Mei Li You is sinds 1 March 2007 second member of parliament for the PvdA. She has the spokespersonships zzp, freelancers, consumers, market forces and financial supervision. She wrote columns for Vrij Nederland and de Volkskrant and has been 2007 member of the Supervisory Board of radio station FunX. Mei Li is also a co-founder of the Alternative to Trade Union (LAWYER).The Institute of Brilliant Failures interviews Mei Li Vos (1970) about her experiences with making mistakes as a newcomer in politics in The Hague and as founder of the AVV.

IvBM: What is the culture like in the second room when it comes to making mistakes?

Mei Li Vos: “I find the way in which politicians deal with mistakes particularly painful. There is a lot of bad policy. Openness about making mistakes and learning from them can play a major role in increasing the effectiveness and quality of the work of the second chamber. But there isn't.
So it could be that everyone knows you're wrong but admitting your mistakes is political suicide. Consider, for example, the issue related to the textbooks (the controversial bill for free school books by State Secretary Marja van Bijsterveldt of Education, red. BR).
Or look at all the mistakes the tax authorities have made recently. In the end, the government and the House overloaded the tax authorities with new tasks. If things go wrong, then that aspect is not sufficiently taken into account. If there are really big mistakes, too little is learned from them.”
In addition, I also see little or no room for advancing insight. Adjusting your opinion is always explained as turning. IvBM: In your current portfolio, do you know more examples of 'learning too late' from major mistakes??
Mei Li Vos: “From my wallet (market forces and financial supervision, red. BR) I also immerse myself in the American credit crisis. There, the so-called credit raters simply did not see the risk and do not monitor adequately. A free market like the US has its supervision very 'lightly organised'. Fed (United States central bank, red. BR) realizes now what mistakes have been made and what the consequences are. There is a lot to learn from this for many parties inside and outside the United States.”

IvBM: What does making mistakes mean to you as a politician??
Mei Li Vos: “I haven't made any major bills myself yet. But I'm not afraid to stumble. And I try to be as open as possible. In addition, the PVDA is already known as a turning butt, so let's go all the way and clearly label things as advancing insight.

By the way, we don't always get it wrong. I think the research by the Dijsselbloem committee into the innovations in education that has been implemented since the early 1990s is the best example of learning from mistakes.” The main conclusion was that the government fulfills its core task, has seriously neglected to ensure the quality of education, red. BR).

IvBM: you were in 2005 one of the initiators of the Alternative For Trade Union (LAWYER) for freelancers and flex workers, among others. This initiative may not yet have achieved its intended quantitative targets. According to our sources, there are currently less than 3.000 members. But at the same time you see that a lot of your ideas are now being converted into policy. Can we already give the AVV a place in the gallery of the Institute for Brilliant Failures?
Mei Li Vos: “The AVV is a trade union that stands up for workers who are currently not or hardly represented in the consultative bodies. Workers whose interests are less represented: the outsiders on the labor market. Outsiders are, for example, freelancers, flex workers, but also certain groups of employees. Think of young people, who have to pay for the early retirement pensions of older employees. The AVV stands up for people who do not feel at home with traditional trade unions, but need an organization that stands up for them.

Indeed, in terms of numbers of members, there has not been a huge increase yet. But it is still too early to call AVV a brilliant failure. One thing is certain: a lot has been learned already. And there have indeed been some shifts in favor of the 'outsiders in the labor market'. ZZP-ers officially did not exist. The AVV has made a contribution to ensuring that these 2005 be officially recognized. More attention has also been paid to flex workers and paid maternity leave for the self-employed.
Furthermore, the AVV has organized itself 'lightly' in contrast to traditional trade unions. There is often still a traditional meeting culture with meetings in all kinds of rooms. You also come across this in politics in The Hague. There is a huge room for innovation there. This is now, for example, filled in by TON” ('Proud of the Netherlands, movement of Rita Verdonk with sympathizers without statutory rights instead of members who discuss via the internet and public meetings, red. BR).
IvBM: Finally, which politicians in your current work environment do you think deal with mistakes in a good way?
“I think Member of Parliament Jan chinkelshoek of the CDA and former director of communications at Rabobank is a politician with great integrity. He is not afraid to criticize and get criticized. And that also applies to my PvdA colleague, Pauline Smeets, who is engaged in entrepreneurship in the room.”

IvBM: We would like to meet again in a year to catch up on your successes and any brilliant failures.
Mei Li Vos: “Prima. And keep up your initiative. It is healthy that in addition to all kinds of databases with best practices, there are also good databases with worst practices. And we will see what cases can be added from politics in a year's time…