Surprisingly I became politicly aware at a very early age. It is kind of a bitter sweet memory.

I can't remember the exact birthday it happened but it must have been between the age of eight and twelve. I remember the moment very clearly, nobody forgets being expelled from his own birthday. It was one of those events. Birthday's where used as an opportunity to invite people into the social circle. We had new neighbours and of course they where also invited.

My new neighbour, the new director of the employment agency, started raving about the PvdA, about equality of opportunity and solidarity.
At a certain point I asked one very critical question;

"Can you explain the equality and solidarity of your wife's immediate employment as a head nurse when you moved here? You earn enough as a director and there are many unemployed qualified people for that job in our town."

I never got the answer, I was kindly asked to go to my room. It was not the last time in my live my directness got me in trouble.

In light of the previous I never trusted people related to the PvdA very much. Recent history with people like; Wim Kok in many supervisory boards after his political career; Ad Melkert who's televised biography pictured him as a person foremost obsessed with power and Wouter Bos writing a whole excuse book about his pre political life with Shell, do not contribute to a positive feeling about this party.