Flanders Today

Fifth Column

So what will people remember from the federal budget agreement? That it was a long time in the making? That Bart De Wever does not like it?

Anja Otte

(November 30, 2011)

Pulling the plug

As this publication went to press, Belgians were still waiting for a federal government to take shape. To refresh your memories: In June 2010 elections were held after the government of Yves Leterme collapsed on the issue of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde (BHV). Depending on the source, a solution on this disputed constituency was in the make. Even if this was the case, however, things were not going fast enough for Open VLD president Alexander De Croo, who, in political lingo, “pulled the plug” on the government.

Anja Otte

(November 23, 2011)

The city of taste

Many people think of Hasselt as a quiet place, with friendly people. In an attempt to modernise its image and attract more visitors, Hasselt crowned itself “city of taste” some years ago – an epithet many Hasselaars, modest as they are, abhor.

Anja Otte

(November 16, 2011)

UPlace or mine?

Flanders’ minister-president Kris Peeters got Oosterweel – the Antwerp road link that proved extremely divisive – taken care of some months ago. But he may find himself in front of a similar issue soon: UPlace. At least that is what Louis Tobback predicts.

Anja Otte

(November 9, 2011)

Fighting federalism

Some people think that this country is divided by a conflict between the Dutch and the French speakers. If it was only that, how simple our politics would be.

Anja Otte

(November 2, 2011)

Politicians and bankers

Are politicians bankers? Well, if they are, they are not very good ones. This we learn from the Dexia saga, in which politicians were involved at every stage.

Anja Otte

(October 25, 2011)

National unity

The Blackberry and Twitter habits of Yves Leterme (CD&V) have been the subject of many jokes, but when our caretaker prime minister tweeted that this week is “crucial for our future prosperity,” everyone sat up and listened. “Everyone should realise that the budgetary efforts in this country have become very urgent,” Leterme explained afterwards.

Anja Otte

(October 18, 2011)

How Flemish are we?

If elections were held today, N-VA would get 35% of the vote, a recent poll by De Standaard and VRT shows. In Flanders, with its divided political landscape, that would be a spectacular result.

Anja Otte

(October 11, 2011)

Different worlds

Communities and regions in Belgium often seem entirely different worlds from the federal state. This has the obvious advantage that we can go without a federal government for over a year, without collapsing into chaos. However, the regions and communities are not completely separate from the federal state: After all, it is all about the same people.

Anja Otte

(October 4, 2011)

Frankie leaves Brussels

“Frankie goes to Brussels.” The catch phrase with which Frank Vandenbroucke propelled himself into national politics sounded very ’80s and deceptively trendy. Vandenbroucke never was the coolest of politicians, though. In fact, he was often described as “the cleverest boy in class” or “the professor”.

Anja Otte

(September 27, 2011)