Auke van der Goot (FNP) is the FNP’s senator for OPNL since the Senate elections in May 2023. Auke was born and raised in Ljouwert-Huzum, studied history in Groningen en worked for the province of Fryslân, the European Bureau for Lesser Used Languages (in Brussels) and Mercator-Education (Fryske Akademy). From 1999-2022 he was policy advisor at the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK), in The Hague and also in Brussels.
At BZK he worked on the role of local, regional and water authorities in Europa, on the position of border regions and cooperation of these regions with Germany and Belgium (especially with Flanders). He also contributed to the Use of Frisian Language Act (2013).
To achieve things for Fryslân and for the other regions, both in The Hague and in Europe is for Auke van der Goot the underlying theme of his life. Also as a senator for OPNL he wants to advocate this cause. Because together, regions and their inhabitants are stronger in the Senate.
Gerben Gerbrandy (FNP) was Member of the Senate for OSF from June 2019 until January 2021.
Gerbrandy was the first person who raised the issue of the Landlord Tax in the Senate. Research was done and it appeared that housing corporations would have a deficit of 30 billion euro in the next 30 years to fulfil their core business, exactly the two billion euro per year that they now have to transfer to the national treasury. In the meantime many other parties want to abolish the tax. Gerbrandy also was the first who at the General Financial Debate in 2019 raised the issue of the basic income. He offered a book to the Minister of Finances , on the condition that the Minister would read the book.
In the beginning of 2021, Gerbrandy decided to end his work as a senator after two years, because as a one-man political group in the Senate, he was no longer able to handle the amount of work.
For a total of 12 years, Hindrik ten Hoeve (FNP) was OSF-senator. He was held in high regard and had a decisive influence on several occasions, such as in preventing budget cuts on culture, safeguarding Frisian-language nurseries and maintaining the independence of Omrop Fryslân (Frisian public broadcasting).
Ten Hoeve was also successful in his plea to provide a professional status for organisations of monument conservation (POM-status). As a result, for example the Stifting Alde Fryske Tsjerken (Foundation Old Frisian Churches) have to cope with much less red tape whilst conserving their monuments.
