Judith Tielen

Biography

“People are often more capable than they think”

I am a woman of many interests and love getting involved with things. Perhaps that is why I knew at a young age that I wanted to go into politics: because politics is about everything, and everything is political. Before entering national politics, I was a municipal councillor in Utrecht for three years, on top of running my own marketing consultancy firm. During my time in local politics, I loved getting to meet the people of Utrecht and always tried to focus on the real-world implications of policy. I hope to be able to do the same in national politics.

Freedom and trust

People are often a lot more capable than they think. That is why I believe they should have the freedom and take the responsibility to live their lives as they see fit. The duty of politicians is to create a framework in which people can have that freedom. Politicians must instill trust from the people and avoid imposing countless unnecessary, cumbersome rules.

At the same time, one of my core values is equality: I will never tolerate intolerance!

Utrecht

I probably inherited my enterprising, liberal nature from my great-grandfather. He was the chairman of a Utrecht shopkeepers’ association and strongly opposed the introduction of a law on closing hours in 1914. I love Utrecht with its history and renewal, its active residents, and entrepreneurs.