24 Mar 2008

FUNNY BELGIUM

For Manic Monday scroll down



Our host Swampwitch proposed for Fun Monday :
"Choose a topic/theme and make an alphabetical list of words, phrases,photos...however you want to share your topic/theme.If you don't know the alphabet, make one up. In other words, just have fun and teach us something using your own set of A B C's".

Of course I know the alphabet at least I hope so but, there are two things which keep me off to do a list of words. First I hate lists in general and second I am too lazy to put the following topic in alphabetical order. Fun Monday should be funny that's why I tell you the very funny story of the Belgian government.

ave you ever heard in your life about a country who remained without government for exactly 10 months ?? It didn't harm the population though, we didn't notice any difference.

It all started after the elections June 10.



to the right the former Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt


he guy to the left Yves Leterme was elected Prime Minister and should put a new government together. The day when he was asked to sing the Belgian anthem and sang the French one, he lost a lot of sympathies. It was as if Bush would sing "God save the Queen".

elgium has only 10 millions inhabitants, and consists of flemish (dutch speaking people) and wallons (french speaking people) and the politicians like to fight and pretend that the country wants to separate in one flemish and one french speaking state. (The new country names are unknown by the poor population)

he best cartoon designer of Belgium Pierre Kroll informed us, the ordinary people better than the News Papers where the news were different according to the fact if they were Flemish or French.



UN soldiers in Flanders ?



Go ahead M'dam don't be afraid, you can speak french we protect you ...
old lady : Are you sure ??
he Flemish politicians want to have everything in flemish and no french anymore or at least everybody should learn and speak flemish, but the wallon politicians are too lazy for that and consider flemish as a dialect and not a language. What else can the population do but laugh and take it with humor. This language war exists since Belgium was created in 1831.

o the the flemish and wallonish politicians started to fight and to fight for more power and being the most important part of the government. The population watched them like catchers in a ring.

-
fter 5 months of fights without any issue


Calm down ! and let's start again, (my wife is waiting)

he King finally suggested to put up a provisory Goverment to at least settle some important points like social security or the increasing cost of living. He asked the Prime Minister of the former government whom nobody wanted anymore to help creating a new government ! (I understand if you don't understand ! Nobody understands)


Government : We approach an agreement


Agreement cake


e agreed and finally formed a new government with as Prime Minister the one who cannot even sing his own anthem. He is flemish but speaks very good french. Anyway he should be neutral ! (he should ....)
fter 10 months without a final government on the 20th of March Mr. Yves Leterme was nominated Prime Minister by the King Albert II




ut he (the King) really regrets good old Guy as you can see above "Please don't leave us !" But Guy has other plans this time with whole Europe !



eterme the winner (??) swore to the King !



t's done !

or how long ??


o you like my alphabet ?

27 comments:

  1. Really people in Belgium are very nice; I don't imagine a such situation in France. Here nobody knows how it could be in mai with our Nicolas 1er. I really don't think people can support to live in Sarkoland anylonger. Les belges sont un peuple réellement sympa. Ici plus de roi, plus de bling- bling, pas ci pas ça... et pour un évenement comme celui que vous vivez on serait au bord de la fracture sociale. En tout cas je vais suivre votre actualité de près car c'est sûr, il va y avoir du sport!
    Il fait un froid de canard ici! J'ai même vu de minuscule flocons ce matin! On va se réchauffer autour de la table aujourd'hui!
    Bon lundi de Pâques!

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  2. I enjoyed your Alphabet...in that order! LOL thanks for sharing...now I think my IQ just moved up, I have enough general information... ;)

    Happy Fun Monday!

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  3. (I understand if you don't understand ! Nobody understands)
    I think that says it all Gattina, nice to see you though.

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  4. You are a brave woman Gattina, I would never have had the courage to try to explain this to anyone not Belgian! Now the whole world will think we're nuts!
    You made me smile, I loved it and I've added your blog to my reader!

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  5. Well, we haven't had a real government in the USA for nearly 8 years...

    Loved your story - and your alphabet font is really cute!!!

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  6. I just Love you Kitty cat Letters! Beautiful! I also love how you did your Fun Monday!

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  7. You are Little Miz Creativity, aren't you? Love. Love. Love the cat letters and especially the "order" of them...and that you made a list even though you don't like lists. How sweet is that? Now, for your class, Belgium 103. I want to visit. You have stirred up so much curiousity (sp?) in all of us, there will probably be a rush to get there. Thanks for spending SO MUCH TIME creating ABC Fun Monday. You gave me some giggles this morning and also made me want to know more about Belgium.

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  8. You crack me up!!! Love this Gatttina. And as Sayre said: "Well, we haven't had a real government in the USA for nearly 8 years... "

    Happy Monday.

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  9. As one who lives in a bilingual country with language issues I know how sometimes idiocy prevails.

    You must have an efficient professional bureaucracy that keeps the country running while the politicians live out the drama.

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  10. He sang the wrong anthem. How absurd~~

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  11. I do like your alphabet. That was a very interesting current history lesson. I enjoyed reading it.

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  12. Gattina! your cat alphabet is great. Leave it you you the cat lover to be so clever!! Happy Monday...

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  13. I love your alphabet. I remember the singing of the wrong anthem was in our newspapers and on TV at the time!

    I enjoyed your post about the eggs~ hope the smell has gone~ there is nothing worse than rotten eggs!

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  14. This will be Swampy's favorite post--she's all about breaking the rules!

    Yes, me likey your alphabet...and the way you told your story. Which, sadly sounds more like FICTION than not!

    Crazy times, I tell ya...crazy times!

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  15. I love your alphabet. You are full of info!

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  16. I love the littly kitty letters in your alphabet! And hey, I learned something today!

    And Sayre's comment made me laugh out loud! ;-)

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  17. Your letters are fabulous, and I learned a little about Belgium too.

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  18. Your letters are fabulous, and I learned a little about Belgium too.

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  19. You are always so informative!
    I really want to thank you for your kind words this am!! Come over and see what we found!!!!!

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  20. I love your alphabet and I appreciate the little social studies lesson. I didn't know about this..thanks..

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  21. I love your alphabet, the cats are so cute, and what a mad situation for you all. It's always the case isn't it? The politicians mess around while the ordinary people just get on with living, sighh. Hope they sort themselves out soon.

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  22. Sounds to me a lot like when Quebec (in Canada) wanted to become its own country (or something like that).

    My husband spent 2 weeks in Belgium a few years ago - and absolutely LOVED it. He said everyone was so friendly. I hope it works out.

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  23. A lot of extra "T" but I think I missed something in the transultion somewhere.

    Thanks for sharing

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  24. What an educative post - letter by letter - well composted Gattina!

    Since from Norway and also been in Belgium quite a lot, I knew some - but there was a lot of interesting stuff to pick up for me - thanks for sharing!

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  25. Gattina, sorry I'm late, In fact I've not been on the net (blog) since last Sunday Night (Funerals, Cars, cats, work etc).

    Excellent post.It is. Really.

    Belgium is nothing but a solution some Royal Families worked out after the Napoleon Wars - or Waterloo. Yeah. What's common? Royal family?
    Some Rivers and Channels? Tintin? Beer? Good Food? Dutch? French?
    So, I'm not at all surprised it took that long to form a interim Government (Will it be more?). Then it's better to look to Italy, they know how to do it. LOL. Which I'm sure you discuss from time to time at home.

    btw. Stompa is still here. I'll bring him back Thursday, which also will be my TT this week.

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  26. I love your alphabet!!! I also like your new background. Very, very spring-y!

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  27. Your alphabet is very well done. It reflects the somewhat ridiculous state in which Belgium finds itself: a senseless linguistic battle in a globalized world where Belgian people living abraod, like myself, find hard to be proud of. In these cases, humour is the best answer, and hope, that what still characterises our country, our economy and the richness of both our culture, will not be undermined by futilities.

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Dear Anonymous,
Please do not be shy and leave your name, otherwise you will end up in the bin !