At Elio, we mainly read the advertisements
Wednesday morning at 8 o’clock sharp, I rang Elio di Rupo’s doorbell with the new format of the newspaper in hand. The Montois only has 45 minutes to give us before leaving for Brussels where he is expected for a conference. Barely time to install the cameras, we settle in his kitchen. “You know I drew it myself? I compliment her stainless steel worktop and the sliding door that separates us from her veranda-living room. I promise myself to come back to talk regarding architecture.
Elio di Rupo never hid it, his mother mightn’t read or write, so I guess we didn’t read the newspaper at his house. “No, we only had store advertisements. I remember the unigro catalog. I ask him if it was to buy? “No, for that you had to have money and we didn’t have any… It was later, when I became aware of my studies, around 17, that I started to read the newspaper. »
That day, Elio Di Rupo was not on the front page of Sudinfo, unlike his best enemy, Georges-Louis Bouchez. Should I leave you the newspaper anyway or should I take it back? “No, leave it to me, it’s not a problem, everyone is free to act as long as they don’t harm others and serve the collective interest. The message is barely subliminal, the Mons smiles.
Elio drinks his ristretto coffee and leafs through. “As head of government, you have to remain discreet so as not to break the consensus reached with the other political families. I point out to him that he is nevertheless very active on Tiktok. The socialist multiplies the videos, the sketches and the answers to the questions there but there is very little politics. “It’s wrong, it’s more subtle than that. It’s true that when I make a pizza, we’re not in the political arena, but sometimes young people ask deep questions. When we do politics we get 500 views and when we make a pizza we get 200,000. The challenge is to reach young people in the hope that there will be feedback in the form of questioning. »
Would the Walloon number 1 have liked, as in France, a left-wing press and a right-wing press? “You know, at election time, I sometimes read things in the newspaper… But overall we don’t choose where we are born. Me, I was born in Morlanwelz, in a shack. »
Before leaving, Elio therefore slipped us a last flash and a last subliminal message of which he has the secret.
The inmate attacked by bedbugs
It was a chance meeting in a café in Mons… A prisoner whose name I will not mention. “I’m on the day off, I’m going crazy in the cell… I’m attacked by bedbugs. I clean every morning but it doesn’t change anything. Look at my leg. »
Right in the middle of the establishment, in front of the other customers, the inmate lifts his pants and shows me the bite marks. What is striking in this encounter is not so much the insect attack as the gentleman’s state of distress. “I’m going back to court soon, I have to get out of there. »
The man promises to tell me regarding life in prison. We should meet once more.
Pierre Palmade in his car
Since Pierre Palmade’s accident, a Tiktokeur has fun compiling all the sketches posted on the networks by the comedian. That day, in front of his car, Pierre Palmade had imagined a service of “home comedians” available 24 hours a day. Re-posting all the comedy sketches right now… Not very fair play.
