The insurance firm Achmea spent 440,000 euros on a speech by Bill Clinton. According to Achmea, the content of Clinton’s speech was worth more than the amount he received. “Rubbish,” writes Bart Smout.
A whopping sum of 440,000 euros (approximately $600,000): That’s how much the insurance firm Achmea paid in 2011 for a speech by ex-President Bill Clinton, who had been invited to join celebrations for the firm’s 200-year anniversary in the Frisian town of Achlum. His speech addressed the future of the Netherlands.
The amount came to light following investigation by journalists from the Washington Post into the amount of money Clinton raked in from speeches during 2001 and 2013. Judging by the data, it appears that Achmea was well-disposed toward Clinton. Just two other companies coughed up a larger figure in order to snare the former American president.
Babbling
Achmea confirmed via the NOS (Nederlandse Omroep Stichting, or Dutch Broadcasting Network) that they still have no concerns regarding Clinton’s commission. “The amount is less relevant for us than what he has made possible,” the insurance company explained. What Clinton made possible is a speech — a fairly spectacular speech, you would think, given the pay – and one that makes historic speeches such as those of Martin Luther King (“I have a dream”) and John F. Kennedy (“Ich bin ein Berliner”) seem like the babbling of an eight-month-old baby.
Yet nothing is further from the truth. A glance at the highlights of Clinton’s speech will lead you to conclude that he excels especially in stacking up vague and sweeping statements.
“In advanced countries, we have to worry about being complacent and spending too much time fighting and too little time ‘doing.'”
“Change requires trust.”
“… our differences are important, but our common humanity matters much, much more.”
“… cooperation always beats conflict.”
A Pocket Full of Money
So that was Clinton’s contribution: a pocket full of clichés for a pocket full of money. What makes it especially ironic is that Clinton’s speech was about solidarity. Describing solidarity to other people for 440,000 euros — there is no better definition of antisocial behavior.
According to Achmea, the themes that featured in Clinton’s speech are worth far more than the commission he received. Rubbish. Through Clinton, Achmea bought prestige. The insurer wanted grandeur and bought it in the form of the former president of the United States. Perish the thought that money could have played a role — a painful suggestion at a time where Achmea is cost-cutting in all areas. At the end of last year, the company announced 4,000 redundancies. During an earlier reorganization, Achmea had already scrapped 2,500 jobs.
Clinton’s speech in Achlum reveals an absurd world: a world populated by people who find it normal to ask for 440,000 euros in exchange for 45 minutes of jabbering and people who find it normal to hand over that kind of money. Try to reprimand that second group, and they suggest that there is no issue — since they stand by their decision.
The question is whether the premium payers agree.
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