Updated February 9, 2023

Who flops better?

By Shana Devleschoudere
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Flops are a veritable institution in the winter edition of LOBBY magazine and its LOBBY AWARDS. And have been since the ceremony's inception. Rest assured, 2022 was no exception to the rule! All the more so as the past year has been no slouch when it comes to misses of all kinds... And it's well worth looking back on these delights!

This is no ordinary award. It's not even a prize. But flops are a LOBBY AWARDS tradition(see the LOBBY AWARDS video here). Every year, LOBBY magazine and its awards ceremony take a look at the biggest "fails" of the year. Here's a small selection.

The first that springs to mind is, of course, our Red Devils ' (...very short) run at the World Cup in Qatar. Far be it from us to shoot the breeze, but we have to admit that the Diables have once again disappointed us. And not just a little. This generation of players, once described as "golden", failed to win a single trophy...

Qatar again, but this time on the political side. If there's one issue that has long divided Belgium's political class, it's whether or not to boycott the World Cup. As a result, our Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hadja Lahbib, was chosen to support the Red Devils in the group phase of the tournament. Which, in the final analysis, was preferable, given our players' track record... Without getting into the nitty-gritty of political analysis, one might well wonder about the deep-seated convictions of our elected representatives. The defence of minorities and human rights clearly takes second place when there's a World Cup to attend and, above all, a Qatari partner not to offend, such is its financial power.

Back to Belgium and Brussels, also known as "hell" to motorists, since the formidable Good Move plan was introduced. According to the official press release, the aim of this scheme is to reduce through-traffic on less important roads and give more space to pedestrians, cyclists and public transport. As a result of this regional plan, several communes have introduced new traffic plans. And therein lies the problem. It's almost as if this traffic system was devised by people who never drive... in Brussels. Some of the neighborhoods concerned have rebelled, and the Engagés (ex-CDH) have asked to be consulted. In some areas, such as Cureghem, the plan has been cancelled in a hurry... And that's just a non-exhaustive list of the consequences of implementing "Good Move".

But Wallonia is not to be outdone. Look out, here comes the Greffier. Frédéric Janssens himself! Nobody knew this character. Today, no one is unaware of his human qualities: he is described as a demanding boss whose mood swings created a nasty climate at work. A perfectionist who became a maniac, who humiliated and insulted his staff for trivial errors (width of a margin in a document, misuse of commas...) and who used dubious methods to punish those he had the hots for (cancelling leave at the last minute, blocking an entire department until late in the evening until the problem was resolved...).), who humiliated in public and even threw his punch at the staff... In addition to harassment of his subordinates, there is also talk of mismanagement, excessive or "prestige" spending and trips of questionable interest. Like, for example: €4,646 spent on a round trip to Los Angeles in July 2018, €4,308 for three days in Montreal and Ottawa in April 2019, €4,887 for a conference in Nashville in August 2019, and so on. Not bad, eh?

You'll find more juicy details and other majestic flops in LOBBY 58 magazine, which you can find here.

In the meantime, if you happen to have nothing to do this weekend, try driving to the Place du Sablon and the Place de Brouckère... It's sure to be a good move...