The fifth paragraph should have read "withholding sex." Actually, he did not keep the trains running on time. There have been strikes that disrupted public transportation of all types. Fortunately, I am able to walk to work.
----- Original Message ----- From: "Jurriaan Bendien" <[email protected]> To: "Progressive Economics" <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2011 3:50 PM Subject: [Pen-l] The problem around Brussels > Belgium's political crisis energises Flemish separatists > (from expatica.com, slightly edited) > 29-3-2011 > > Protesters hit the streets on Tuesday as Belgium matched Iraq's record of > being the country longest without a government, and polls showed the > crisis > boosting separatists in the Dutch-speaking north. > > As the Belgian state snatched the dubious record of being rudderless for > 289 > days, students took to the streets to press for a coalition deal between > leaders of the linguistically-partitioned country -- split between > Dutch-speaking Flanders and the French-speaking south. > > Feuding politicians on both sides of the divide have been deadlocked since > June 13 elections over Flemish demands for greater autonomy, leaving > day-to-day affairs in the hands of a caretaker government. > > In the home of surrealism, a tongue-in-cheek "chips revolution" drew tens > of > thousands onto the streets last month, while celebrities suggested sex and > shaving boycotts to prod politicians towards reconciliation. > > On Tuesday, protests planned in seven Belgian university towns celebrate > one > of the nation's sole remaining symbols of national unity -- the Belgian > version of French fries -- with youngsters rebaptising town squares "Chips > Square" to honour a national dish. > > Meanwhile, opinion polls show the interminable dispute playing into the > hands of those backing Flemish independence. > > The separatist N-VA [= New Flemish Alliance (JB)], which led the June > polls > with 28 percent of the vote, would garner 33 percent if an election were > held today, a survey showed. > > And the staunch refusal of N-VA leader Bart De Wever to back down to > demands > from French-speaking rivals during the near 10-month talks has bolstered > his > popularity in Flanders, where he now stands as its most popular politician > with 57 percent support. > > The Flemish far-right Vlaams Belang party -- whose catchphrase is "Die, > Belgium!" -- won 13.3 percent at the 2010 polls and another nationalist > group, the LDD, secured 3.2 percent. > > Pollsters therefore estimate the separatists could rustle up around half > of > the Flemish vote. > > As predictions mount of a lasting divorce across the language divide, > figurehead sovereign King Albert II has named a succession of special > envoys > to bridge the gulf but all efforts have floundered. > > At stake is a deal to reform Belgium's federal system, giving more > autonomy > to each of its regions -- Flanders in the north, French-speaking Wallonia > in > the south, and the capital Brussels, a bilingual enclave in Flanders. > > Last month, Harvard academic Robert Mnookin said Belgium might need to > bring > in an international negotiator, such as Finland's Martti Ahtissari, a > Nobel > peace prize winner previously sent troubleshooting into Kosovo, Namibia > and > Ireland. > > "The political system is such that two peoples cohabit separately there," > Mnookin said. "Can the country break up? Yes that might be the case in the > next decade." > > In the meantime, the caretaker government headed by Prime Minister Yves > Leterme is doing more than keeping the trains running on time -- adopting > a > budget and sending fighter planes to join the military campaign in Libya. > > But constitutional expert Christian Behrendt said that the political > situation was nonetheless "unhealthy," leaving differences between the two > language communities unresolved and paralysing fundamental reforms on > issues > such as nuclear energy and a reform of the retirement and pension system. > http://www.expatica.com/be/news/belgian-news/belgium-s-political-crisis-energises-flemish-separatists_139083.html?ppager=1 > > > > > _______________________________________________ > pen-l mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
