Not a Crisis

The LSAP held a press conference on Friday to present its midterm review. The assessment was harsh. The coalition between the CSV and the DP has fallen short of its promises. The government has reacted to events rather than shown strong leadership. The government has not set a clear course for the country. The government is halfway through its mandate.[1]

Crisis mode

Parliamentary group leader Taina Bofferding said the government's recently announced housing package will not result in the construction of any additional homes. She called on the government to switch to "crisis mode" and take a proactive, broad-based approach to intervene in a housing market that, in her view, is no longer functioning as it should.[1]

Seven measures. €35 million in lost revenue. No additional homes. The government announced the measures. The opposition counted the homes. The homes are not there. The crisis mode is what the government is not in. The government is in reactive mode. The reactive mode is what the LSAP says the government is in. The reactive mode is what the government says is leadership. These are different words for the same situation.[1]

Uncoordinated

In the health sector, the LSAP sees a proliferation of uncoordinated initiatives. A tax reform is welcome in principle, but without counter-financing measures, it does not amount to genuine reform. The coalition has deliberately undermined social dialogue. Shop opening hours have been extended, but the measure is not widely used. The LSAP questioned whether these policy changes are truly beneficial.[1]

Uncoordinated initiatives. Deliberately undermined social dialogue. Not widely used. Not truly beneficial. The words are the opposition's words. The words are also the pattern. The health sector has initiatives. The initiatives are not coordinated. The social dialogue has been undermined. The undermining was deliberate. The shop opening hours were extended. The shops are not open longer. The pattern is announcements without follow-through. The pattern is what the LSAP describes. The pattern is what the government does.[1]

The dachshund

Bofferding used a touch of humour. Recent opinion polls show Prime Minister Luc Frieden's lack of popularity. Xavier Bettel's dog plays a prominent role in public. Bofferding quipped that Frieden's unpopularity is not because he lacks a canine companion, and she would be happy to lend him her dachshund. More seriously, she suggested the real problem is his failure to engage directly with people in their neighbourhoods. If he did, he would be more in touch with citizens' everyday concerns.[1]

The Prime Minister is in 12th place in the polls. The LSAP offered him a dog. The dog will not help. The neighbourhoods might. The neighbourhoods are where the people are. The people are where the concerns are. The concerns are what the midterm review is about. The midterm review is what the LSAP delivered. The LSAP is the opposition. The opposition's job is to deliver the review. The review has been delivered. The government has not responded. The government is halfway through its mandate. The mandate is halfway through its review.[1]

Not a party of yes-men

The LSAP expressed regret that many of its parliamentary initiatives are frequently delayed by the governing majority. The proposal on the right to be forgotten took a year before it was discussed in the parliamentary health commission. Addressing reports of internal disagreement, notably MP Liz Braz withdrawing as a speaker on the asylum and migration package, Bofferding downplayed any suggestion of crisis. The LSAP is not a party of "yes-men". Her role is to bring together different viewpoints rather than avoid internal debate. One year after facing public criticism of her leadership style, Bofferding asserted she remains "as motivated as on the first day".[1]

Not a party of yes-men. Not a party in crisis. Not a government in crisis mode. Not a housing market that functions. Not a health sector that coordinates. Not a tax reform that reforms. Not a social dialogue that dialogues. The midterm review is a list of nots. The nots are the assessment. The assessment is the midterm. The midterm is the review. The review is not.[1]