Belgian Politics & Elections: Federal, regional & EP elections on June 9, 2024

[Zinneke]

They as in VLD got  loads of votes because theoretically Flanders is a good class structure for them. They care about things like tax brackets and the median Flemish worker is white collar, many are independent workers compared to the south for example (where obviously MR also do well with the independent status workers).

VB and N-VA have taken those over - the successful message is that VLD may protect your tax bracket but on the broader stuff like protecting your villa, your company car, your inner cities from drug dealers and "makkaken" (a term that is used, er, liberally, even by liberal people in Flanders, such is the normalisation of racism there), they are not effective. And then there is the fact that they are just a Vivaldi party : they'd rather let the PS govern that secure a Flemish majority. They blatantly caved in to this and have nothing to show for it other than the PM gig.

I don't think De Croo is necessarily the reason for their demise. Flemish voter blocks, particularly white collar ones with often no union or trade association, are just much harsher on parties than down south.

And you can criticise Rousseau all you want, for me he's obviously trying to copy the Danish model without actually attempting to walk the tightrope (repeating again the idiotic racist tropes about West Brussels, mainly because such statements and facts are normalised rhetoric in the corner bars of rural inbred Waasland where he is from)...however may I remind you the "Socialist" pillar had much harsher rhetoric against immigrants before they realised they could turn them into vote banks...do I need to bring up the tracts of one Philippe Moureaux in Molenbeek who blatantly wanted to protect "Belgian workers" from excessive immigrant labour in the Manchester of Brussels? Or Hans Bonte and his statements in Vilvoorde? And the PS still do it in some places now, just discretely. And anyway blatant racism aside it isn't a controversial thing to say our integration model has utterly failed, even by European standards.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

With issues such as the outcome of the Sanda Dia lawsuit case with allegiations of class justice and the pension scandal to politicians of self-enrichment, its maybe natural that VLD is facing the consequences of these. I suppose that especially in their rural strongholds they have a steep decline of people moving to right wing parties. We might elsewhere make gains on the right wing: PVDA and probably Connor's Rousseau/Vooruits increasing immigrant and working class bashing also does wondering for them, inspired by Mette Frederiksen.

We now have a liberal party that is not liberal and a socialist party that is not socialist.

What does this actually involve? From the outside they just look a bit weird, but the polls suggest it’s working electorally so maybe not.

Of course its working electorally, because a majority of Flemish people are nativist.

If people remember my past posts as well, i've said before that maybe we should go nativist because we would do well in the polls. Now i realize this is wrong, but it's no surprise to me that it works, i've always said that it would work. Even a lot of people who vote for centrist parties are in some way islamophobe or want to preserve "flemish culture, values & heritage".

There are other reasons why he does well of course too, including the way how he handles media. But it's definitely a party i would never vote for in its current direction.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Seat distribution according to the latest poll

Greens + Socdems + Far left would end up at 72. More than the 63 from 2019 and 50 from 2014.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

https://twitter.com/arnoc16/status/1669401274326892546

Connor Rousseau outed himself as bisexual, but there are rumours or indications that he has done this to defend himself on accusations of sexually transgressive behavior to minors (males).

[JimJamUK]

Connor Rousseau outed himself as bisexual, but there are rumours or indications that he has done this to defend himself on accusations of sexually transgressive behavior to minors (males).

Pulling a Kevin Spacey?

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Connor Rousseau outed himself as bisexual, but there are rumours or indications that he has done this to defend himself on accusations of sexually transgressive behavior to minors (males).

Pulling a Kevin Spacey?

It seems like that's the case.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

In other news

chairman of far right party had a physical fight with cops in Brussels yesterday, here is a video of that. They accused the police of using violence against them.

https://twitter.com/milantwerp/status/1668654245095133186

This is the whole video for context

https://twitter.com/tomvangrieken/status/1668911244374319104

[Zinneke]

Pascal Smet, a Brussels minister from Vooruit and very high profile figure in the capital, has resigned after inviting the Mayor of Teheran to a conference. The foreign secretary Hadja Lahbib is under huge pressure too but her party president is defending her and sticking the boot in Smet.

[PSOL]

I don't even know what to say anymore.

[Zinneke]

I don't even know what to say anymore.

"I don't support an Islami-fascist regime just because I'm a wannabe edgelord third worldist" should be enough.

[PSOL]

I don't even know what to say anymore.

"I don't support an Islami-fascist regime just because I'm a wannabe edgelord third worldist" should be enough.

But this is by Flemish En Marche cosplayers. How does that make sense?

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Pascal Smet has to resign because he engages in diplomacy.

Meanwhille Vooruit does everything to protect their chairman after numerous sexual allegations and call everyone who calls them out for it homophobic.

Hmm... than why do we have a transsexual minister nobody complains about if we're all homophobic.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

https://twitter.com/De7deDag/status/1670425267544653824

https://twitter.com/psym10/status/1670349533773983744

Chairman of Young Open VLD or Young Liberals also did set a step aside after assumingly allegations of sexual assault or sexually transgressive behavior.

[Zinneke]

I don't even know what to say anymore.

"I don't support an Islami-fascist regime just because I'm a wannabe edgelord third worldist" should be enough.

But this is by Flemish En Marche cosplayers. How does that make sense?

I'm saying you should disown your insane ideology my dude

[PSOL]

I don't even know what to say anymore.

"I don't support an Islami-fascist regime just because I'm a wannabe edgelord third worldist" should be enough.

But this is by Flemish En Marche cosplayers. How does that make sense?

I'm saying you should disown your insane ideology my dude

I am neither of these descriptors, certainly not compared to Vooirut.

[Zinneke]

Rousseau has had a complaint against him made by a 24 year old over sexual offenses, his career appears to be soon finished.

Labhib the Foreign Secretary will also likely resign soon over the Iran visas after she was caught changing her story several times but the MR President Bouchez is pulling out all the stops and trying to do a double or nothing bet on her staying as he really wanted her to front the Brussels campaign after sacrificing Alexia Bertrand to get her. It appears the Vivaldi could even break apart over this issue as De Croo initially backed her and looks very weak now. Given that Ecolo minister Schlitz was forced to resign over much less and with MR being part of the wolf pack, they look snookered on this issue. This could also preticipate Bouchez's end as MR President : not only is he intensely disliked by all coalition partners including VLD for his attacks, leading to MR losing out on issues such as these, but internally the Michel clan realise he is a busted flush and a liability when what the Michels care about is just securing cushy jobs for the boys and their friends, not pursuing a populist-Right agenda.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Rousseau has had a complaint against him made by a 24 year old over sexual offenses, his career appears to be soon finished.

Labhib the Foreign Secretary will also likely resign soon over the Iran visas after she was caught changing her story several times but the MR President Bouchez is pulling out all the stops and trying to do a double or nothing bet on her staying as he really wanted her to front the Brussels campaign after sacrificing Alexia Bertrand to get her. It appears the Vivaldi could even break apart over this issue as De Croo initially backed her and looks very weak now. Given that Ecolo minister Schlitz was forced to resign over much less and with MR being part of the wolf pack, they look snookered on this issue. This could also preticipate Bouchez's end as MR President : not only is he intensely disliked by all coalition partners including VLD for his attacks, leading to MR losing out on issues such as these, but internally the Michel clan realise he is a busted flush and a liability when what the Michels care about is just securing cushy jobs for the boys and their friends, not pursuing a populist-Right agenda.

Where do people like Rousseau go after they've been driven from electoral politics?

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Wtf is happening lol.

Rousseau has had a complaint against him made by a 24 year old over sexual offenses, his career appears to be soon finished.

Labhib the Foreign Secretary will also likely resign soon over the Iran visas after she was caught changing her story several times but the MR President Bouchez is pulling out all the stops and trying to do a double or nothing bet on her staying as he really wanted her to front the Brussels campaign after sacrificing Alexia Bertrand to get her. It appears the Vivaldi could even break apart over this issue as De Croo initially backed her and looks very weak now. Given that Ecolo minister Schlitz was forced to resign over much less and with MR being part of the wolf pack, they look snookered on this issue. This could also preticipate Bouchez's end as MR President : not only is he intensely disliked by all coalition partners including VLD for his attacks, leading to MR losing out on issues such as these, but internally the Michel clan realise he is a busted flush and a liability when what the Michels care about is just securing cushy jobs for the boys and their friends, not pursuing a populist-Right agenda.

Where do people like Rousseau go after they've been driven from electoral politics?

Usually, a European political career as it has no direct democracy, via an appointment.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Rousseau has had a complaint against him made by a 24 year old over sexual offenses, his career appears to be soon finished.

Labhib the Foreign Secretary will also likely resign soon over the Iran visas after she was caught changing her story several times but the MR President Bouchez is pulling out all the stops and trying to do a double or nothing bet on her staying as he really wanted her to front the Brussels campaign after sacrificing Alexia Bertrand to get her. It appears the Vivaldi could even break apart over this issue as De Croo initially backed her and looks very weak now. Given that Ecolo minister Schlitz was forced to resign over much less and with MR being part of the wolf pack, they look snookered on this issue. This could also preticipate Bouchez's end as MR President : not only is he intensely disliked by all coalition partners including VLD for his attacks, leading to MR losing out on issues such as these, but internally the Michel clan realise he is a busted flush and a liability when what the Michels care about is just securing cushy jobs for the boys and their friends, not pursuing a populist-Right agenda.

I've heard that the socialists and greens are teaming up to avenge GLB after he criticized them despite being all in the government for 2 years in a row. Our journalist said: "it's payback time".

Rousseau meanwhile is talking about a smear campaign against him and all socialists are defending him, but yea i agree that the ground is getting hot for him as well.

Heads will roll.

[Estrella]

Ngl it would be funny if the government fell because of a foreign policy issue for the second time in a row, in Belgium of  all places.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

PM gave approval for Iranian delegation

Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib in the firing line

It's kind of ridicilous Pascal Smet had to resign for this, while the PM and secretary of foreign affairs just get an infinite amount of chances.

Our secretary of foreign affairs also had a controversy earlier because last summer she went on vacation to Crimea, indirectly acknowledging it as part of Russia

Russians funded Belgian foreign minister’s Crimea trip

https://twitter.com/HLN_BE/status/1671813925149523968

For Rousseau, i haven't found an english article yet, but you can translate this tweet. It says: "Young man of 24 submits a complaint to the Antwerp public prosecutor's office against Conner Rousseau: "My client is a victim of sexual offenses"

His coming out vid a week ago was a Spacey-esque attempt to be ahead of what was coming. TV News Presentator Bart De Pauw also did a similar thing (addressing his public before allegations were made, and also blaming it on autism spectrum disorder).

[LAKISYLVANIA]

https://twitter.com/SafaiDarya/status/1671580166391308304

https://twitter.com/SafaiDarya/status/1671462052479524866

This is the response of Iran, or how a spokesman told about the events in Brussels in Iran. It has english subtitles

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Labhib the Foreign Secretary will also likely resign soon over the Iran visas after she was caught changing her story several times but the MR President Bouchez is pulling out all the stops and trying to do a double or nothing bet on her staying as he really wanted her to front the Brussels campaign after sacrificing Alexia Bertrand to get her. It appears the Vivaldi could even break apart over this issue as De Croo initially backed her and looks very weak now.

What i have never understood or heard about it is...

why did they invite the mayor of Tehran to Brussels?

That is so unclear and confusing to me?

Was it a part of the prison exchange deal?

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Ngl it would be funny if the government fell because of a foreign policy issue for the second time in a row, in Belgium of  all places.

I can't think of the last time a government didn't fall at some point lol.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

https://twitter.com/PeterDeRoover1/status/1671595504625410052

Also it's offensive she can't even speak dutch.

For a secretary of foreign affairs, absolutely ridicilous.

The questions are asked in dutch, and she replies in french (except for the few times she says a dutch word in between).

"et donc a partir de uitnodiging is zijnde dus de mensen heeft ils ont les droits ils peuvent..."

i mean what is this for sentence

One of the strengths of our chairman is that he is perfectly bilingual. Something a lot of politicians aren't in Belgium. That's why he is able to project some appeal into Flanders because people appreciate that. Usually people don't have to campaign in the other language part of the country, we basically live separated but in a union.