no time to figure out the best way to report when the news is so urgent.

Impossible task

“We are ready in any weather, at any time, to give the Netherlands the right information. Sometimes it’s like a violin still playing on a sinking ship. It’s better to judge, because the Dutch are finally guests too. How long will this relationship remain intact?” This book provides a good overview of the impossible task facing Tim de Wit and that of the correspondents after him.

“We see struggle, but also the joy of finding the right information in a sea of ​​conflicting reports and infamous but disturbing gossip. Adrenaline rushes through our veins when we have to report from the balcony at Westminster Tower without any preparation for another extraordinary political event. .” Now that De Wit can see the situation from a distance, it is possible to tell us many of the stories that underlie journalistic reporting.

Admiration

To identify the ancient power structure from which England has been built, to analyze the situation in which the country has found itself and to look at the future very carefully. Great Britain is such a fine collective name that we don’t even know what it means.

For years everything seemed so clear in the country itself, difficult questions weren’t asked, but now that things have been shaken up, England has had to reinvent itself. The story that Tim de Wit ends up telling in this book is certainly not neutral and does not fit into a short news bulletin, but it ensures that we will be looking at journalistic reporting from the UK more closely, with more knowledge and above all with much admiration.

Honorable Call

This month’s honorable mention is for Willem Frederik Hermans with his book Pretty Important Photo.