Indecency

The political action normally aims, except when it is driven solely by the pursuit of power for the sake of power, to implement a societal project. Whether ecologist, capitalist, socialist, or humanist, the goal is the same: to reshape society according to the chosen values. According to the ancient Greeks, politics is a science that seeks to imagine the ideal regime.

In this sense, it is perfectly normal that in defending his project, the politician ignores dissenting opinions and even the social and economic context. On the contrary, he should be fully prepared for conflict and confrontation with those who would not share his vision for society, or the common good.

However, the "elected" or "chosen" politician, favored by shady backroom political deals, adds to this desire to defend and impose his project a moral obligation, a responsibility to transcend divisions, to address everyone and not just those on his side. A mayor, governor, minister-president, or prime minister must be more than just a man or woman of a party or political ideology.

Most importantly, as with anyone entrusted with significant responsibilities, he or she must act reasonably, "as a good father of the family," and in the interest of the community.

The labor lawyer is, at every crisis – 2001 with the bursting of the IT bubble, 2008 with the financial crisis, 2020 with COVID – a privileged observer of the misfortune that befalls many people.

Bankruptcies, relocations, and other closures are piling up, and we have certainly not seen the end of it.

Layoffs occur just as quickly as the unemployment figures rise (up by 50,000 in May).

Everywhere, or almost everywhere, there are discussions of austerity measures, even survival measures.

Salary reductions, unpaid leave, forced vacations, changes in working hours, etc.

For everyone, the goal is to get out of this crisis as best as possible. To restart the engine.

For everyone?

No.

Some are only focused on changing street names, tearing down statues, repainting roads to turn them into bike lanes. We even hear about urban boulevard redesign projects or other expensive expenditures. Others try to quietly push through fundamental legal or judicial reforms.

Indeed, times of crisis are often conducive to activating or even provoking societal changes.

But, with public debt soaring to 115% of GDP or more (some expect debt to reach 120%), whereas in 2007 it had fallen after years of effort to 84%, is this really the time to spend money on trivialities?

Is this the time to spend millions of euros on Lidar, traffic signs, paint, and continue considering massive public space renovation projects as if nothing had happened, as if we were in the middle of an economic boom where money flows freely?

Is this the time to further paralyze an already weak economy in the name of a political dogma?

Isn’t it simply completely indecent, while so many people are suffering, fearing for their future, their jobs, tightening their belts, to take all these measures that not only cost money but are especially, in this context, completely useless? Even downright anxiety-inducing, as they have the potential to pit the Belgian people against each other.

And worse, that all these measures are being taken immediately, without any consultation, without taking any advice, hoping they will "pass" in the context of COVID.

There is a time for everything.

It seems that this fundamental value escapes some of our politicians, who might be better off putting their grand political projects aside for a while and focusing more on what really matters to people. Now.

Let public money – which will have to be paid at some point – be used usefully for the good of all to mitigate the dramatic consequences that are clearly underestimated – whether intentionally or not – by a certain political establishment, rather than pushing forward its own interests in an opportunistic manner.

Let the citizens be united, not divided.

This is the political urgency. Not in this creeping populism that seems to be the hallmark of 2020.