Support for citizens' assemblies also came from philosopher and author Joke Hermsen, referring to the writings of Rosa Luxemburg and Hannah Arendt, as she previously did in her essay Het tij keren (Turning the tide).
Another longtime sortition advocate is former mayor Bert Blase, who published the book De burger is niet gek (Citizens aren't fools), strongly criticizing the political elite for not wanting to listen to ordinary citizens, and warning for a revolt. Blase, never shy of radical statements, in a news item published five years ago: "We are inventing the next phase of democracy".