There is finally a government, but that is not good news for everyone. What makes you so worried?
Els: A lot is still unclear, but what is certain is that cuts are being made. International solidarity, youth work, sport, mental health, care, the cultural sector — a whole range of sectors from what we traditionally call civil society — are coming under very heavy pressure. Many organizations will receive a letter with bad news about their subsidies.
Stijn: Subsidies are not growing in line with wage indexation, the tax deductibility of donations is being reduced, and subsidies are simply being cut. Those are already at least three ways in which income streams are coming under pressure.
Els: That process of dismantling has been going on for years. Serious cuts have already been made in the arts sector, welfare and care, … many people lost their jobs. And at the same time, more professionalization is being demanded. Expectations are rising and support is declining.
That process of dismantling has been going on for years. And at the same time, more professionalization is being demanded. Expectations are rising and support is declining.
If I go to the VRT website, why isn’t that the headline, front and center?
Stijn: The election result was a further push to the right. We have a government that focuses on a narrow definition of the economy. Measures that affect social sectors are, to them, only incidental, something they would rather keep out of the media. That group of sectors, for which we at S&L work, is also very layered. It is not a uniform behemoth with one voice.
Els: Since the white smoke, we have been getting the good-news show. Every party wants to show what it has secured, not what has been swept off the table. International solidarity, youth care, culture: they are all too small to have a say in the prevailing political discourse. A discourse of ‘Doing what we have to do’, ‘Complying with Europe’, ‘Putting Belgium on a diet’, … and with all those big, stern words, part of society is left out in the cold.
Why is there no clear dissenting voice, no opposition?
Stijn: The dismantling has been going on for a long time, in phases, at different levels, and civil society is divided. So there is no longer a united voice to put front and center. Even though the trade union did still pull off a tour de force, the image of spoiled civil servants tends to win out in the media circus
Els: Pushing back against a prevailing discourse is difficult. If everyone is calling for militarization, just try putting a call for peace alongside that. If migration has been the bogeyman for years, just try talking about humanity. There is a dominant narrative that does not want to prevent problems, but to suppress them. Less youth care, more prisons. Closed borders, no international solidarity.
Pushing back against a prevailing discourse is difficult. If everyone is calling for militarization, just try putting a call for peace alongside that.
Okay, so bad news. But what are the consequences?
Stijn: Many organizations will receive a letter saying that their subsidy is disappearing or being reduced. What we need to focus on now is what you, as an organization, concretely have to do. When the time comes, what options do you have? In this crisis, you have no choice but to think about your income streams, map out the financial repercussions, oversee the organizational consequences … and, meanwhile, keep a cool head.
Els: An important question in that regard is: how do you avoid panicking? It is normal to be afraid or angry, because the threat is real. Let us seize on those emotions to spring into action. And look for allies so we do not let ourselves be paralyzed by panic.
Stijn: For some organizations, it is indeed going to be dramatic, but the impact will vary between the larger ones that have built up reserves and the smaller ones. The former should not panic when they look at their current account, but quickly get a grip on their finances and decide what needs to happen with their costs, what this means for their impact, for their focus or their organizational structure. Others may have to stop or look for radically different income. In any case, it is a grim prospect.
Els: Perhaps the difference between useful, real fear and paralyzing panic lies in having someone standing beside you. If you look for allies and allow help in, it is easier to resist paralysis.
Perhaps the difference between useful, real fear and paralyzing panic lies in having someone standing beside you. If you look for allies and allow help in, it is easier to resist paralysis.
Where does this shift in government come from? What new role are they taking on toward civil society?
Stijn: In the past, the government was convinced that a strong civil society was necessary and wanted to support it. The government is now making different choices.
Els: There used to be an ideological conviction that a critical civil society was necessary to keep our democracy healthy, and that the arts and culture keep our society healthy, and that subsidies for those sectors are therefore an investment in our social fabric. At S&L, together with the sector, we continue to believe and defend that. But policy is increasingly moving in a different direction.
How should we structure ourselves in the future to avoid these kinds of uppercuts?
Els: At sector level, cooperation is needed, as is a growth in protest. Larger players with financial reserves can take the lead in this.
At organizational level, we need to make smart choices: what is the essence of our work? With which strategy do we make the greatest impact? How can we become more financially independent from the government, more resilient and robust?
What is the essence of our work? With which strategy do we make the greatest impact? How can we become more financially independent from the government, more resilient and robust?
Stijn: No, there is nothing positive about this evolution. But if I let the naive optimist in me speak, I think that as a sector you can come out of this stronger. The cliché says: never waste a good crisis. And perhaps the wound is still too fresh, but it is my silver lining. If we make the right changes to our capital flows, develop different tactics and build a strong narrative together, we may come out of this more resilient, stronger and more independent. And then there will be a civil society that can bang its fist on the table. Forgive me, but in the long term I am hopeful.
Els: I believe that mutual solidarity must and can guide us through this. This is the moment to take action. We are going to do what we have to do to survive in the short term and to offer a counterweight to the dominant, right-wing discourse in the long term.
We are going to do what we have to do to survive in the short term and to offer a counterweight to the dominant, right-wing discourse in the long term.
Stijn: And we had best do that together.
Els: Indeed. We at S&L will stand alongside the field. Whether we like it or not, this is the moment to take action, and in that we will not leave one another alone. Action and solidarity: that is the way forward
