Rik Torfs wrote that he found it striking that there was indeed a cordon sanitaire against Vlaams Belang, but not against the PVDA. According to him, a calm conversation about that issue was hardly possible because entrenched positions hindered reflection, although he believed that the changing reality warranted it. #politiek #Vlaanderen #onderwijs (translated)
Rik Torfs stated that the violence in France, according to him, fitted within a tried-and-tested communist strategy, where chaos was first created and then dealt with force. He wrote that anyone who denied this was, in his opinion, malicious or showed a lack of historical awareness. #Frankrijk #geweld #communisme (translated)
Rik Torfs wrote that China had warned compatriots traveling in France to be extra alert due to the violence. He described the warning as a humiliation for the French, who he believed were generally very self-satisfied. #China #Frankrijk #veiligheid (translated)
Rik Torfs wrote that Europe, according to him, wanted to be just as prosperous as the global leaders, but was unwilling to put in as much effort. #Europa #welvaart #duurzaamheid (translated)
Rik Torfs wrote that residents of Paris could, sooner or later, experience a 'revolution' in which they risked losing everything they had worked for their entire lives. He therefore called the city no place to invest. #Parijs #investeren #revolutie (translated)
Rik Torfs wrote that the police were an obstacle to justice and redistribution. He asked why small-minded people were, in his opinion, opposed to socially motivated violence and ethically inspired looting. #rechtvaardigheid #sociaal #geweld (translated)
Rik Torfs wrote that the looting in France would change according to him if Jean-Luc Mélenchon became president, as there would soon be little left to loot. #Frankrijk #politiek #Mélenchon (translated)
Rik Torfs wrote that he was approaching seventy and was grateful for the life he had received. He said that he had been lucky and would not mind if his life continued for a while longer. #verjaardag #geluk #dankbaarheid (translated)
Rik Torfs wrote that, in his opinion, the left nowadays often stands up for vulnerable groups without it costing the individuals involved anything. #maatschappij #solidariteit #verantwoordelijkheid (translated)
Rik Torfs wrote that a tax on the wealthy could lead them to no longer live in Belgium or Europe. According to him, this would threaten to make people powerless serfs of very rich individuals in other continents. He asked readers to share their opinions on an article. https://t.co/5k5SaycPbh #België #belasting #ongelijkheid (translated)
Rik Torfs wrote that the European stock markets were slowly but steadily declining and wondered whether the decline in small steps was merely a precursor. He warned that soon there would be no more "strong shoulders" and that people would have to go back to work themselves. #beurzen #economie #financiën (translated)
Rik Torfs wrote that France was struggling with a serious teacher shortage. He said that driven young teachers were being sought who were willing to endure some violence occasionally and were not afraid of small conflicts on the schoolyard, which he believed were generally manageable. #onderwijs #lerarentekort #Frankrijk (translated)
Rik Torfs wrote that young people looted shops during a student protest in Liège. According to him, one should try to understand them: they were fighting for their future and could not stand injustice. #Jongeren #Scholierenprotest #Onrecht (translated)
Rik Torfs wrote that he sometimes dared to think that he was interested in culture, but felt like an outsider in the 'cultural sector' who did not belong. #cultuur #cultuursector #buitenstaander (translated)
Rik Torfs wrote that people would mainly notice the planned VAT reform in the supermarket and called that a good reason to stay home. #BTW #supermarkt #hervorming (translated)
Rik Torfs suggested that, keeping the Jinnih Beels case in mind, a new law could be introduced that would significantly raise taxes, but only for Paul De Grauwe. #belasting #wetgeving #JinnihBeels (translated)
Rik Torfs wrote that he knew his love for images of Mary was no longer in vogue, but that he also loved them when they were very large. https://t.co/mBF3SSC50u #Mariabeelden #Kunst #Cultuur (translated)
Rik Torfs wrote that he had listened with great pleasure to Georges-Louis Bouchez in his conversation with Jinnih Beels on Doorbraak. He described the conversation as clear and intellectually coherent and stated that few people represented the voice of freedom-loving, non-statist Flemings better than Bouchez. Torfs wondered if it was time for a Francophone minister-president in Flanders. #Vlaanderen #Vrijheid #Politiek (translated)
Rik Torfs wrote that Islamic texts and chants, in his opinion, also did not belong legally in a Catholic mass. At the same time, he stated that everyone should be welcomed and remain welcome at KU Leuven, and he asked for reactions to the column. https://t.co/lE6uySRvSf #religie #katholicisme #KUleuven (translated)
The assumption that the cultural sector is convinced that generous subsidies are an inalienable right must seem strange to the many people who do not receive any subsidies but still have to pay for them. #cultuur #subsidies #maatschappij (translated)
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