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

[StateBoiler]

Our country is such a joke

A post transferable to many places, these days.

I think we are reaching new heights of sickening cynicism here though, especially given the situation. People are losing their jobs, passing away and getting mental health problems while a bunch of politicians argue and leave the table, arrive late to meetings to annoy each other, don't follow protocol, go to the media and start talking themselves up (and that just describes Georges-Louis Bouchez, who is like a caricature of the post-modern political figure)...all for what? Who can get the most ministerial posts. I don't think any country in the developed West can seriously square up to Belgium's failures at a high political level. It's why I personally have taken it upon myself to consider vote extreme left next election even though I don't agree with a lot of the PVDA/PTB's world views. And, more seriously, I actually wouldn't care that much if VB and N-VA had a majority in Flanders. I would hope we can guarentee basic human rights but that's about it. The political class as a whole deserve to be snookered, to lose their jobs. This has been going on for 15 years now. I just checked a Belgian forum I frequent and its archive posts from 2007 - the same kabuki dance and media stunts (that time it was Leterme who was the master of disaster, with Reynders in close competition - somehow those guys have been promoted elsewhere). It has to stop, there has to be a complete overhaul of the parties and figures that dominate this country.

And I should add that small countries like ours with so many levels of power means you don't really get to choose your political class here. There is the illusion of choice of course, and many people are complicit with the partiocracy. But when Bouchez, who was high up on his list in Hainaut, is rejected by his own constituents but parachuted onto the Senate and elected party president, you can clearly see how he is imposed on us rather than the other way round. And the PS, cdH and ECOLO and all the equivalents across the linguistic border are no better. Only a massive electoral anomaly such as the extremes together winning an outright majority can maybe change this and signal the end of their charade, which is only kept alive by their complacency. After all, fail at the federal level? Here's a post at the regional level. Fail at the city council level? Off you go to the provincial level. Fail at regional level? Head of list at the European elections, or go get pickled in the party Think Tank. Its all a sham.  

Verhofstedt to my outsider point of view always represented that. He was no longer Belgian PM and then became head of the liberals at EU Parliament. Guy named Olli Rehn challenged him for head of ALDE and Verhofstedt's actions were geared to negotiate to steer clear from having the election challenging him for head of ALDE, which is massive eye rolling. That and European Parliament politics seems to in general be a way of politicians ensuring they have a job after losing at home.

Anyway, how many more years does Belgium have until de-integration? What's the catalyst or individual or group that makes the move.