Vandenbroucke seemed to share N-VA's criticisms, but at the negotiating table he took the opposite view. N-VA, a party that does not need much to make it paranoid, suspected that a trap was being set and almost walked out of the talks. In the end, Vandenbroucke himself left, stating that the task of forming a government exceeded his "own little person". Exit Vandenbroucke, again.

When Vandenboucke, now in his 50s, became party president of the Flemish socialists at the age of 34, he came across some money that could not be accounted for. It later became clear that this was part of a bribery scandal. Vandenbroucke, who wanted nothing to do with the cash, told his staff to get rid of it. Burn it, if necessary, he said.

When those very words were published years later, Vandenbroucke resigned as foreign affairs minister and retired to Oxford to study.

Three years later, he returned. He was now an expert on "the third way" and became SP.A's ideologue, nicknamed "the professor". With the electorate, Vandenbroucke has always had a large following. In recent years, though, irritation grew within the SP.A with "know it all" Vandenbroucke, who, for all his big words, often behaved like a solo player.

In 2009, SP.A party president Caroline Gennez decided not to make him a minister in the Flemish government, to the surprise of many, not least Vandenbroucke himself. Exit Vandenbroucke, again.

Once again, though, he returned. In the 2010 federal elections, the SP.A had a dismal result, but Vandenbroucke triumphed, gaining as many votes as Johan Vande Lanotte, who headed the Senate list. He was back at the negotiating table, where any help in the endless technical discussions was welcome (although his lecturing style once again irritated some).

Last week's talks were abruptly halted after news came through that the mother of Vande Lanotte, the royal mediator, had fallen terminally ill. There are more important things than politics, the negotiators said. A remarkable conclusion in a country that has been without a government for more than six months, but - finally! - one that all negotiators could agree on.