The PTB-PVDA launches the project "Do the switch"
"At work, at the school gates, at the bakery... everywhere, people say that we just go from one crisis to another," observes Raoul Hedebouw, president of the PTB-PVDA. While a small group of billionaires are getting rich, a whole generation of politicians are telling the population "just insulate your house and turn down the thermostat". In other words, "sort it out yourself". It is time to get rid of these old liberal recipes and make the switch." In a book that is out today in bookstores, Raoul Hedebouw calls on people to make the switch.
"Our vision for the future fundamentally addresses the crisis," explains Hedebouw. It is a hopeful vision that proposes concrete solutions to the energy, purchasing power and climate crises. It shows how we can develop better transportation, healthcare and digital services for the people, but also for the planet. All this is possible thanks to massive investments and public control along five axes: the energy sector, the transportation sector, digitalization, healthcare and housing."
Raoul Hedebouw and his young co-authors have been inspired by the best innovative examples from other countries. "We are bringing the energy sector fully back into public hands. The multinationals TotalEnergies and Engie now decide on everything. That has to change. Look at what Denmark is doing, a model for renewable energy. The country has implemented collective heating systems that allow households to reduce their consumption and their bills. We can take inspiration from the most pleasant city to live in: Vienna, where housing costs are half as much as in Brussels. Let's invest massively in the insulation and renovation of housing. We can make living in comfortable, affordable housing a right, not a hunting expedition conducted at the whim of big developers, as it is now."
The PTB is also interested in the measures taken by their Luxembourg neighbors regarding mobility. "Imagine an ambitious plan to make public transportation the green and clean backbone of our mobility. If Luxembourg can do it, why can't Belgium?"
"Make the switch" is much more than a book. There are also vlogs and thematic videos to explore on www.faisleswitch.be, on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
Would you like to know more? Visit www.faisleswitch.be
