Best Banana Tree Productions Podcasts (2025)

1
The What The Hell Els Could Go Wrong Edition - Week 39 - 2025 1:10:01

Play Pause

1h ago1:10:01

1:10:01

The eruption of far-right violence in The Hague destroys the fragile hopes of a civil, constructive election campaign. Housing minister Mona Keijzer keeps Marjolein Faber's legacy alive by ploughing on with her asylum policies in the face of a withering assessment by the Council of State. More than 40% of voters say Gaza will influence their choice…

1
The Three Vodka Scheveningen Challenge Edition - Week 38 - 2025 1:14:46

5d ago1:14:46

1:14:46

Prinsjesdag is usually a day to delight fashion fans and financial nerds, but this year's edition fell short on both fronts as the parties got stuck into the election campaign. Train strikes are called off after unions agree a pay deal, but Schiphol is facing more disruption. Newly discovered CCTV footage could cast a different light on the violenc…

1
The Go Home, Russian Drones, You're Drunk Edition - Week 37 - 2025 1:01:32

12d ago1:01:32

1:01:32

Usually Treasury Tuesday is the high point of September, but this year it was overshadowed by Super Saturday, when Dutch politicians stood up on a conference stage and said who they didn't want to form a coalition with. Foreign affairs minister David van Weel asks the Russian ambassador how 19 drones veered into Polish airspace, just as the VVD abr…

1
The Wolves Are Raising the Bar Edition - Week 36 - 2025 1:16:16

20d ago1:16:16

1:16:16

The podcast returns with a look back to a summer in which the government managed the unprecedented feat of collapsing for a second time. The political parties' manifestos are dominated by the issues of housing, immigration and how to sweep up the NSC vote. The brutal murder of a 17-year-old girl in Amsterdam becomes fodder for the far right when an…

1
The Eternal Sunshine of the Forever Chemicals Edition - Week 27 - 2025 1:05:53

3M ago1:05:53

1:05:53

In a hilarious and intricate farce set in The Hague, Geert Wilders plays a man who wakes up every morning unable to remember if he still supports his own asylum bill. Another victim of Wilders' amnesia, singer Douwe Bob, has to flee the country when Dilan Yesilgöz forms a strike partnership with a pro-Israeli football hooligan. PFAS "forever chemic…

1
The Daddy's Armoured Ferris Wheel Edition - Week 26 - 2025 1:22:39

3M ago1:22:39

1:22:39

Mark Rutte's plan to treat Donald Trump like Orange royalty paid dividends at the Nato summit in The Hague. Specifically 5% dividends, as the 32 nations agreed to raise their defence spending with a definition of "vital infrastructure" as elastic as Rutte's spine. Geert Wilders' PVV party threatens to sabotage its own asylum bill in protest at the …

1
The Twisted Family Trees Edition - Week 25 - 2025 1:09:59

3M ago1:09:59

1:09:59

The election campaign gathers pace as Dilan Yesilgöz goes on the attack against GroenLinks-PvdA while also slamming the door on another coalition with Geert Wlders' PVV. NSC narrowly avoids descending into chaos as one of the contenders in the race to lead the party into electoral oblivion drops out. Meanwhile, Dick Schoof secures a mandate to rais…

1
The Drifting Pancakes and Terrorist Vegetables Edition - Week 24 - 2025 1:03:06

3M ago1:03:06

1:03:06

After a week of strategic bickering between the coalition parties, Dick Schoof brokers a deal to split the asylum ministry three ways, making it less fragmented than it was under Marjolein Faber. Amsterdam unveils a plan to get international workers to speak Dutch and get involved in community work, in the hope that the locals will follow suit. Eur…

1
The Orange Shields For White Lions Edition - Week 23 - 2025 1:04:27

4M ago1:04:27

1:04:27

In the most unsurprising plot twist since James Cameron's Titanic, the Dutch cabinet collapsed this week when Geert Wilders walked out in protest at his own asylum policy. With an election almost five months away, we ask if Dick Schoof's lame-duck cabinet can make more waves on defence, housing and immigration. Meanwhile, Mark Rutte has to figure o…

1
Collapse of the Cabinet - Extra Episode - Week 23 - 2025 49:41

4M ago49:41

49:41

Eleven months after Dick Schoof's cabinet took office and 10½ months later than expected, the Dutch cabinet has collapsed after Geert Wilders pulled out of the four-way right-wing coalition. We look at how he managed to stir up a full-scale row over immigration with three parties that agreed with him and how the other parties were left wrong footed…

1
The Gourmet Wolves At The Circle Party From Hell Edition - Week 21 - 2025 52:40

4M ago52:40

52:40

The capital's 750th birthday celebrations get off to a chaotic start, while Ajax lose the title and their Italian coach in the space of a week. Foreign affairs minister Caspar Veldkamp has more success in Europe, forcing the EU to investigate Israel's aid blockade in Gaza. Auditors skewer the government's spending plans, while the IMF sticks the kn…

1
The Trappist Monks Can't Bottle It Like Ajax Edition - Week 20 - 2025 1:02:06

4M ago1:02:06

1:02:06

Pressure mounts on the Dutch cabinet to denounce Israel's destruction of Gaza, with the mayor of Amsterdam, universities and even PVV voters growing increasingly critical. Scientists warn that Donald Trump's cuts to academic research are hampering their ability to work with American colleagues. The Netherlands could face water shortages as climate …

1
The Strictly Not Dancing With Wolves Edition - Week 19 - 2025 1:03:38

5M ago1:03:38

1:03:38

Foreign minister Casper Veldkamp finally draws a red line over Israel's intervention in Gaza, but will it be the fault line that ruptures the coalition? The conflict is also the focus of protests at ceremonies to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. But at least one of the coalition parties has something to celebrate, as ME…

1
The Penguin Murder Mystery Edition - Week 18 - 2025 1:09:57

5M ago1:09:57

1:09:57

As the economy cools, the cabinet burns through its green energy fund to bail out fossil fuel users and torch its climate change targets. The debate on who should be included in the May 4 commemorations flares up again as an alternative ceremony to include the victims of Gaza is condemned by some politicians. Geert Wilders claims victory as his asy…

1
The TikTok Terrorism Tango Edition - Week 17 - 2025 1:04:30

5M ago1:04:30

1:04:30

The passing of Pope Francis managed to put the king's birthday birthday celebrations and Pieter Omtzigt's dramatic departure from politics in the shade this week. The coalition leaders emerged from a marathon negotiation session with a spring budget deal designed to please everyone except the taxpayers. Intelligence services accuse Iran of planning…

1
The Crossing Zebras and Hoarding Coots Edition - Week 15 - 2025 1:07:24

6M ago1:07:24

1:07:24

An Easter egg scramble begins in The Hague as ministers try to grab a morsel of the €8 billion available in his spring budget statement. The Binnenhof's history as a medieval palace turns out to be even longer and richer than we suspected. Academics at Dutch universities face extra screening to prevent them stealing scientific knowledge, while stud…

1
The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum Ministry Edition - Week 14 - 2025 1:11:24

6M ago1:11:24

1:11:24

Once again Marjolein Faber confounds critics and partners alike with her bottomless talent for turning a storm in a teacup into a political maelstrom. Dick Schoof insists his cabinet is united behind his decision to clean up the mess caused by Faber's refusal to honour five volunteers for working with refugees. Elsewhere, a majority of MPs back a b…

1
The No Tupperware For Old Wolves Edition - Week 13 - 2025 1:06:05

6M ago1:06:05

1:06:05

This week it was the turn of the immigration service and the justice inspectorate to take Marjolein Faber to task over her unravelling immigration plans. Amsterdam is shocked as five people are stabbed in an apparently random attack near Dam Square. Travellers to the United States are warned about Donald Trump's backward shift on LBGT rights. PSV h…

1
The Urk Kids Get Stoned In The Biblical Sense Edition - Week 12 - 2025 1:04:01

6M ago1:04:01

1:04:01

Dick Schoof heads to Brussels for a defence spending summit with orders to pull the emergency brake on the Eurobonds train. Back in The Hague, the PVV holds its own prisons minister hostage over her plans to solve the overcrowding problem in jails. And the education minister wants to attract foreign talent to universities that are cutting down on i…

1
The Back to Frugality Edition - Week 11 - 2025 1:01:46

6M ago1:01:46

1:01:46

The latest crisis to engulf Dick Schoof's cabinet sees three coalition parties vote against the prime minister on Europe's rearmament plan to support Ukraine. GroenLinks-PvdA speed up plans for a merger, almost as if they expect an early election. JA21 MP Joost Eerdmans, a PVV councillor and Groningen's former mayor all get into difficulty in their…

1
The Who's Ringing Dick's Doorbell Edition - Week 10 - 2025new 1:00:31

7M ago1:00:31

1:00:31

There's no such thing as an unqualified success in Dick Schoof's coalition of the unwilling. The prime minister steers a €3.5bn aid package to Ukraine through parliament, but faces accusations of a stitch-up from Geert Wilders. Marjolein Faber's asylum plans are finally signed off in cabinet but are likely to meet stiff resistance in the Senate. Po…

1
The Cray Me A River Edition - Week 9 - 2025 1:07:40

7M ago1:07:40

1:07:40

An €8 billion windfall turns out to be a poisoned chalice for the cabinet as the coalition parties start scrambling for a piece of the pie. The four parties can't agree on how to mark the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which is also the subject of Marjolein Faber's latest faux pas. More freelancers are going out of business a…

1
The Sober As A Ugandan Bunker Edition - Week 8 - 2024 58:40

7M ago58:40

58:40

The mission to realise the "strictest asylum policy ever" takes another twist as housing minister Mona Keijzer bans local councils from giving refugees priority housing while Marjolein Faber gives them a €30,000 incentive to do exactly that. Women's rights, higher education and Unicef are no longer relevant to the Dutch national interest, Reinette …

1
The Lock Up The Wolves Edition - Week 7 - 2025 42:11

7M ago42:11

42:11

As Karl Marx once observed, history repeats itself: the first time as tragedy, the second as farce, the third as Marjolein Faber's asylum policy. The cabinet is on the brink of collapse for the umpteenth time as Geert Wilders blames NSC for his favourite minister's failure to cut any ice with the Council of State. Gelderland province also hits a le…

1
The Manure Hits The Windmill Edition - Week 6 - 2025 1:09:54

7M ago1:09:54

1:09:54

The BBB is the latest coalition party to be plunged into crisis as an MP quits and the local party in its Overijssel heartland splits over "irreconcilable differences". The three face mask millionaires are told to pay back their ill-gotten gains in a judgment that is scathing of the health ministry's carefree attitude to spending public money. Brus…

1
The Hunebed Heist Way Edition - Week 5 - 2025 1:08:05

8M ago1:08:05

1:08:05

Another week, another round of infighting and backtracking in the coalition, this time over an eye-watering 0.4% increase in the rate of VAT. The Drents Museum is the reluctant star of an international heist drama stretching from Bucharest to Heerhugowaard. Calls for a fireworks ban grow louder following another rise in injuries and attacks on emer…

1
The Gourmet Flamingos and Wolves in Blankets Edition - Week 4 - 2025 1:03:33

8M ago1:03:33

1:03:33

A hazy cloud hangs over the cabinet after it loses another court case against its nitrogen reduction policy. Marjolein Faber's latest wheeze to send asylum seekers home is a one-way trip to Damascus, with compensation for going via Brussels. Shoplifters are getting away with theft and it's down to privacy laws, says a debt collection firm that was …

1
The Blueberry Monday Edition - Week 3 - 2024 1:00:53

8M ago1:00:53

1:00:53

Some people call it the most depressing day of the year: to others it's known as the return of parliament. Geert Wilders' coalition crisis roulette wheel lands on the spring budget cuts as he yet again vows not to budge an inch. The lawyer for drugs baron Ridouan Taghi is accused of abusing her privilege to run messages for her client in a case tha…

1
The Brabant Is Full of Used Needles Edition - Week 2 - 2025 1:06:15

9M ago1:06:15

1:06:15

In keeping with tradition, 2025 kicked off with an explosive row about whether to ban fireworks. Pharmacists go on strike for more pay while they warn about a shortage of supplies. The wartime archives of suspected Nazi collaborators are opened up and immediately stir up a hornet's nest. Blades are sharpened in the world of figure skating as the le…

1
Ophef of the Year 2024 - Bonus Episode 52:53

9M ago52:53

52:53

It's time once again for our annual round-up of the minor incidents that got everybody hot under the collar for five minutes on social media at some point this year. And what a bumper harvest it's been. Caroline van der Plas performed a hardboiled cunning stunt in front of Geert Wilders, a man called Willie fell foul of the regulations on phallic g…

1
The Bright Lights and Bad Coffee Edition - Week 51 - 2024 1:04:21

9M ago1:04:21

1:04:21

Asylum minister Marjolein Faber produces her rapid-response emergency plan to deal with the urgent refugee crisis, a mere six months after taking office. Police believe the explosion in The Hague that cost the lives of six people may have been the work of an enraged ex-boyfriend. Farmers' party minister Jean Rummenie outlines his strategy on proble…

1
The Did We Order This Government On Temu Edition - Week 50 - 2024 1:07:01

10M ago1:07:01

1:07:01

The Hague was in shock this week after six people died in a huge blast that police believe was an attack on a bridal wear shop. A "monster alliance" wrings concessions from the coalition parties on the education budget, but universities say the cuts will still damage the sector. Enhanced border checks come into force but experts say they will make …

1
The Badger Distinction Edition - Week 49 - 2024 56:16

10M ago56:16

56:16

The government is running out of time to make its education budget add up as opposition parties form a "monster alliance" against its spending cuts. Sandra Palmen, who blew open the childcare benefits scandal, is put in charge of compensating the thousands of victims. Two Dutch members of a gang who smuggled cocaine in crates of onions are given ey…

1
The Gnome Sweet Gnome Edition - Week 48 - 2024 1:04:59

10M ago1:04:59

1:04:59

You don't need a degree in rocket science to work out that the government's higher education cuts are in deep trouble after opposition parties form a united front in the Senate against the €2 billion package. More budget headaches in Brussels as the EU raps the Netherlands over the knuckles for busting the deficit limit that it was instrumental in …

1
The Make Dutch Cheese Grate Again Edition - Week 47 - 2024 53:20

10M ago53:20

53:20

NSC leader Pieter Omtzigt returns to The Hague to survey the tattered remains of his Nieuw Sociaal Contract party. Two MPs follow junior finance minister Nora Achahbar through the exit, complaining of a lack of basic decency in government. Another NSC minister, Caspar Veldkamp, had an awkward day in parliament as he explained the consequences of th…

1
The No Product Placement In This Podcast Edition - Week 46 - 2024 51:20

10M ago51:20

51:20

Amsterdam has been hardly out of the headlines this week, after trouble before, during and after a football match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv, with politicians at home and abroad pouring oil on troubled waters. Oil giant Shell, meanwhile, won the return match in its ongoing legal battle with environmental campaign group Milieudefensie. Health…

1
The Folkert Gets On His Bike Edition - Week 45 - 2025 1:00:41

11M ago1:00:41

1:00:41

The minister for tax affairs becomes the first casualty of Dick Schoof's cabinet as Geert Wilders settles a score with NSC over the asylum law. A police report reveals how criminals have infiltrated the healthcare system with fake qualifications and bogus agencies. Parents are blocked from checking their children's homework online, while the axe ha…

1
The Dance to the Gallemiezen Edition - Week 44 - 2024 1:04:43

11M ago1:04:43

1:04:43

A frustrating week for asylum minister Marjolein Faber as all her hypothetical hard work on the government's emergency refugee law goes up in smoke. Geert Wilders rediscovers his appetite for bananas and democratic processes while Dick Schoof struggles to convince even himself that the "strictest asylum rules" ever will actually work. Meanwhile in …

1
The Brussels Banana Drama Edition - Week 42 - 2024 56:15

12M ago56:15

56:15

Geert Wilders insists he doesn't have a banana for a backbone, but his flexibility may have saved Dick Schoof's bacon for now ahead of a crucial cabinet meeting to finalise the government's asylum policy. Marjolein Faber's talent for confecting word salads throws the coalition parties into a state of confusion, while Reinette Klever cleverly rebran…

1
The Banksy of Ter Apel Edition - Week 41 - 2024 55:03

12M ago55:03

55:03

The signs are looking bad for Dick Schoof's cabinet as it hits the 100-day mark, and not just the ones that Marjolein Faber wants to hang in refugee centres. Geert Wilders goes on the offensive against Amsterdam's mayor Femke Halsema for her handling of a pro-Palestinian demonstration on October 7. Dutch universities do their bit for the government…

1
The In Between Gavels Edition - Week 40 - 2024 52:02

12M ago52:02

52:02

An unnamed "foreign power" hacked into the Dutch police database this week, with cybersecurity experts pointing the finger squarely at Russia. Mark Rutte declared his love for Brussels as he started work as the new boss of Nato with a pledge to bring Ukraine into the alliance. The first fine is handed down for street harassment since it was crimina…

1
The We Love To Visit Your Wonderful Windmills Edition - Week 39 - 2024 57:24

1y ago57:24

57:24

What started out as an asylum crisis became a fast-track route to disaster this week as Geert Wilders hinted he could torpedo the coalition if his plans are thwarted. Meanwhile in the North Sea, Russian marine research vessels turn out to be engaged in the kind of fishing expedition that involves mini submarines, radar and armed guards. Three wolf …

1
The High As A Parachutist In Brabant Edition - Week 38 - 2024 1:16:46

1y ago1:16:46

1:16:46

The horse-drawn carriages rattled through the streets of The Hague as usual, but in other ways it was a new-look Prinsjesdag. Finance minister Eelco Heinen warned that the days of "free money" were over as he delivered a stripped-down budget designed to balance the books. The budget debate revolved around Geert Wilders's favourite hobby-horse, immi…

1
The Circle Party Visible From Space Edition - Week 37 - 2024 52:07

1y ago52:07

52:07

It's been a rollercoaster year for NSC, but after realising that most rollercoaster rides end back down at the bottom, leader Pieter Omtzigt decides to take a break. As budget day draws near, BBB leader Caroline van der Plas threatening to quit after her own party's agriculture minister unveils plans to buy out farmers. In the most unsurprising new…

1
The Baby Boom War Room Edition - Week 36 - 2024 1:01:18

1y ago1:01:18

1:01:18

Cabinet ministers returned from their summer break this week and got stuck into late-night budget talks. Pieter Omtzigt was accused of sabotaging his own plans to make government more accountable by setting up a "war room" with NSC's two senior ministers to renegotiate the budget. Omtzigt also voiced concern about the declining Dutch and European b…

1
The Dick and Denzel Are Coming Home Edition - Week 28 - 2024 49:58

1y ago49:58

49:58

New prime minister Dick Schoof stepped up onto the world stage this week, calling in on Ursula von der Leyen before heading to the Nato summit in Washington. His meeting with fellow debutant Keir Starmer was overshadowed by Oranje's last-minute defeat to England in the semi-finals of Euro 2024 and a penalty decision that made Ronald Koeman see red.…

1
The Gamekeepers Turned Egg Poachers Edition - Week 27 - 2024 41:56

1y ago41:56

41:56

Dick Schoof's honeymoon period turns out to be even shorter than Joost Klein's Eurovision campaign as the new coalition's first debate descends into chaos and infighting. Mark Rutte headed off on his bike to Nato after getting to say his favourite word on television one last time. The impending change of government also caused anxiety at Keti Koti …

1
The Rutte Gets A Great Replacement Edition - Week 26 - 2024 1:01:57

1+ y ago1:01:57

1:01:57

Several opposition parties stayed away from this week's ministerial hearings, fearing it would become a political circus. It turned out to be a game of reverse charades in which Marjolein Faber and the other PVV candidates expended a huge amount of words in saying nothing. Mark Rutte headed off to his future workplace of Brussels for one last Europ…

1
The Expats Have Snatched All Our Herring Edition - Week 25 - 2024 1:06:24

1+ y ago1:06:24

1:06:24

Exhausted and bedraggled after six months of bruising negotiations, the four parties in the new coalition this week hauled themselves over the start line. While the VVD filled the cabinet with heavyweight international statesmen and NSC appointed senior judges and diplomats, the PVV posted fans of Nazi "Umvolkung" theories. The breakthrough came ju…

1
The Mossad, Máxima and Mickey Mouse Edition - Week 24 - 2024 1:11:43

1+ y ago1:11:43

1:11:43

After months of slow progress, the formation of the next government hits warp speed as the new asylum minister resigns before he can be appointed. An early setback for the cabinet's immigration policy as the European Court of Justice says two Iraqi refugees who adopt Dutch values have the right to stay. Six men involved in the murder of the journal…