Poor Wallonia, Abandoned in Her Hour of Socialist Need

A quote from Marc De Vos in The Wall Street Journal Europe, 10 October 2007

Flanders is more a mixture of social conservatism and free-market thinking, while Wallonia is a bland of social liberalism and socialism. The economic development of both regions is dramatically different. Thriving Flanders feels it is subsidizing bankrupt welfare policies in Wallonia. Wallonia feels that greedy Flanders is abandoning solidarity in her hour of need.

Wallonia and the Wallonian disease.

Wallonia has been run by incompetent, isolationist, backward and idiotic Leftists (as if Leftists could be progressive and competent).

Even today, in the name of social justice, Walloons are prevented from being competitive in the globalised world, i.e. the real world, whether you like it or not. In other words, Walloons have been infantilised for too long.

Wallonia's noxious crypto-marxist Socialist Party has eventually managed to ruin Wallonia. It's a real disgrace. Even if taxes were not needed, the Wallonian government would find a waiver to raise taxes from just about everything, as is the case today.

My only advice to foreign investors is, and I weigh my words, "Avoid Wallonia. Ignore it". It's an economic disaster, whatever they may say to the contrary.

Moreover, everybody knows that Belgium's social security in not sustainable at all. However, "the generous State is helping [weak]people". They call this "solidarity".

But, quite frankly, have you ever seen any State really helping its people? Come on. Is this Alice in Wonderland? The only way for the Wallonian people to restore their dignity, comfort and economic power is to get a job and work, work, work. The rest is just crap. Only slogans, slogans and slogans.

I have travelled and am still travelling a lot, but when I come back to this place, I feel shame and disgust. No pleasure at all, not even from French fries.