Tuybens entered the political scene in 2005, when he became secretary for government enterprises in the federal government. Before that, he worked as a broker, specialising in ethical investments, at KBC bank. He was also the president of Amnesty International Flanders.

When sp.a was forced into opposition in 2007, Tuybens' ministerial career seemed over before it even began. In parliament, though, he became noted as the man behind the quotas for women on company boards and as a relentless bonus basher. (The English words "basher" and "bashing" having been added to Flemish political jargon recently. They are mostly used in reference to criticising the N-VA, although anyone and anything can be "bashed" these days.)

There is something unethical about large bonuses being paid out to CEOs and board members, Tuybens argued. He coined the phrase "beer bonus" to denote the €2 million-something variable remuneration former prime minister Jean-Luc Dehaene receives as a board member at AB InBev.

Tuybens did more than just "bashing": He was behind two resolutions, by the Flemish and federal parliaments, to curb excessive bonuses from banks still paying back government support.

It was therefore only a matter of time before it was leaked that Tuybens had received a variable remuneration - a bonus, as most people would call it - at KBC, worth €250,000. That is a far cry from the millions Dehaene receives, but to most people it is still a lot.

For Tuybens, the damage is immense. He has lost part of his credibility on the subject, especially since he started off his defence by saying exactly what so-called bonus grabbers usually say: The money, he stated, was the result of a job well done. The news feeds a suspicion many people have about the socialists: that defending the working classes is another way of becoming rich themselves. This is the one thing the Flemish socialists, already losing in popularity, could do without.

On Labour Day, sp.a defended bonuses not just for bosses, but for all employees. I did not realise they meant the price of an average family home, one observer joked. One thing is clear about Bruno Tuybens, though: We can hardly say that he is only in politics for the money.