In the “social elections”, held
in all large companies these
days, employees decide who
will represent them in talks
with their employers. The
elections, organised every four
years, are part ritual, part direct
democracy. They illustrate how
the Belgian consensus model
works: Unions and employer’s
organisations are part of the
system, rather than opponents,
resulting in “social peace”.
In the new federal government,
Maggie De Block, a back-bencher
well respected by insiders for
her grasp of health issues but
largely unknown to the public
at large, was surprising named
secretary of state for Asylum and
Migration.
You can say a lot about Pol Van
Den Driessche, but not that he
is a man of many principles.
He started his career with the
Volksunie, the predecessor of
what is now N-VA. Later he
was spotted in socialist circles,
before he became CD&V
senator in 2007. Recently N-VA
made him their candidate
mayor in Bruges.
The Flemish non-fiction
bestseller list is dominated by
cooking manuals. Boyish TV
chefs, busty celebrities and stevia
specialists tell Flanders what it
should eat.
This week the federal minister
for work faces her first real
test. Monica De Coninck has
gained a formidable reputation
as head of the Antwerp OCMW,
or welfare office, where her
approach stood out. The
OCMW is the last resort for
people in financial problems,
with no job and no right to
unemployment benefits.
Dexia Bad Bank warrantor. That
is how one Facebook contact
describes his position in life.
He is not alone: every taxpayer
in Belgium will be contributing
to the government bail-out of
Dexia Bank, now Belfius, for
decades to come. The amount to
pay could increase at any time,
for if the bank fails, we have to
pay up even more.
Subsequent state reforms have
shaped this country into what
some believe is an institutional
jungle. The outcome may look
ugly, but at least it is the result of
the so-called Belgian compromise,
which requires a lot of creativity.
According to a recent opinion
poll, N-VA is by far the most
popular party in Flanders,
attracting one in every three
voters. Hey – didn’t I write this
same thing last week?
Bart De Wever lost more
than 30 kilos on a diet! Bart
De Wever might resign from
politics in 2014! Bart De Wever
is elected Dick of the Year by
Humo magazine readers! Bart
De Wever becomes even more
popular according to new polls!
This year’s budget control is more
than a formality for the federal
government. As this publication
went to press, the ministers sat
together to find the €2 billion
in cuts needed in order to meet
the 2.8% deficit Europe allows.
This operation would not pass
painlessly, vice prime minister
Steven Vanackere (CD&V)
warned. Whenever a situation
like that arises, balloons are
released.
Flanders Today is a 
