Reform of school timetables: “The absurdity of Belgian-style federalism”
“Regarding today’s vote on school reform, I would say that it is regrettable that the timetables, that the school cycles will not be the same from one community to another in the country from next year. I would say that these are the absurdities that we arrive at given the Belgian federal model. There are no rules to say to unify structuring elements. However, school rhythms do not only structure the school. structures society as a whole.
A remark that comes too late? Could the MR have pointed this out to the various communities earlier? “The communities have been met several times. The other two communities told us that it was interesting but that they would not do it by 2024. We might then say to ourselves that the French community only has to reform until the others do. But, in this case, why give autonomy to the communities?
Georges Louis-Bouchez insists. This problem is linked to the “absurdity of Belgian-style federalism”. “The life of the Belgians is not federalized. It is unitary. It is absurd to have different entities. We are too small a country for the separation of such small territories to be relevant. For education, it would be beneficial, without refederalizing everything, to have federal structures.
A good compromise for the president of the Reform Movement would be to set up a certain hierarchy of norms. “For next school year, there is work to modify the calendar that has been done so that the carnival week can correspond. In this year, only the Easter holidays will be different. The idea is to arrived at the same result for the year 2023-2024. But the other communities must be able to work on this. Belgian federalism, in a whole series of cases, brings more problems to our citizens than solutions. I continue to advocate that we can refederalize, put hierarchies of standards, for certain skills. The words of Georges Louis-Bouchez are clear: he wants a hierarchy of standards in Belgium in a whole series of skills, such as energy or education, and this from 2024.
Walloon recovery plan: “A change of mentality is the biggest reform that Wallonia must make”
The Belgian state, a real state? “In any case, it is not an effective state. We have a state structure that does not correspond to the country and does not allow us to face the major challenges. There is such fragmentation that we cannot no longer knows how to make structuring reforms that have a beneficial impact for the entire population.”
This observation, Georges Louis-Bouchez also applies to recovery plans. “Today, everyone has their own recovery plan. In each of these plans, there is, for example, cybersecurity. What is the sense of making four cybersecurity plans? It makes no sense! is an international issue. Those who designed the recovery plans have done the best with what exists in the Belgian institutional system. Given the challenges of our society and the need for major reforms, we must find a centralized command, and think regarding the world more than thinking village.”
This is not the first recovery plan faced by Wallonia. How do we put our region properly on track for recovery this time around? “What can change things in Wallonia is to change the mentality. This is the biggest reform that Wallonia must make. It goes through education, training. A change of mentality that must be done by in relation to ambition and in relation to work. You have to stop seeing work as something painful. It’s something that also allows you to flourish.”
A green card to… Will Smith
Tradition of the show, the guest was able to send a green and red card to personalities. Returning to the situation in Ukraine, Georges-Louis Bouchez gave his red card to Vladimir Poutine. “For the green card, I may be surprised,” continued the liberal president. “I find that there is a great wave of criticism towards Will Smith, but I would send him a green card. I will be told that violence is not a solution, I know that. But very Frankly, I like to point out that when someone you love is attacked regarding their illness, I find that sometimes going out of the frame is not necessarily harmful. I’m a public figure, I accept a lot of things, but there is one that I do not accept, it is that they attack my private life. As to whether he might have come to blows to defend a loved one, Mr. Bouchez was somewhat nuanced. “I might have shown more wit. I might have done it differently. We are always smarter with hindsight, but in any case it shows that Will Smith has important values”, concluded the Montois, believing that the American actor had above all made a “gesture of love”.