Derk Sauer

Sketch of Sigrid Kaag's transformation from UN diplomat to minister and D66 party leader. How is she faring in a changed Netherlands, where her actions as well as her private life are dissected?

Once, the Staatsliedenbuurt neighbourhood in Amsterdam was an autonomous state for squatters, punks and the original inhabitants who united in the 'Woongroep Staatsliedenbuurt'. The city council's authority had eroded to virtually nothing after years of failing housing policy. The neighbourhood took matters into its own hands, which became painfully apparent when Amsterdam's mayor Van Thijn was roughly kicked out of the area at the close of 1984.