I share your anger about this one. I became even angrier about it when I saw what people (citizens and politicians alike) were saying about it online. It’s very clear that most commentators never even visited and so have no idea of what’s been lost. A community formed around that pool. In the winter months, it was the same rosy-cheeked faces you saw week after week sipping tea together after their bracing dip. In summer it provided much needed respite from the heat and was ideal for youngsters and people learning to swim. The brilliant team of volunteers more than proved the point that Brussels urgently needs outdoor swimming spaces and they deserved so much better.
Such a shame - but goes to the heart of what I was saying, there is just no feeling for how important these kinds of projects are for the wellbeing of people in Brussels!
Beat this drum: "Citizen activism offers an alternative, optimistic vision to a party paternalism more comfortable in continuing to offer voters more of the same - “faster horses” - than it is in advocating ambitious change. Better either to coopt them if you can, and if you can’t then undermine or ignore them until they go away."
I have been lucky enough to get to know the mayor of Leuven over the last few years. The difference in outlook is striking. He has repeatedly said that his top two responsibilities are: 1) to 'give away power' - to citizens, the administration, employers, etc. so that people can build things, services, infrastructure, social bonds, whatever and 2) de-risk leadership. If those groups want to try new things and risk failure he needs to provide the political cover so that failure is an option and ambition can be embraced.
And look, Leuven is 1/10th the size of Brussels so maybe that approach cannot be transplanted. But I really wish we had at least 1/10th of the ambition.
I feel like so much more is possible in smaller cities than bigger ones - especially ones as complicated as here, when there's electoral advantage to be gained by playing one level off another
Yes, I think that is fair. And it's hard to know how much of it is playing one level off another and how much of it is genuinely just more complicated because you need to get more people around the table to discuss and implement an initiative.
You extol the virtues of citizen activism, but one could also say that its basically this principle, only deformed by inevitable Belgian surrealism, that has led to closures of outdoor pool,venues, an inability of Brussels to maintain a consistent nightlife, especially since the pandemic and the slow decay of the urban city into residential and office space only...basically politicians pretend that all the people involved in the citizen activist circles are actually representative of what the population of the city wants as a whole, and the citizen activist movement you are likely referring to, that want to revive Bar Eliza for example, are outnumbered by the boomers with loads of time on their hands to sit on ASBL/VZW boards. The political class at communal level inevitably default to NIMBYism/anti-fun policies in favour of "neighbourhood associations" that block projects like a swimming pool or bars being able to stay late. I'm actually quite tired of Brussels politicians pretending they are listening closely to citizens just because some 60+ Karen-like figure turns up regularly at the laughable "conseil communal" to shout her abuse while someone else in her ASBL/VZW records her for the hate-filled facebook group of their campaign (that politicians themselves succumb to because many are essentially social media addicts, as a Les Engagés parliamentarian said recently). This is why its absolutely essential to 1. merge the communes under a reformed Region where flemish parties that get 2000 votes can't hold it to ransom (because outside of greed, this is really the only reason why it doesn't happen - ethnic politics) 2. extend the voting rights at regional level to those who currently can vote in communal elections (they cannot vote in Federal) 3. treat that election as the clear political direction Brussels must take as a city, as a proper mandate, thereby excluding the ability of special interest groups to infiltrate communal politics.
I am in mourning for the incredible guingette in Ninoofsepoortpark which seems to have been shuttered due to the lack of government. Still hoping it will open again...
Ah no, it always looked so nice! Has it been closed long? I feel they've been cursed there for some reason with a constant cycle of openings and closings
It was fantastic - not many places provide outfoor play space, nutella filled msemen AND decent negronis. It hasn't reopened since last Summer. I expected it to be packed over the Easter weekend but no signs of life have me expecting the worst.
I share your anger about this one. I became even angrier about it when I saw what people (citizens and politicians alike) were saying about it online. It’s very clear that most commentators never even visited and so have no idea of what’s been lost. A community formed around that pool. In the winter months, it was the same rosy-cheeked faces you saw week after week sipping tea together after their bracing dip. In summer it provided much needed respite from the heat and was ideal for youngsters and people learning to swim. The brilliant team of volunteers more than proved the point that Brussels urgently needs outdoor swimming spaces and they deserved so much better.
p.s. I miss Bar Eliza too!
Such a shame - but goes to the heart of what I was saying, there is just no feeling for how important these kinds of projects are for the wellbeing of people in Brussels!
Beat this drum: "Citizen activism offers an alternative, optimistic vision to a party paternalism more comfortable in continuing to offer voters more of the same - “faster horses” - than it is in advocating ambitious change. Better either to coopt them if you can, and if you can’t then undermine or ignore them until they go away."
I have been lucky enough to get to know the mayor of Leuven over the last few years. The difference in outlook is striking. He has repeatedly said that his top two responsibilities are: 1) to 'give away power' - to citizens, the administration, employers, etc. so that people can build things, services, infrastructure, social bonds, whatever and 2) de-risk leadership. If those groups want to try new things and risk failure he needs to provide the political cover so that failure is an option and ambition can be embraced.
And look, Leuven is 1/10th the size of Brussels so maybe that approach cannot be transplanted. But I really wish we had at least 1/10th of the ambition.
I feel like so much more is possible in smaller cities than bigger ones - especially ones as complicated as here, when there's electoral advantage to be gained by playing one level off another
Yes, I think that is fair. And it's hard to know how much of it is playing one level off another and how much of it is genuinely just more complicated because you need to get more people around the table to discuss and implement an initiative.
You extol the virtues of citizen activism, but one could also say that its basically this principle, only deformed by inevitable Belgian surrealism, that has led to closures of outdoor pool,venues, an inability of Brussels to maintain a consistent nightlife, especially since the pandemic and the slow decay of the urban city into residential and office space only...basically politicians pretend that all the people involved in the citizen activist circles are actually representative of what the population of the city wants as a whole, and the citizen activist movement you are likely referring to, that want to revive Bar Eliza for example, are outnumbered by the boomers with loads of time on their hands to sit on ASBL/VZW boards. The political class at communal level inevitably default to NIMBYism/anti-fun policies in favour of "neighbourhood associations" that block projects like a swimming pool or bars being able to stay late. I'm actually quite tired of Brussels politicians pretending they are listening closely to citizens just because some 60+ Karen-like figure turns up regularly at the laughable "conseil communal" to shout her abuse while someone else in her ASBL/VZW records her for the hate-filled facebook group of their campaign (that politicians themselves succumb to because many are essentially social media addicts, as a Les Engagés parliamentarian said recently). This is why its absolutely essential to 1. merge the communes under a reformed Region where flemish parties that get 2000 votes can't hold it to ransom (because outside of greed, this is really the only reason why it doesn't happen - ethnic politics) 2. extend the voting rights at regional level to those who currently can vote in communal elections (they cannot vote in Federal) 3. treat that election as the clear political direction Brussels must take as a city, as a proper mandate, thereby excluding the ability of special interest groups to infiltrate communal politics.
Uff! Every word you typed in your notes app is 💯
I am in mourning for the incredible guingette in Ninoofsepoortpark which seems to have been shuttered due to the lack of government. Still hoping it will open again...
Ah no, it always looked so nice! Has it been closed long? I feel they've been cursed there for some reason with a constant cycle of openings and closings
It was fantastic - not many places provide outfoor play space, nutella filled msemen AND decent negronis. It hasn't reopened since last Summer. I expected it to be packed over the Easter weekend but no signs of life have me expecting the worst.
As Jef says, hopefully the return of guinguette season will mean it re-opens
The guinguettes should re-open somewhere in May. I think that includes Ninoofsepoort. They would be mad not to!