But, this Thursday, the five-party discussions resumed: the president of Vooruit concedes that a step has been taken in his direction by the other negotiators. Particularly in the thorny tax issue and the taxation of “broader shoulders”. “If these openings are real, we can get somewhere. If these overtures turn out to be false, we won’t make it“, however warned Conner Rousseau.
The socio-economic score of Bart De Wever must evolve, in the eyes of the Flemish socialists. How could Vooruit accept, in front of its activist base, clear cuts in state budgets and policies that are not left-wing? Believing that it is better to be in charge than in opposition, the old guard of the party – Minister Frank Vandenbroucke in particular – pushes Conner Rousseau to agree to join an “Arizona”. Other voices were raised internally in order to preserve the progressive anchoring of the party. It was these activist voices that spoke when the initial alliance with the N-VA in the municipality of Ghent was turned in favor of Groen.
Paul Magnette: “We have major differences with the PTB and we will continue to expose them”
A divided socialist family
Conner Rousseau is therefore under pressure. Which way will the coin end up falling? If he accepted the majority proposed to him by Bart De Wever, the French-speaking socialists would look grim. For the PS, it will naturally be more complicated to attack a federal coalition in which its sister party sits but from which it would be excluded. As a reminder, the two groups have gathered their offices in the same building on Boulevard de l’Empereur, in Brussels. We can imagine the embarrassed looks in the elevator shaft or on the stairs in the event of a breakdown in the socialist family…
Furthermore, in terms of image, the opponents of the PS will be able to use Vooruit’s government participation at the federal level to mock the French-speaking socialists. The latter will probably be presented as the vestiges of an archaic left in comparison to the troops of Conner Rousseau embodying modern socialism because they implement reforms. You don’t have to have studied Science Po to understand that this scenario is not ideal for President Paul Magnette.
If the “Arizonian” negotiations definitively fail, on the other hand, the story becomes very different for the PS. Plan B at the federal level consists of replacing Vooruit with the liberals of the Open VLD (the “Lagon” coalition). In the House, united in joyful opposition, the French-speaking and Dutch-speaking socialists will stand together. The “Lagon” majority will be more to the right than what an “Arizona” could have been. Faced with this N-VA-MR-CD&V-Engagés-Open VLD alliance, the PS will be able to more easily restore its left-wing star in view of the 2029 elections.
