Why can't we all just get along

A simmering Belgian political crisis boiled over today after Flemish lawmakers voted on the deeply-contentious issue of French-speakers' voting rights in Brussels suburbs, threatening the fragile coalition government.
Members of parliament managed to schedule in a vote on the issue as sought by Flemish lawmakers, which minority French-speaking legislators see as a direct affront.
But to block any vote for 120 days French-speakers could launch a conflict of interest procedure as early as Friday.
Eager to avoid a crisis, Prime Minister Yves Leterme had in recent days been racing against the clock to negotiate a compromise on the issue, which is threatening his government barely two months after taking office.
The row was one of many dividing politicians of the rival language communities as Leterme struggled for nine months to set up a coalition government following his election victory last June.
Flemish parties, want to do away with a special arrangement whereby French-speakers in Flemish suburbs of Brussels vote in the capital, where French-speakers are a majority.
Flanders seeks greater regional powers to reflect its prosperous status. It also resents subsidising the less affluent French-speaking Wallonia region.

Belgium is not a model to follow

Belgium's linguistic communities pay a high price for sticking together, resorting to fudges that range from the silly to the destructive. Put like that, you can see Belgium's new government not as a relief, but as an awful warning. A political union hatched together by a fractious elite, and answerable only to itself, is not a model for anybody to follow. STORY IN THE ECONOMIST

Leading Political Party in Belgium Calls for Euthanasia for Teens and Children

The Leader of the Belgium Liberals, the primary Party in the Belgian coalition Government, has called for legal euthanasia to be permitted for teens and children. The 2002 law which permitted euthanasia on newborns and terminally ill patients suffering "constant and unbearable physical or psychological pain" currently restricts euthanasia to newborns and those over 18 years of age.

Can't we extend that to Belgian Politicians....even if it's unvoluntary...maybe put it up for a vote? STORY

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)

Belgium has a new government......because we said so!

“Belgium’s political crisis finally over” reads the headline on an article from Radio Netherlands Worldwide.
“It’s taken nine months, but now the political crisis in Belgium appears finally to have been resolved.“
Has it really been resolved though?
The new governing coalition is far from an ideal stable government. It is a hodgepodge of parties that are in many ways ideologically opposed to each other.
French speaking Socialists, Dutch speaking Christian Democrats, and the nonsense speaking Liberal VLD whose ‘accomplishments’ over the past years in government include taking their political opposition (Vlaams Blok) to court while letting some of the most heinous murderers in Belgium’s history run free.

Despite being roundly thumped by the electorate in the election nine months ago the VLD find themselves once again in the government with parties whose only shared common interest is their quest for power and stomping out of political dissent. A setup that has rightly been called “The Cartel”. This is Belgium’s ‘new’ government, in fact not much different from the old one.
MORE HERE

George Bush's popularity ratings would be sky high in Belgium!

George Bush's popularity rating would look pretty good in Belgium, where an opinion poll for the daily La Libre Belgique showed that 54 percent of the north and 92 percent of the south did not trust the new Belgian prime minister.

Belgium Political Crisis Ends With New Government. Belgium's rival parties say they have agreed to a new government, ending months of deadlock over demands for greater autonomy by the Dutch-speaking part of the country.

The deal for a coalition government was reached by five Belgian political parties representing not only political differences - between the left and the right - but the key split between those from Francophone Wallonia and Dutch-speaking Flanders.

BELGIUM Budget balanced in middle of the night!

It's only the middle of the night because you started at 1pm you retards!

Isn't it amazing how these politicians arrange things so you can write the above headline? A lot of us work 17 hour days occasionally when under pressure. We just call it "Wednesday"...instead of Marathon Session.

Following marathon talks of 17 hours, an accord was reached early Tuesday morning which balances the federal budget for 2008. The marathon session started at 1 pm Monday afternoon. The negotiations were tough. An extra €300 million in expenditures were earmarked, of which €200 million for social benefits. STORY