Miss Belgium causing controversy again

Some say politics and beauty go hand-in-hand, but it appears no-one told 18-year-old Miss Belgium winner Cilou Annys

Annys sparked controversy when she posed in a magazine with nationalist politician Bart de Wever, who wants independence for the Dutch-speaking region of northern Belgium from the francophone south of Wallonia.

The provocative photo shows de Wever slicing through the word Belgium, embroided on Ms Annys winner’s sash.

Actu24 - Ambiance de chat avec Miss Belgique 2010
par actu24

The Walloons are "SHIT" according to Flemish football fans

French daily Le Monde reports that the Belgian Soccer Federation has ruled that fans may chant "Walloons are shit!" (Les Wallons, c'est du caca).
Despite the fact that Flemish fans chanted in French to further piss off the Walloon team, the chant is "playful and teasing," federation officials argue, not "hurtful or injurious." Who says those sneaky Flemish can't speak French if they want to.

Actually, I occasionally watch some Belgian football....or soccer as we Americans call it, and I think the Belgian Soccer Federation could eliminate the racism, and just adopt the slogan that all Belgian football is shit "Le football belge, c'est du caca!" .....problem solved

BRUSSELS (AFP) – A row has broken out in Belgium after French-speaking politicians criticised the country's football federation for not sanctioning a Flemish club whose fans chanted anti-Walloon abuse.
Supporters of Genk in the Flemish-speaking north of the bilingual country made derogatory comments about their Walloon (Francophone) counterparts during a league match with Tubize from the south. Continue reading Yahoo Sports

What is Belgium actually for?

It is of no strategic value to anyone, and should no longer be sustained artificially
To paraphrase Rene Magritte, one of the few unquestionably famous Belgians, 'Ceci n'est pas une nation'. As the slow dissolution of their state continues, even Francophone Belgians, hitherto champions of the status quo, are casting around for alternatives. A poll in Le Soir suggests that 49 per cent of Walloons favour incorporation into France, up from 22 per cent at the end of last year.
The Flemish, for their part, tend to see Belgium as a mechanism for taking their taxes and subsidising the Walloons. (They are wrong: it is a mechanism for taking their taxes and subsidising the most bloated public sector in Europe. Ordinary Walloons do just as badly out of the racket as they do.)

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Jobs in Belgium

Three young Belgian boys were fighting over whose dad was the best."

The Flemish boy said my dad is so good he can shoot an arrow, run after it, get in front of it, and catch it in his bare hands.""

The boy from the German part of Belgium said," my dad is so good that he can shoot a gun, run after the bullet, get in front of it and catch it in his bare hands.""

I've got you both beat said the Walloon boy. My dad works for the Belgian government. He gets off work at 5:00 and is home by 4:30."

No speaking French on cell phones in Flanders

TV channel RTL reported on Tuesday that Flanders is preparing to ban speaking French on mobile telephones.
The channel also said that a translator would break into conversations in French and translate into Dutch.
Tensions between Belgium's Dutch and French speaking politicians have run high as they struggled to form a government after a June election in 2007 and only were able to agree a cabinet earlier this month.
April Fool if you haven't caught it yet....

Belgium Royals cost the taxpayers 28 million Euros

The Flemish nationalist lawmaker Jan Jambon says that the Belgian royal family is getting far more from the taxpayer than just the "civil list", the subsidy awarded to most members of King Albert's close family. Mr Jambon says the real price tag is three times the civil list.
The public list awards 9 million euros from the public purse to King Albert each year. In all the royal family gets 12 million from the public list.
Mr Jambon points to the hidden costs of the royal family. These costs account for a further 16 million euros that are listed on the budgets of other government departments.
Heating costs are funded separately. Some 234 police officers ensure the royal family's security, while the royals do not have to pay for their air travel. The lawmaker insists that if the present civil list is not enough, it should be increased so that there is greater transparency about royal finances.
Mr Jambon also calls for the scrapping of the public funds awarded to Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent, King Albert's other children.
He told the VRT: "They are ordinary people like you and me. I don't see why they shouldn't get a job."

I love Mr Ham.....but a Belgian Politician that makes sense? What a country!
Isn't paying for someone elses illegitimate children part of the culture? Besides, what job would fat Prince Laurent possibly be qualified for, except accepting welfare checks in Wallonia.

Belgium has a new government!

Belgium has a new Federal Government today. King Albert has sworn in the new five party administration. This afternoon Prime Minister Yves Leterme will deliver his government’s policy statement in Parliament.
Here's a picture of the motley crew, somebody help us!
"the only merit of this government is that it is a government " (Het Nieuwsblad)

This is an old trick from Wallonia

A 66-year-old man from New York, Virgilio Cintron, died before he could cash his Social Security check so his roommate and a friend used an office chair to wheel Virgilio's corpse down to the Pay-O-Matic check cashing store in an attempt to cash the check. A trick used by Walloons for decades, its why the Flemish want to seperate.

Unfortunately, the two men couldn't help but be noticed by passers-by as they wheeled a corpse, flailing from side to side, along Ninth Avenue in Manhattan.
The roommate and a third man, who was a friend of the deceased, reportedly left Cintron outside as they entered the establishment, pointing to him through the window when the cashier told them that Cintron would have to be present to cash the check, according to the police account.

When the cashier asked them to bring Cintron inside, they exited the building, where they were confronted by an on-duty Real Time Crime Center detective who had been in the building next door when he noticed the commotion.
The two men were taken into police custody, where they were questioned and may face charges related to criminal impersonation or check fraud.
Cintron is believed to have died of natural causes.

Sounds like "Weekend at Bernie's" STORY

Belgium Politics on Display

A sketch with comedian Francis Pirette satirizing the Belgian Politicians has become a comedy hit on Youtube. Although I find most French comedy about as funny as Jerry Lewis, this comes through as funny, even if you don't understand French. Watching politics in Belgium is like an episode of the Three Stooges anyway, you don't need words, just watch the action! LESOIR
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Belgians are hugging in Leuven

On Wednesday some 400 Flemish and Francophone students hugged each other on the square in Leuven as a show of solidarity between the country's two main communities.

One of the organisers said that they didn't want to promote political ideas, just wanted to send a positive and warm signal in times of crisis. The hug-in was staged under the slogan "Belgians are hugging" and was organised to show support for solidarity between the majority Flemish and minority Francophone communities in Belgium.

The students also called on people to sign the trade union petition in favour of solidarity between Belgians.

Everybody taking part got a free pint of lager......ahhhh, the lengths college students will go to for some free beer. The more things change, the more they stay the same!

Belgium Will Survive for Now, but Not for Long

A poll published yesterday in Het Laatste Nieuws, the largest newspaper in Flanders, shows that the Flemings do not expect Belgium to survive. 63% of the Flemish people think that Belgium’s end is near. 87% answered no when asked whether compromises should be made with the Walloon parties in order to save Belgium. 84% said that a reform of the State which grants greater autonomy to Flanders, should be the government’s absolute priority.

The socialist mayor of Brussels, Freddy Thielmans, had this reaction to the result of the ballot: "I think this declaration is very nationalistic. It's very close to what the Flemish far right movement demands and I'm surprised that democratic parties follow that demand. I also think it's the the defacto end of a shared living arrangement."Thielmans has also called for legal protection for Francophones living in Flanders, similar to the protection given to Dutch-speakers living in the Brussels region.

Flemings vote for Split

A proposal to split the electoral constituency of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde has been passed by the Home Affairs Select Committee of the Chamber of Representatives, the lower house of the Belgian Federal Parliament.
The proposal was supported by all Flemish MPs present except Tinne van der Straeten of the Flemish ecologists of Groen! French-speaking MPs walked out before the vote could take place. The vote does not mean that the constituency is now split.
The proposal first needs the support of a majority of MPs in a plenary session of the Chamber of Representatives.
The vote has upset Yves Leterme's efforts to form a new Belgian government.

Mr Leterme had hoped to reach agreement between Flemish and Francophone liberals and Christian democrats on this issue ahead of the vote, but no such accord materialised.
Ahead of the vote the Francophone liberals said that they would leave the formation talks if the issue came to a vote, now they are suggesting the formation of a new government with a limited mandate: to address social economic issues.

In Belgium, Even the Smurfs are Confused

Belgium and Canada have similar positions. Each sits on its continent, incontournable as the French say, undeniably there, but largely ignored by its larger neighbours.
Consider Belgium today. It is in the midst of a major political crisis. You haven't noticed? Neither has most of Europe.

The comic approach appeals to Belgians. Listen to Rik Torfs, a Flemish professor of government and religion: "We only produce useless things such as beer and chocolates. So we are an absolute centre of mediocrity.
"And that's a good reason to be in favour of the survival of Belgium. As we are a centre of mediocrity, nobody envies us, nobody hates us. And that's nice."

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Quote of the day!

“I Love It Because I Am Not Proud of It”

This is the only country in the world that has no proud identity nor any sense of chauvinism. That’s also why I like it! Look at the French and the Germans, so proud of themselves. We are the exact opposite. This flag doesn’t provoke any feeling in me, except a short sharp slap in the face for the extremist minority who wants to separate people who have never had a problem among themselves.

A quote from a pro-Belgian Antwerp bar owner on CafeBabel.com, 9 October 2007

What happens to Belgium?

If Flanders declares independence, Beglium basically ceases to exist. What happens to the bi-lingual Brussels? Does it become another Luxemburg or Liechtenstein? Belgium was established by its neighbours and if it no more, that means that there are also no more guarantees to its independence, which in turn means that both Walloons and Flemish can seek protection of their “mother-state”, perhaps leaving Brussels to continue as a small enclave, a no man’s land.
Ah yes, but then there’s the small matter of some 70.000 strong German minority in Belgium. What happens if they call to their Vaterland for help? The last time that happened, all hell broke loose.

Some comments:

I strongly believe that there is no force in the world that will stop the big European powers from trying to re-draw their borders in case Belgium is no more. That’s the whole point of Belgium. Perhaps this article by the NYT from 1918 (!) tells a bit more clearly what happens if an attempt is made at redrawing the map of that part of the world.

We’ve had a ‘Royal Scout’ in the form of veteran politician Eric Van Rompuy, a man, sorry, politician I dislike intensely because he once said that he opposes binding referenda because the electorate can’t handle the democracy they experience. Which means he says : “You’re too stupid to handle your own freedoms; we’ll decide them for you”. Then teach us how to handle them instead of treating us like unruly children, asshole!

Not even a week has gone by and it’s the same old story, with the Wallonians saying ‘Non’ and the Flemish pushing for the BHV split and a large state reform. Oh, and the VB, of course, assembled the international press and prematurely declared the Independent Flemish State as fact. In the Flemish parliament, no less. No wonder The Economist says a praline divorce is in order. But then, what do the international media know about Belgium and why should they care? The only thing that matters to the outside world is where Brussel is going to be after the country splits.

As for the German minority : they are the quinessential Belgian model citizens, believe it or not, because they speak the three national languages (yes, this is a trilingual country, which is often forgotten, even by my compatriots both in North and South) and they are the most opposed about a possible Belgian secession because they don’t want to be reunited with Germany.

How to kill Belgium

Now you’d think the obvious solution to this ridiculous impasse would be to hold another election. That would indeed be the sensible solution, so naturally it is not the Belgian solution.

A QUOTE TAKEN FROM THE TELEGRAPH ARTICLE

Perhaps the best way to kill the Belgian state would be for the Flemish people en masse to ignore it, to cease paying taxes, to stop voting, to stop utilising whatever facilities still remain within its remit. These past 111 days have proved that a country can survive without a functioning government or at least under an impotent caretaker regime. The Flemish do not need to declare their formal independence at this stage all they need to do is to stop the flow of monies to Wallonia and to treat the Belgian government with the contempt and scorn that it merits, and in doing so they will provide a salutary lesson to us all that governments exist only so long as we are willing to put up with them.

Belgium without the Waffle

After more than three months, what has happened to ungoverned Belgium? The sky has not fallen in, the economy is still working, transport still runs and all the usual Flemming and Wallooning continues just as before. As a friend of mine put it to me, if Belgium can manage without a Government, why can’t we?
Of course, the current fascinating situation in Belgium has been brought about by an accident of psephology. But imagine an intentional alternative to our current overbearing, regulation-happy, statist busybodies. Imagine a Government whose manifesto pledged that their default position would not be to legislate and to invasively manage but to do as little as possible.

Read on all you Libertarians

Belgian Flags Are Everywhere

IT WOULD be an exaggeration to say Belgian flags have appeared all over Brussels, but turn a corner, and there is just a chance you will see one hanging from a wrought-iron balcony.

It is not just flags. Yesterday, a startlingly substantial crowd turned out to march in a parade to commemorate the martyrs of the Belgian independence movement. This is an annual event, organised by the frankly marginal monarchist group, Pro Belgica, and normally attracts a few heroic old geezers in blazers and medals, a parping police brass band and a sprinkling of followers.

This year it was a different story

I need that lunch money!

Flemings give EUR 2.50 to Walloons daily.

I live in Wallonia, so I would just like to take this opportunity to say thanks.

A study by three researchers at the University of Notre-Dame de la Paix in Namur has indicated that EUR 5.6 billion flowed from Flanders to Wallonia in 2005. That comes down to EUR 2.50 a day per Fleming.
The study conducted by Olivier Meunier, Michel Mignolet and Marie-Eve Leurquin showed that every Fleming pays EUR 929 a year to the Walloons. In contrast to this is the fact that in 1949 Flanders had an unemployment rate of 19.5 percent, compared to 5.2 percent in Wallonia.
Namur professor Robert Deschammps says we should not be looking to the past however. He pointed out that if Flanders were to declare independence, "all three regions would see their economic prosperity decline."

Wanna bet on when, or if, Belgium will form a Government?

The Gaming Commission has filed a complaint against gambling site Unibet. The website allows visitors to bet money on the date on which they think a new government will be formed. Unibet insists the betting is entirely legal.
The Gaming Commission however contests this. Betting on events is prohibited, with the exception of sports matches and horse racing.
The gambling site risks a penalty of a 6-month to 5-year suspension and a fine of EUR 100,000. It does not plan to stop the betting in response to the complaint. Unibet says it is acting in accordance with European law.
Unibet's lawyer says the betting is legal, VRT radio reports. Unibet points out that there is no obstacle to organising this kind of betting in other European countries. European treaties ensure that this must also be the case in Belgium, Unibet says.