At the MR's opening congress in Tournai, launching the New Year tour, MR President Georges-Louis Bouchez made an impression with an inspiring speech that reaffirmed our party's fundamental principles and its ambition for our country.
“Electoral victory is not an end, it is the beginning of a duty,” he said. He stressed the need for structural reforms in key areas such as employment, education and security. With ambitious measures such as reducing public debt and restoring the value of work, the MR is committing itself more than ever. “We are going to restore the value of work in all its forms, with reforms aimed at freeing the talents and ambitions of every citizen.”
The President also stressed the importance of defending liberal values: equality, freedom of expression and respect for the rule of law. “Belgium must remain a model of democracy and progress, where everyone can flourish freely, without compromising our fundamental principles.”
Finally, he called for collective action: “Get involved. We will not reform alone. Every voice counts, every commitment strengthens our project.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKTDtagu7b8&ab_channel=DREAMR
Watch the full speech by Georges-Louis Bouchez, delivered on 5 January at the opening congress in Tournai
Thank you, thank you very much for your extremely large turnout, as at each of our events for several years now.
And by the way, this enthusiasm at our events was also the basis of our electoral momentum that led us to victory in June, but also in October.
And Marie Christine Marghem is one of the figures of that victory, becoming mayor of Tournai. Imagine, Marie Christine, that if Clovis prevented Tournai from becoming the capital of France, we got him back, since Clovis is today on the logo of Francs Borains, a football club dear to me. So let me set the record straight: it is Clovis on the logo of Royal Francs Borains, not me.
Ladies and gentlemen, last year, at this time, I promised you victory. That victory, we achieved it. But now is the hour of duty. Because, as I said, an electoral victory is not simply a pleasure of the moment. It is a responsibility, it is a duty, as I have said, and it is all the more a duty because the French-speaking Belgian political landscape has been completely reshaped.
It has been reshaped into two blocs. On one side, a bloc bringing together the reasonable people. Those who trust in the future, who trust in progress, who look ahead, who look through the windscreen, as Marie Christine said. This bloc runs from the centre to the right. It is made up of the parties that today form the Walloon government with Les Engagés and the Mouvement Réformateur.
Against this bloc, we have that “La France insoumise”, this defiant Belgium, made up of the PS, the greens and the PTB. I've heard, by the way, that the PS is going to reinvent itself, so they'll have to rack their brains after having dug up the deficits. All the better, it will do your wallet good.
But beyond that, the opposition between these two blocs shows itself daily on the major issues shaping our society. Indeed, contrary to what they want people to believe, we are not extremists, but neither are we communitarians.
I was talking about “LFI”. They present themselves as defiant, as revolutionaries. Today they are totally subservient on social issues, to religious interests, to communitarian interests, to a refusal of coexistence in order to favour a few electoral pockets. This issue is fundamental.
It is fundamental because it shows up today in every layer of our society. It shows up, as I said, in our coexistence. It shows up in schools. And Valérie Glatigny has taken initiatives to tackle this scourge. It also shows up in a whole series of our policies, such as culture, where today more than ever we must reaffirm the strength of liberal values. Religion cannot impose itself on schools, on culture, or on the direction of society.
It is not extremist to say that when someone comes to our country, they must accept our fundamental values! Because these fundamental values are generous, they are tolerant, they are open. But openness does not mean accepting anything and everything. Openness means remembering that if liberal democracies are the only regions in the world with such a level of development, it is because we uphold equality between men and women.
It is because we uphold freedom of expression, which can go as far as shocking, as far as blasphemy. It is because we believe that freedom of choice must be absolute and cannot be determined by your family, your culture or your origin.
So yes, ladies and gentlemen, I say it forcefully: the true party of coexistence is the Mouvement Réformateur!
The difference between these two blocs also shows in our definition of solidarity. We believe that the first social policy is one that provides employment, and I will come back to that in the context of regional and federal policy.
A social policy is not one that hands out cheques at a level that forces people to remain inactive. So yes, in our reforms we will not attack people, we will attack inactivity, we will genuinely tackle clientelism. We will develop the qualities of individuals.
We will seek from everyone what they want to do, the qualities they can put to the service of their family but also of their country.
We will do something very simple: we are going to restore the value of work in all its forms.
Through wages, and I will come back to that as part of the federal negotiations, but also through the activation of women and men who today do not work but want to.
The in-depth reform that Pierre-Yves Jeholet is going to undertake at Forem will certainly be one of the major reforms of this term.
Valérie Glatigny's reforms in education will be the most important, the mother of all reforms, because they will aim to give every child the tools to develop in their educational life. Because we believe that a fulfilled citizen is a citizen who can become independent of the state.
So yes, liberals will more than ever put work, reward and merit at the heart of all our policies. We will be, and I own the term, security-minded. Not lax. Because today, burning cars on New Year's Eve becomes a mundane incident. Shooting at police officers becomes almost normal. Whereas a police arrest potentially becomes a matter of state. Can police officers still do their job?
Above all, will justice actually carry out its sentences? You should know that these things, which may seem obvious to you, are not always so.
I sometimes sit at negotiating tables where you have to fight. Fight to get it accepted that when someone commits serious offences, they should not be released after serving a third of their sentence. That when someone reoffends, they must obviously receive far heavier sentences than today.
That when someone commits their first offence, they must be sanctioned immediately and that sanction must be carried out.
So yes, ladies and gentlemen, sanctioning those who commit acts of delinquency today is not radical right-wing, it is simply rewarding honest citizens who pay taxes for bus shelters that others destroy, who pay taxes to guarantee security in the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods. Citizens who are honest people, who pay taxes for bus shelters that others destroy, who pay taxes to guarantee security in the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
Because here too, ladies and gentlemen, a security policy is a popular policy.
Because today, it is not in the nice neighbourhoods of some self-proclaimed intellectuals that people suffer from insecurity, it is in the toughest neighbourhoods. And today, everyone must know that the law will be enforced everywhere and that everyone will be safe on our territory.
Then you'll tell me: why repeat these principles? I can already see the journalists explaining that this is almost a campaign speech.
I repeat these principles and I will continue to repeat them throughout the term. Because in Wallonia and in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, after the victory, as I said, it is the hour of duty. And everything I have just outlined must be implemented.
The people who trusted us, particularly the women and men who voted for the Mouvement Réformateur for the first time, must see the difference concretely in their daily lives. I want to say this now to all those who today play on fears.
And I have a special message for the unions: either the unions continue this role in the service of certain political parties, or the unions really want to work in the general interest, and in particular in the interest of the male and female workers of our country.
If they want to work in their own interest, I extend my hand to them. I extend my hand to these unions so that together we can reform Wallonia, so that together we can ensure the activation of jobseekers is effective, so that together we can finally have a school that allows every child to learn to read, write and count. So that together we can ensure that work finally rewards more than inactivity. This hand is extended today.
But I also want to say that if it is not taken, intimidation is useless. Gathering outside our halls will achieve nothing. The course is clear. The mandate is massive.
So I tell you, ladies and gentlemen, however high the waves may be, I ask you to have courage and above all that we all collectively have the dignity and pride of the mandate given to us by the voters, by seeing our reforms through to the end.
The course is set and we will reach it!
Now, through these various themes, I would like to pause for a moment on one subject in particular, which is education.
I've read here and there that actions were already planned for January. Against what, against whom, I don't know.
Today I would like to address the head teachers, the teachers. I know that frustration in the education sector is extremely high. This frustration is the result of many years during which we let the average level of our pupils decline, during which we increased administrative burden like never before. I know this frustration is there.
But what I denounce today is that for many years, a whole series of trade union organisations were complicit with various education ministers. Because political affinity meant that nothing could be said. Today I know that expectations are high, but I simply say “no manipulation”.
Today's education problems are not the result of Valérie Glatigny. It has been 20 years since we last held the education ministry.
On the other hand, I tell you, and she has our full support. I tell you and I repeat it: Valérie Glatigny and the entire Mouvement Réformateur team will finally solve the problems of education.
We have already begun with measures that are sometimes specific, sometimes more structural. But Valérie said it: the goal is for all children to know how to read, write and count from the third year of primary school.
The goal is to bring back a sense of effort. The goal, as we have already made decisions on this matter, is to restore authority, to ensure that the figure of the teacher is respected once again.
So really, to all members of the education sector, I say: let us work together. Because today, more than ever, we finally have the opportunity to bring down dogmas, to break down administrative red tape and to finally put the child back at the heart of school.
Now, you might say, there are two other governments still to be negotiated. First of all, in Brussels.
In Brussels, believe it or not, one political party, the Parti Socialiste, tells us that the great danger for Brussels is the N-VA.
The leading party in Flanders. Remember, a few months ago, all the commentators explained how terrible it would be if Flanders made Vlaams Belang the leading political party. Everyone told the Flemish: “if you make Vlaams Belang the leading political party, you will seriously damage the future of our country.”
The Flemish had that democratic reflex. They clearly made the N-VA the leading political party.
And what is the response of some French speakers today? That we will not talk to the N-VA?
But what are they after? What are they after, if not to increase tensions between people? What are they after, if not to block the political and institutional landscape? What are they after, if not, ultimately, to steal our victory?
Because the reality is there. Today, in Brussels, it is high time to respect the election result.
And there is no point making grand speeches about democracy and great values, getting worked up in tweets over every election of a Trump or a Milei or whoever, if it is not to respect the result of the election in the capital of one's own country.
So yes, ladies and gentlemen, today the greatest danger for Brussels is not the N-VA.
It is the fact that on 31 December, dozens of cars are set on fire. It is the fact that today in Brussels, we no longer dare go into certain neighbourhoods.
It is the fact that the Brussels budgetary situation is dire. It is the fact that today, in certain Brussels municipalities, one in two people is not working. Those are the dangers.
So if we want to solve these dangers, I call on everyone to have the same fighting spirit, the same will, the same dedication that I have seen in David Leisterh. David Leisterh has been at work since the very beginning. He has been given every pretext, every excuse not to form a government.
Meanwhile, the debt keeps growing. But I know that today I am speaking mainly to Walloons. Yet the future of Brussels is also your future. Because if Brussels grinds to a halt, the whole country is blocked.
If Brussels goes bankrupt, the public finances of all the regions and of the country will also be contaminated. So, ladies and gentlemen, today I really ask you for full and unconditional support for David Leisterh, the man who won the elections in Brussels, so that we can finally reform the capital region!
The other government is the one people talk about most. In the end, it's often the absent ones who get talked about most, because every time I go somewhere, I get asked a question about the federal government.
You want a government quickly, I'm sure of it. So do I. I have another question for you. Do you want taxes?
Because if you want taxes, the government could have done that five months ago. And since I'm speaking in front of many members of the press, I sometimes read in the papers that I supposedly seek attention.
I would like to clarify one thing: I am not seeking attention, but it is true, ladies and gentlemen, that I am seeking to achieve something remarkable for our country.
And that remarkable achievement for the country is something we will have to accomplish together with all the parties currently at the table. Because, and this is the big difference with Brussels, we are sitting at a table, we are negotiating, we are moving forward.
Of course there are differences. But there are also many points of convergence.
There is also common ground that grows every day within this government. In fact, I am certain that we will get the most precise government agreement in recent years.
And that will be necessary. Because the effort that will be made will amount to nearly 23 billion euros, between fiscal consolidation and tax reform. That is an effort that has never been made before. So yes, ladies and gentlemen, these efforts will require courage.
But will people suffer? No. There is no suffering involved in restoring common-sense rules.
It is not suffering when we align our unemployment rules with the rest of the European level. It is not suffering when we tackle fake sick leave.
It is not suffering when we want to reduce the weight of a state that has become obese. It is simply good management. Because believe it or not, ladies and gentlemen, this government agreement will concern you. But this morning, believe it or not, I arrived a bit later because today is my son's first birthday.
And when I look at him, I tell myself there is one thing I absolutely want to avoid. That he says to me, “Why did you let that happen?” Why did we let a deficit grow to nearly 20 billion today? Why should we allow a society where the loss of values, of bearings, of security rules keeps growing? Why should we allow the deindustrialisation of Europe? Why should we ultimately allow the fact that today we are spending money we don't have, forcing future generations to repay our debts?
Today you should know that my son, from the day of his birth, like all the children you know, was born with nearly 50,000 euros of debt. 50,000 euros of debt!
That is the debt level of every child born today in Wallonia, adding up provincial, regional and federal debt. So, ladies and gentlemen, when some tell us “there will be reforms and it will hurt,” no, it will do us good.
Because we will finally look towards the future. We will finally manage rigorously. Above all, each of us will be able to look our children in the eye and tell them that there is a future for each and every one of them.
Because what we will have to do in this government is not small-time politics, it is real politics.
It's finally about making choices. And if we won the elections, it wasn't for comfort, it was to be able to implement our programme.
So yes, I say it and I repeat it: public authorities collect more than 330 billion euros every year. Yet the trains are late, justice lacks resources, you can no longer get through to anyone at the Federal Ministry of Finance, we have the worst school results in the OECD. Can anyone explain to me where the money goes? Today, the money goes into too many public structures. And above all, it goes into systems that we never dared reform. So, ladies and gentlemen, be confident.
Have the courage. Because there is nothing more beautiful than working for future generations. And above all, being fully involved in the future of one's country.
So, one last word about the party. Because our movement is today the leading French-speaking political force. First in Brussels, first in Wallonia. But I say to you, and I commit to it before you, I do not want this to be an enchanted parenthesis. The Mouvement Réformateur must stay at this level, over time. Why?
Oh, not to please ourselves, because we will also need time to reform. Above all, because when we implement reforms, we do not want them undone the next morning. And above all, because the Mouvement Réformateur is today the great popular movement that unites, that looks to the future, that empowers, that helps individuals flourish.
To this end, numerous initiatives will be taken in the coming months, starting with a strengthening of our study centre (the Centre Jean Gol). And I ask each and every one of you to get involved.
You all have skills, if only the job you do every day, your training, your life. In this room, there is the opportunity to make contacts. If you want to be involved, if you want to take part in these debates, get involved.
Get involved, because we are not going to reform alone. We are going to reform with you. We will of course have to make adjustments, even if the framework will not change.
We will have to be as technically precise as possible. And for that, we will need all our fellow citizens. That is also why, from February onwards, we will begin a tour of all the provinces, in Brussels, but also in Flanders. And I insist on this. We will multiply our initiatives in Flanders. Because we are not working for one region. We are working for our country.
We are committed, together with our MEPs led by Sophie Wilmès, Vice-President of the European Parliament, Olivier Chastel, Benoit Cassart. We are committed to a Belgium that is fully a driving force within the European Union.
That is why we will come and meet you, everywhere, whether you are an MR member or not. We will explain the reforms of the various governments. We will listen to you so we can adapt, adjust. Ladies and gentlemen, the year ahead will be at least as intense as the previous one.
Because winning an election and not delivering on one's promises would be the worst mistake we could be blamed for in 2029.
So, ladies and gentlemen, a great popular movement is not a party that only shows up at election time, it is a popular party that stands alongside our fellow citizens every day, on the ground, in contact with associations, citizens, organisations, businesses, the women and men who keep our country alive every day.
And I will now address especially the elected representatives in this room: enjoy your afternoon, because I told you 2024 would be intense, but 2025 will be even more so. Because the task of every minister, every MP, every elected official, at provincial or municipal level, will be to maintain that direct contact.
Because I do not want, as we have too often seen at home, but also for example among our French neighbours, reforms sealed off in a bubble, cut off from the population, certain of being right. No one is ever right alone.
So, ladies and gentlemen, this work of persuasion will be even more fundamental and decisive than in 2024. Because in 2024, you worked for your party. In 2025, we will have to work for the country, more than ever.
Be proud to be liberals and never forget: with us, the future brightens!