Community Spirit, July 2018

Michael: “Well in 2002, we had our first
2 3 | I N T E R V I E W
political murder in Holland with Pim
Fortuyn. Two days before he was killed,
he was in our programme because there
were elections coming up. And we had a
disabled kind of dwarf who was in our
programme because the local news was
that one of his gnomes got stolen. Of
course, the funny thing was that he
looked like a gnome and his wife was a
little bit retarded so the combination
was fantastic, although still respectful to
“So we would ask him questions
Editor’s Note
them both.”
and everytime he got it wrong it
After the interview I felt very
privileged to have discovered more
would go ‘Beeeeeb!!’ and then
“In the programme we had a
you’d have to start all over again.
about Michael’s inspiring work. I
reconstruction of the violent robbery of
wished that I had taken the time to
It was terrible, Buzz Wire game
the garden gnome, of course it went
that's what it was. So that is an
ask him some questions years before
viral, but he was also doing voluntary
about his work, but then everything
example of how we handled
work and he had his own political party.
politics.”
happens when it is supposed too I
But he was the only one in the party and
guess.
his wife was supporting him. One day
“But Pim Fortuyn was one of the
we thought that we need to do
big leaders who said that nobody
I could really feel his passion and his
something with politics, so we made
excitement about creating the 'Man
listens to the ordinary people.
him our 'Man Bites Dog' political
What we now see with the Dutch
Bites Dog' programme. I am looking
journalist. When there were elections,
forward to seeing his next
elections or with Trump being
he was always there. The political
elected, is that it is all about the
programme about cooking and
leaders all wanted to have some free
storytelling around the dinner table.
ordinary people being screwed.”
airplay or television time so they also
Actually this interview has given me
participated in our programme. Pim
a new perspective and some great
“With 'Man Bites Dog', we were
Fortuyn was doing silly things in the
saying that you forget the
ideas of how to evolve Community
programme and our journalist was
common people because we were
Spirit for the better.
asking silly questions, but the public
making the common people
liked it. But two days later Fortuyn was
important. And not outspoken,
killed.”
but we showed it everyday in our
people were thinking about
www.michaelabspoel.com.
programme, we showed what
“The game that Pim was playing was the
funny doctors game where you have to
politics or whatever. We just
move a metal gadget around a wire and
showed how beautiful the Dutch
everytime it touches it goes ‘Beeeeeb!!!’
people really are!”