tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3081320827566289783.post5091068530276037722..comments2024-02-19T16:54:06.139+00:00Comments on Trade unions and global restructuring: Belgium’s “hot autumn”: opportunities and challenges.Andreas Bielerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08920020665441380498noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3081320827566289783.post-24760786362939426132014-12-15T10:58:46.704+00:002014-12-15T10:58:46.704+00:00Agree with most points in the analysis. There are ...Agree with most points in the analysis. There are some things that might be considered more closely though: <br />- the failure of social-democractic parties/ policies: for almost 2 decades, the social-democrats from Flanders and Wallonia have participated or supported policies that could be described as Third way and would be reasonable under the older labor market conditions (e.g. without taking into account polarization in the labor market with disappearing middle segments). With the latter phenomenon, support for broad welfare state policy (free busses, very cheep tuition fees etc) that are sometimes reversely redistributive is lost, and sometimes rightly so. <br />-Therefore, there could be some valid points for criticizing this too broad welfare state policies which have neglected focus and attention for more radical redistribution. This is now (unfortunately) exploited by the rightwing parties as a kind of minimalist rawlsian weapon against (centre-)left parties. <br />- Therefore, if the Left really wants to shift the focus, it really has to do away with a defense of some of these broad welfare programs (e.g. tax credits for loans to buy houses, very low tuition fees, free busses …) <br />- Focus has to be given to more radical and creative thought, e.g. wealth tax or capital gains tax (which is now a good assembling point for protests), a graduation tax instead of the current alternatives between either uniformly low or high tuition fees ...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com