Vooruit chairman Conner Rousseau called Vlaams Belang a ‘wolf in sheepskin’, Vlaams Belang chairman Tom Van Grieken described Rousseau as a ‘typical example of the conceited elite’. In an attempt to profile their party as the most social on 1 May, socialists and nationalists did not shy away from a clash.
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‘Isn’t it perhaps true, Mr. Van Grieken?’ Vooruit chairman Conner Rousseau was barely minutes away in his May 1 speech when he addressed the chairman of Vlaams Belang directly. That party ‘is a wolf in sheepskin’, Rousseau had said just before. “They pretend to defend the working people, but actually friends, they stand up for the interests of the elite.”
Three hours later, Tom Van Groet would in turn use his 1 May speech to highlight ‘the difference between Vooruit and Vlaams Belang’. ‘Rousseau’, he said, ‘is busy with the BVs and Vlaams Belang is busy with the GVs: De Gewone Vlaming’. He called the Vooruit chairman ‘the typical example of a conceited elite that is full of itself’ and his own party ‘the social people’s party of Flanders’. The fact that both held their meeting for Labor Day in Sint-Niklaas reinforced the image of two parties trying to outdo each other.
May 1st, friends. That’s our holiday. That is our day of struggle,” said the socialist chairman. ‘Extremes try to hijack our day. Even today, here, in this city. Extremes that have never done anything for you. Not for your purchasing power. Not for your health. And not for you. We’re not going to let that happen.’
Le Pen and Orban
‘You say you stand up for the working class, but everything you do is against the working class,’ Rousseau again turned directly to Van Groet. ‘You say one thing and do another. Otherwise, explain to the working people: Why are you voting against higher minimum wages? (…) It is clear: You are not concerned with the wages of ordinary people. You are not concerned with our Flemish self-employed and SMEs. You don’t care about people’s health. While thou will soon come to say that we are all not doing well here, it is because of Putin – the best buddy of your great idols Le Pen and Orban – that here with us the prices for the workers are rising.’
Rousseau confirmed that there can be no index jump with his party in the federal government. “We have defended the automatic indexation of wages, pensions and benefits against all attacks … and just applied it,” he said. ‘If life becomes more expensive, people’s income must rise. That is why I say very clearly to everyone: Keep your paws off our index. You stay off!’
Rousseau acknowledged that ‘people hardly feel all this investment in purchasing power – because prices keep rising so fast’. He puts forward a ‘purchasing power contribution to corporate profits’ to bear the ‘burdens of the energy crisis’. ‘Profits are allowed. Even big wins are allowed,” Rousseau said. ‘But only if you also show solidarity with the society in which you make your profits.’
Vlaams Belang: permanent VAT reduction on energy
In turn, Vlaams Belang chairman Vaniaanse summed up why, according to him, his party is the only one that can lay claim to the title of ‘the social people’s party in Flanders’. “Let there be no doubt about it,” it sounded. ‘The Vlaams Belang is today the union of the working Flemish.’
‘For Vlaams Belang, restoring the purchasing power of our people, protecting the competitiveness of our companies and safeguarding our savings against derailed inflation is an absolute top priority,’ said the chairman. He had brought two concrete proposals. The first: a reduction in the tax on labour. ‘Increase the tax-free sum to the living wage and lower the rate of the second tax bracket from 40 to 30 percent,’ said Van Grieken. ‘That way, every working Fleming can spend 150 euros more net per month from the same gross salary.’
His second proposal: a permanent cut in the VAT on energy to six percent – where the cut the government recently made was only a temporary measure. ‘Gas and electricity are basic necessities and should not be valued like caviar or champagne,’ said Van Grieken.
PVDA: price blocking
The PVDA is putting forward a price blocking of basic goods as a result of May 1, said chairman Raoul Hedebouw during his speech. This includes fuel, energy and basic food products such as flour, rice or pasta. ‘The enormous increase in living costs makes the situation untenable for many families and working people,’ said Hedebouw. ‘We propose to lower the fuel price to a maximum of 1.40 euros/litre and have submitted a bill to that effect.’
To finance this price lock, PVDA looks at the ‘super profits’ of multinationals, through a ‘special levy on excess profits’. ‘TotalEnergies made a record profit of 14 billion euros in 2021,’ said Hedebouw. ‘The company just announced a new record: 5 billion in profit, just for the first three months of 2022. The same applies to other multinationals such as Shell, BP and Exxon. It can’t go on like this.’
MR: lower taxes on labour
In his speech, MR chairman Georges-Louis Bouchez strongly opposed an increase in taxes on large assets. “When I hear those who want to raise taxes, I wonder if they really know what country we live in,” Bouchez told audiences in Herstal.
“Don’t be fooled,” he said. “The taxing of so-called “rich” amounts to the taxing of the middle class. They are taxes for those who, after working a whole life, can buy a second apartment, or – sacrilege – a third.’ If it depends on the French-speaking liberals, taxes on labor will go down, in order to boost the employment rate to 80 percent by 2030.
Green: burnout prevention
In her last May 1 speech as chairwoman of Groen, Meyrem Almaci focused on ‘the major drop-out rate among working Belgians’. “Look at the major drop-out among healthcare staff, the heroes of the corona pandemic,” she said. ‘But also for teachers, in childcare… The dropout and the growing number of long-term sick people not only mean a lot of human suffering, it is gradually disrupting the economy and also has major consequences for the treasury.’ Almaci looked to the Flemish government – in which her party is not represented – to put a stop to the dropout, including measures such as the transition premium to adapted work. “But prevention is also important,” Almaci said. ‘With good burnout prevention and a more flexible work schedule for young parents – think of working part-time and flexible childcare – you can prevent a lot of dropouts.’
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