Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Royal Mediator Resigns

More than two hundred days without a government and now the King’s mediator between the parties, Johan Van de Lanotte, is ready to quit. This is unfortunate but not expected given the intransigence of the parties and the suffering Vande Lanotte has been through with this. His mother only just died after worse health when she had a fall at home and while dealing with this he had also to deal with the feuding parties. After two of the Flemish parties refused to consider any more compromises the disgusted peacemaker informed His Majeste the King he wishes to resign. The King says he will consider it first and in the interval there had been some minor but hopeful changes. The Flemish Christian Democrats said they support the mediator continuing with his task and some other parties have been in touch, not in an obvious way, to try ensuring the situation does not deteriorate. Most parties support this, even the Flemish nationalists saying they will not make opposition. This is also after some Wallon commentators complained of the Flemish being treated too special in these negotiations. This poor man has the most unenviable job in Brussels today!

The only one with a more unhappy position must be the King himself who cares the most about getting everyone to come to an agreement and get along with each other! He must feel sympathy for his mediator and the King will be asking the leaders of the Flemish nationalists and Walon socialists to work more closely with him which is assuming that the King will not accept his resignation and send him back to work. What should he do? I know the King does not want him to resign and so have to start over again with someone new but also the poor man has been going through a lot of problems and this is not a job free of stress or anxiety. And, pardon I repeat myself, but, OVER 200 DAYS! Is ridiculous! Party leaders, stop acting like over indulged children and think of the country for a difference! Why I do not understand that the King and the Family Royal are not the most beloved people in the entire country, they are the only ones thinking of the country and not self-interest of only one group or one class (the politician-bureaucrat-rulers class).

Another report on this:

De Belgische koning Albert II moet deze week duidelijk maken hoe het verder moet met de moeizame regeringsvorming in zijn land. Hij ontvangt dinsdag bemiddelaar Johan Vande Lanotte, die in opdracht van het staatshoofd sinds 21 oktober probeerde zeven partijen op één lijn te brengen.

Vande Lanotte vroeg donderdag van zijn opdracht te worden verlost, maar Albert ging niet in op het verzoek. Hij nodigde de sociaaldemocratische senator uit voor een nieuwe audiëntie, dinsdag. De koning kan het ontslag alsnog inwilligen, maar hij kan de ervaren politicus ook vragen het nog een keer te proberen.

Vande Lanotte wierp de handdoek in de ring omdat niet alle partijen bereid waren te onderhandelen over een door hem opgestelde nota over een staatshervorming. De grootste Belgische partij, de Vlaams-nationalistische N-VA, en de Vlaamse christendemocraten eisten aanpassingen voor een
hervatting van het overleg.

De Vlamingen willen meer eigen bevoegdheden en verantwoordelijkheid en minder geld afdragen aan het armere, Franstalige Wallonië. Inmiddels zit België ruim 210 dagen zonder nieuwe regering na de
parlementsverkiezingen van 13 juni. © GPD; Bron: ANP

3 comments:

  1. This whole business is so sad. I am sorry to say this, but it seems that Belgians are their own worst enemies!

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  2. It is unfortunate but that is often true. One reason history is my favorite subject since in the past it was not like that. Today everyone seems to have forget all the country has gone through and they do not think of the good of the country, just each with their own prejudice and self-interest.

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  3. I know, how can people's memories be so short?! But this is not only a Belgian problem, it seems as though, all over Europe, the trend is to deny and denigrate the past, and see everything through a selfish, cynical lens.

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