Belgium a failing state

Belgium a failing state, indeed, but...

Last week journalists of Politico exclaimed Belgium as a failing state. Unfortunately as a Belgian citizen I can't say they are entirely wrong. 
Off course they exagerate the situation, one example is the video showing armoured vehicles driving trough the main office street of Brusels on a Sunday morning at I guess 7 am. 

Our government is now trying to give a positive image of Belgium but they are failing deeply (another sign of a failing state)

The only way of prooving we are not a failing state is to fix the many issues. Because there are many issues.

I can only give one message to my government: FIX THE MANY ISSUES ONE BY ONE.  And then you will not need to say that Belgium is not a failing state.

I will list the many issues here with pictures and other documentation. Failures of state owned companies NMBS/SNCB (Belgian railways), Proximus also add to the image of Belgium being a failing state. I will split off these many issues in seperate pages and document them with pictures.

  • National railways (NMBS/SNCB)
    • Main entrance door to the railway station of Antwerp Central station is broken for more than a month 6 months (I initially wrote this in November 2015) and is now blocked with garbage cans. (picture will be added) *
    • One of the principal elevators in Antwerp Central station is broken for over a month.  It was broken for aproximately 4 months but is fixed now.*
    • Only 1% of trains are on time. On time is not 1 minute or more late. Belgian railways consider delays of at least 5 miutes as on time (it aint)
    • All escalators in Mechelen trainstation are broken.* Things will be fixed with the new train-station. Sure?
    • Several escalators are broken in the Leuven train station.
    • Source Politico, escalator is broken in Montgommery metro station.
    • Antwerp Pre-Metro. I withnessed a metro driver needing to exit his streetcar to manually chage the position of a track switch with a heavy metal bar.
    • Elite troups hiding into a door post in order to smoke. Needless to say you can't be standing guard and smoking or be allert (ready to use your arm if required) I have known elite troups patrolling in the French train-stations I have never ever withnessed any of them smoking or not patrolling with the weapon ready to shoot.
  • Belgian state owned telecoms (Proximus)
    • Fail fail fail (Will tell you why later)

(*) Maybe someone should explain to NMBS/SNCB the concept of a maintenance contract.