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Tweets of the Week: Dutch minister resigns, Boris Johnson’s credibility, and Bad Valentines

By Jennifer Baker, Malte Ketelsen and Tess Vrbin | EURACTIV.com

16-02-2018

This week Dutch Foreign Minister resigns, Boris Johnson’s credibility declines, and Twitter is awash with bad Valentines!

Dutch Foreign Minister Halbe Zijlstra stepped down on Tuesday, just one day after admitting he lied about attending a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

Zijlstra claimed that at a 2006 meeting, Putin said he considered Belarus, Ukraine and the Baltic states a “Greater Russia.” This lie became lore, said Glenn Greenwald.

 

The resignation means the Netherlands still has its values intact, according to Joseph Barri.

 

… unlike you know who.

 

Alice Stollmeyer though it was good that some politicians still have “the decency to resign over telling a half-truth.”

 

Looking at you, Putin, Erdogan and Trump.

 

Joris Luyendijk saw it as proof that the UK needs another “Glorious Revolution where the Dutch come over to sort them out.”

 

Wolfgang Blau said Zijlstra’s resignation sets the bar extremely high for Boris Johnson. 

And on Wednesday Bojo gave a speech trying to convince Remainers and Brexiteers to come together to back Brexit. 

Good luck with that!

 

That’s like a Labrador with a chewed-up slipper in its mouth telling people not to be upset about dogs destroying stuff.

Johnson said reversing Brexit would be a “disastrous mistake”.

 

Well, it would be for him, according to Chris Smith. “If Brexit doesn’t happen, Johnson’s political career will be over. He’s hitched himself to a catastrophe,” he said. 

As for Johnson’s hope for a “liberal Brexit,” most liberals don’t want Brexit and most Brexiteers aren’t liberal, said Stephen Bush. 

Matt Turner said Johnson’s speech was all foam and no beer. 

John Rain summed up the entire thing in one gif: 

Finally Wednesday was Valentine’s Day and of course every man and his dog wanted to get in on the action by shoehorning romance into even the most tedious marketing messaging.

 

But first the winners:

 

I wanted some glamour
Like Marilyn or Doris
But my Valentine’s Day
Was spent watching Boris, tweeted spoof account Martini Seltzermayr.

 

Following up with:

Brexit is daft
But I’ve found something dafter
Real Donald Trump
Wants to pull out of NAFTA

MEP Antanas Guoga‏ said there should be “no borders for love and happiness.”

 

And as a chocolate lorry arrived outside the Berlaymont, Tom Moylan‏ commented that “someone went all out this year!”

Digital rights group EDRi said: “Roses are red, violets are blue, you have a dating life, your data has too.” 

In the same vein, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office also tweeted‏ “We love GDPR because it gives individuals increased rights to access their data” and asked people to tell of their GDPR romance!

 

Now, I love the GDPR as much as anyone, but even I think that’s a bit OTT!

 

Others jumping on the bandwagon include the European Commission,

 

The European Emergency Numbers Association,

 

Commissioner Carlos Moedas, 

DG Environment,

who get a special dispensation for their “love is in the air” line.

 

The European LPG Association,

 

And so many, many more. But the most cringeworthy award goes to the British Department of Work and Pensions, who thought Valentine’s Day was a great chance to draw attention to benefit fraud!

This week we are supported by Eurelectric, they’ve just had a rebrand, so check out their new look at www.eurelectric.org

That’s all for this week. Join me again next week for more chuckles, cringes and comebacks in the Brussels Bubble Twittersphere and send in your suggestions using the hashtag #EUTweets.

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