KING PUTZ

EU Directive Madness

Compare and Contrast:

Pythagoras - His theorem used 24 words

The Lords Prayer 66 words

Archimedes Principle 67 words

The Ten Commandments 179 words

The above were all world-changing events.

But our new EU Directive for the sale of cabbages, comes to, twenty six thousand, two hundred and fifty three words. 26,253!

Even Belgium's interim government is in doubt

The French-speaking Christian Democrats formally declined caretaker Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt's invitation to join an interim government. That led the French-speaking Socialists to say they could not join either, denying the emergency government a legislative majority.

"We are slowly turning into a problem country. Our international reputation is suffering from this," party leader Bart Somers said. "You hear people complain about the loss of purchasing power. You need a government to fix that."

Verhofstadt has said he plans to leave politics once a new government is formed. Finally we have a politician doing what the people want! STORY

Same old Shit!

Yesterday, the Brussels newspaper De Standaard reports that Verhofstadt is about to form another government of Liberals and Socialists. This coalition will have 75 of the 150 seats in the Federal Chamber of Representatives, though only 32 of the 88 Flemish seats. Flanders again, will not get what it is entitled to. In Belgium, elections have no consequences. The majority never gets what it votes for.

What is the pattern in one part of Brussels has become the pattern in EU, too. Two years ago the electorates in the Netherlands and France rejected the EU Constitution. The Eurocrats in Brussels simply continue as if the French and Dutch electorates have never objected.

Belgium is second most expensive for worker costs

Belgium need not be surprised that more and more manufacturing companies are locating all or part of their production to low-income countries. The country may well be in a prime logistic location and have well-trained workers, but the high salary costs continue to be a serious setback.

In this country a worker costs his employer EUR 34.19 per hour, including taxes and social security premiums. Only in Norway is the hourly rate per worker higher. This comes to EUR 38.07.

Other developed economies like Japan and the USA pay a lot less per hour than Belgium and its neighbours. In the USA, the hourly worker rate is EUR 23.94, while it is EUR 20.38 in Japan. READ ON

Voters in Belgium Swing Right

Belgian voters moved to the right in favour of the Christian Democrats and the anti-foreigner Vlaams Belang party in Sunday's parliamentary elections, defeating the Liberal-Socialist governing coalition.
The one certainty was the defeat of Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, who had led Belgium since 1999. He quickly took responsibility for the defeat.
'The result of this election is clear,' he said. 'The electorate has voted for a different majority than the one that has steered the country for the last eight years. READ ON