Daan de Neef
De Neef in 2018
Member of the House of Representatives
In office
31 March 2021 – 6 September 2022
Succeeded byMartijn Grevink
Member of the Breda municipal council
In office
29 March 2018[1] – 1 April 2021[2]
Succeeded byTon Overeem
Personal details
Born
Daniël de Neef[3]

(1977-09-15) 15 September 1977
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Political partyParty for the Animals (since 2022)
Other political
affiliations		People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (until 2022)
Alma materUtrecht University of Applied Sciences

Daniël "Daan" de Neef (born 15 September 1977) is a Dutch speechwriter and former politician. A member of the conservative liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), De Neef was a political staffer of the VVD and owned a speech consultancy. He held a seat in the Breda municipal council starting in 2018 and was elected to the House of Representatives in the 2021 general election. De Neef stepped down the following year and switched to the Party for the Animals (PvdD) shortly after.

Early life and career

Education and speechwriting

De Neef was born and raised in Rotterdam, living in its neighborhood Oosterflank.[4][5][6] He attended the secondary school MAVO Kralingen and studied journalism at the Utrecht University of Applied Sciences.[6][7] He also studied philosophy in 2010 for one year at Leiden University.[8]

Starting in 2003, De Neef worked as a press secretary of the VVD's House caucus.[9] He has told in an interview that he decided to join the VVD for its openness towards people with different beliefs. He mentioned he found progressives dogmatic and Christian politicians exclusive. He enjoyed his role for the VVD despite his occasional disagreements.[10] De Neef was the editor of the 2004 book Ode aan de vrijheid (Ode to freedom), which contains introductions to liberal philosophers by prominent VVD members including Jozias van Aartsen, Frits Bolkestein, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and Geert Wilders, the latter of whom left the party around the time of the book's publication.[11][12] Another book by De Neef was published in 2008 called Canon van de filosofie. It lists the 76 most important philosophical works based on the opinions of 24 professors, and it was an initiative of Filosofie Magazine.[13][14] He also served on the municipal council of Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel.[15]

While working for the VVD's House caucus, De Neef occasionally wrote speeches for Prime Minister Mark Rutte.[5] He left his job to become a speechwriter at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment.[5]

Local and national politics

De Neef was placed 56th on the VVD's party list in the 2010 general election. He received 183 preference votes and was not elected, as his party won 31 seats.[16] Shortly after, De Neef returned from the ministry to the VVD, where he was responsible for the communication between Mark Rutte's office and the party's House caucus.[5][17] He was the VVD's seventh candidate in Breda in the 2018 municipal elections and was elected to the council.[18][19] De Neef's focus was on sustainability, nature, animal welfare, public space, and education.[20] In the council, he proposed introducing a community service officer concerned solely with animal issues.[21] He also founded and ran a speech and presentation consultancy called Epic Empire, and he simultaneously served as adjunct secretary for communication of the Raad voor Dierenaangelegenheden (Animal affairs council) starting in March 2020.[7][22]

De Neef again ran for member of parliament in the 2021 general election as the VVD's 34th candidate.[23] He was also part of the committee that wrote the party's election program.[24] The VVD won exactly 34 seats, causing De Neef to get elected, and he personally received 928 votes.[23] De Neef was sworn into the House of Representatives on 31 March and was the VVD's spokesperson for youth policy, the Youth Act, youth health care, civilian service, and sheltered housing (formerly also occupational safety and health, poverty, and credit counseling).[25] He was on the Committees for Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality; for Health, Welfare and Sport; and for Social Affairs and Employment.[4] De Neef announced on 31 August 2022 that he would leave the VVD after eighteen years and vacate his seat in the House of Representatives. In a statement, he said that he could no longer defend the party's lack of compassion when dealing with asylum seekers, referring to its response to capacity problems at the Dutch application center in Ter Apel. Besides, he was struggling with the VVD's position on animal welfare.[26] De Neef was succeeded by Martijn Grevink on 6 September 2022, and he became a member fo the Party for the Animals on 4 October, World Animal Day.[10][27][28] He admitted he had always voted for that party with two exceptions on which he had cast his ballot for the VVD.[10]

De Neef took a job as advisor at a strategic communication consultancy in June 2023.[29] When the collapse of the fourth Rutte cabinet in July 2023 triggered a snap election in November, De Neef was picked to lead the campaign of the Party for the Animals.[10] However, he stepped down on 11 September when the party's board would not nominate party leader Esther Ouwehand as the lead candidate in the snap election due to an internal conflict. De Neef declared that he could not work for a board that is treating Ouwehand in that manner.[30] Following more criticism, the board resigned and Ouwehand was reinstated as lead candidate.[31] De Neef decided to return as campaign leader. The NRC reported that his initial appointment to the post had been part of the conflict, as De Neef and Ouwehand were close friends.[32]

Personal life

While a member of parliament, De Neef moved from Breda to The Hague, and he has before lived in Rotterdam and The Hague.[4][5] He is vegan, and since 2020 he has been in a relationship with Leonie Gerritsen, a member of the Party for the Animals who is a municipal councilor in The Hague and who was her party's 23rd candidate in the 2021 general election.[33][34][35] A fan of death, black, and doom metal, De Neef was the singer of heavy metal band Concedo Nulli.[5][25] His favorite band is Amenra.[33]

References

  1. ↑ "Installatie gemeenteraad 2018-2022" [Installation municipal council 2018–2022]. Gemeente Breda (in Dutch). Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  2. ↑ "DebatRaad" [Debate council]. Gemeente Breda (in Dutch). Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  3. ↑ "D. (Daan) de Neef". Parlement.com (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 "Daan de Neef". Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Speechschrijver grunt nu eigen tekst" [Speechwriter now grunts his own text]. AD/Haagsche Courant (in Dutch). 16 October 2012. p. 4.
  6. 1 2 Verdonschot, Leon. "Daan de Neef". KINK (Podcast). Oeverloos (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  7. 1 2 Cup, Ine (12 March 2021). "Op deze West-Brabanders kun je stemmen tijdens de Tweede Kamerverkiezingen" [You could vote for these people from western Brabant in the general election]. AD (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  8. ↑ "Wie zijn de Leidse alumni in de Tweede Kamer?" [Who are the Leiden alumni in the House of Representatives?]. Universiteit Leiden (Press release) (in Dutch). 1 April 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  9. ↑ De Neef, Daan; Boulakjar, Faissal (20 July 2021). "Bredanaars na 100 dagen in de Tweede Kamer: 'Rode loper wordt nog net niet uitgerold'" [Breda residents after 100 days in the House of Representatives: 'The red carpet has not quite been rolled out']. BN DeStem (Interview) (in Dutch). Interviewed by Nico Schapendonk. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  10. 1 2 3 4 De Neef, Daan (22 August 2023). "Van VVD-Kamerlid naar Partij voor de Dieren, want het was hem altijd om dierenwelzijn te doen" [From VVD House member to Party for the Animals, because he has always cared about animal welfare]. de Volkskrant (Interview) (in Dutch). Interviewed by Yvonne Hofs. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  11. ↑ "Wilders in VVD-boek" [Wilders in VVD book]. Het Parool (in Dutch). 8 September 2004. p. 6.
  12. ↑ Heumakers, Arnold (21 January 2005). "Het tumult komt van rechts" [The tumult is coming from the right]. NRC (in Dutch).
  13. ↑ "De beste honderd filosofische boeken" [The one hundred best philosophical books]. Haarlems Dagblad (in Dutch). 31 July 2008.
  14. ↑ Vermeer, Nelleke (30 May 2008). "Canon van de filosofie. De 100 beste filosofieboeken aller tijden" [Canon of philosophy. The 100 best philosophical books of all time]. Nederlands Dagblad (in Dutch). p. 1.
  15. ↑ De Goede, Agnes (18 June 2023). "Van vertrouweling van Rutte naar dierenactivist: 'Liefde voor dieren maakt je beter mens'" [From confidant of Rutte to animal rights activist: 'Love for animals makes you a better person']. RTL Nieuws (in Dutch). Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  16. ↑ "Uitslag Tweede Kamerverkiezing 2010" [Results 2010 general election] (PDF). Kiesraad (in Dutch). 16 June 2010. pp. 28 and 29. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  17. ↑ Bremmer, David; Duin, Roelf Jan (4 April 2014). "Ruttes 'pitbull' gaat weg" [Rutte's 'pitbull' departs]. Dagblad van het Noorden (in Dutch). p. 14.
  18. ↑ Verlinden, Paul (23 November 2017). "Bekende namen op VVD-lijst in Breda" [Well-known names on VVD's party list in Breda]. BN/De Stem (in Dutch). p. 4.
  19. ↑ Hayes, Tom; Verlinden, Paul (24 March 2018). "'Dorpelingen' scoren in Bredase gemeenteraad" ['Villagers' score in Breda municipal council]. BN/De Stem (in Dutch). p. 1.
  20. ↑ "Portefeuilleverdeling" [Specialties]. VVD Breda (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  21. ↑ Schapendonk, Nico (24 January 2020). "Inzet van 'dierenboa' in Breda wordt nog knap lastig" [Deployment of 'animal CSO' in Breda will be quite difficult]. AD (in Dutch). Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  22. ↑ "Jaarverslag 2020" [2020 annual report] (PDF). Raad voor Dierenaangelegenheden (in Dutch). 2021. p. 26. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  23. 1 2 "Uitslag Tweede Kamerverkiezing 17 maart 2021 Proces-verbaal" [Results general election 17 March 2021 Report] (PDF). Kiesraad (in Dutch). 29 March 2021. pp. 14 and 157. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  24. ↑ "Zeker Nederland" [Certainly the Netherlands] (PDF). VVD (in Dutch). p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  25. 1 2 "Daan de Neef". VVD (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 13 March 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  26. ↑ "VVD-Kamerlid De Neef stapt op om 'ijskoude aanpak' Ter Apel" [VVD MP De Neef steps down due to 'stone-cold approach' Ter Apel]. NOS (in Dutch). 31 August 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  27. ↑ "Simone Richardson beëdigd als VVD-Kamerlid" [Simone Richardson sworn in as VVD MP]. Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal (Press release) (in Dutch). 6 September 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  28. ↑ De Neef, Daan [@DaandeNeef] (4 October 2022). "Ik-ben-nu-lid-van-de-Partij-voor-de-Dieren-dag 🌱💚🌱 #surprise #surprise" [I'm-now-a-member-of-the-Party-for-the-Animals Day 🌱💚🌱 #surprise #surprise] (Tweet) (in Dutch). Retrieved 8 October 2023 – via Twitter.
  29. ↑ "Personalia 14-6-2023" [Personal developments 14-6-2023]. Het Financieele Dagblad (in Dutch). 14 June 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  30. ↑ Huisman, Jasmijn (11 September 2023). "Campagneleider Partij voor de Dieren stapt op. 'Ik kan niet voor een bestuur werken dat Esther zo behandelt'" [Party for the Animals campaign leader steps down. 'I cannot work for a board that treats Esther in this manner']. Trouw (in Dutch). Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  31. ↑ "Partijleider Ouwehand gaat door na uitslag onderzoek integriteitsschendingen" [Party leader Ouwehand continues after results investigation integrity violations]. NOS (in Dutch). 6 October 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  32. ↑ "De andere kant van Esther Ouwehand" [The other side of Esther Ouwehand]. NRC (in Dutch). 17 September 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  33. 1 2 Verdonschot, Leon (7 July 2021). "Het gloren tegemoet" [Towards the dawn]. De Groene Amsterdammer (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  34. ↑ Hochstenbach, Gerlach (17 March 2021). "Een dag van leven tussen hoop en vrees voor drie West-Brabantse kandidaten" [A day in the life between hope and fear for three candidates from western Brabant]. AD (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  35. ↑ "Raadsleden en fractievertegenwoordigers" [Municipal councilors and caucus representatives]. Den Haag (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 October 2022.
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