This old saying pops up in Belgian politics whenever politicians feel betrayed by their own party colleagues. Last week the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant published yet another interview with Yves Leterme (CD&V). And what did the former prime minister say? That he has very few friends in politics. “No more than three in my own party”, he added.

Political observants all agree that former ministers Jo Vandeurzen and Inge Vervotte, who both resigned at the same time Leterme did, are definitely friends of his. But who is Leterme’s third friend, everyone wondered. In fact, the answer does not matter all that much; it just shows that getting 800,000 votes and being the most popular Belgian politician in ages makes for a very lonely existence.

Old political culture

Minister for Justice Stefaan De Cleck (CD&V), meanwhile, made the headlines last week when it became known that he had asked some local authorities for the names and addresses of people who are this year celebrating 50 or more years of marriage. De Cleck meant no harm; he just wanted to congratulate these people on their anniversaries. But he overlooked the fact that privacy laws forbid giving out such information.

Was this a mistake? Definitely. A huge mistake? Hardly. Still, the incident caused a stir for two reasons.

One: The episode reeks of what is known as “old political culture”: a non-transparent form of politics, with backroom decision making, old boys’ networks and dienstbetoon. This last word is tough to translate. Literally, it means “rendering service” to citizens. It’s got quite a bad reputation, though, as it refers to essentially a mild form of corruption.

Up until the 1990s, it was considered quite normal to ask a local politician for help in getting permits or social housing, for instance, in return for votes. In the ’90s, however, “new political culture” became a buzz word in Flemish politics. It was hoped that “new political culture”, and the transparency it offered, would stop the rise of the extreme right. It never did, but since then requests like De Clerck’s are definitely not made anymore.

Two: The justice department faces a deep crisis. Only last week, a Genk judge complained that the lights in his offices had been out of use for months, as different departments could not agree on whose task it was to fix them. More serious is the overcrowding of our prisons. Rioting and mass escapes are predicted as soon as the weather gets sunnier. This, and not anniversary wishes, is what should keep a minister of justice occupied.