Royal Mediator Resigns

Now it seems we have to start all over again -again. After an hour of frustrated negotiations with the Flemish representatives on Wednesday the royal mediator Johan Vande Lanotte decided again he had to resign and since this last effort has proven a failure SM King Albert II decided he had no choice but to accept that resignation. The Palace Royal said, "The King accepted and will start consultations tomorrow" to see who can try to begin the process fresh. For three months Vande Lanotte has been trying to bring the two factions together without success, enduring some hardships in his own life while trying to carry on his duties given to him by the King to find an agreement but nothing is able to be accomplished. He told the press afterward that he is not optimistic of prospects for success going forward saying, "There is no real perspective of progress" and that "It was not possible to bring the seven parties around the negotiating table."

Despite the patriotic outrage displayed by tens of thousands of Belgians on Sunday, obviously the party leaders are not really understanding the message. They continue to cling to their narrow, self-serving vision and to recognize the facts that they do not wish to see; that the Belgians love their country, believe in their country and want their leaders to stop bickering and form a government to take care of their laws and obligations. Most parties say they are against new elections and if the frustrating media polls can be believed the public sentiment in terms of party support has not changed a great deal so really they think new elections would be pointless but they also seem to show that appointing a new royal mediator by the King would be pointless because they are being too stubborn to make any sort of agreement! What is the King to do?

Caroline Gennez of the Flemish socialists criticized the hard-line approach of the nationalists in the negotiations, saying that by refusing to compromise they sent a message to the thousands of demonstrators in Brussels on Sunday that they do not hear them or do not care what they have to say. She criticized the Francophone parties as well but also admitted that it was pointless for the Flemish nationalists to attend negotiations with demands they knew no one would ever accept. However, N-VA leaders placed the blame totally on the Francophone parties and their recurrent "non" to Flemish demands. Walons socialist leader Elio Di Rupo has also been criticized for holding too much aloof from the negotiations and not being more involved.

How can we be saved from this frustrating deadlock?
The King advises, he is not listened to.
The People demand, they are ignored.
Everyone needs to wake up to the source of the real problem and drop their electoral support of these parties and leaders, embrace only those that are for national unity and, I think, to really stop this nonsense, go back to the old national organization without dividing everyone up.

This is making me more religious -I went looking for my beads today to pray for the King and the country to come out of this mess.

Vive le Roi! Leve de Koning!