Belgium-Norway Connections

As everyone is still in shock over the tragedy in Norway but also there are new connections having been found between the terrorist suspect and Belgium. In his really odd "manifesto" the shooter makes numerous mentions of Belgium and even related a list of targets for terrorist attacks such as oil refineries and nuclear plants in Antwerp and Liege. He also makes Belgium a special target for his hoped-for war because 9-12% of the population in Belgium is now Muslim. The Knights Templar organization to which he says he belongs also, supposedly, has one member and who is the co-founder of the group in Belgium. He also pointed to Vlaams Belang leader Filip Dewinter as someone good to argue his cause for what he was "fighting" for (I would only call it real fighting when the other side is able to fight back against you). It is also known that the Norwegian terrorist sent messages to radical right-wing leaders across Europe including to Tanguy Veys, an MP for the Vlaams Belang. Party leader Bruno Valkeniers has said that VB has no connection or sympathy with the terrorist but it is really revealing that he evidently sympathized with them. It is also not a surprise to me really that exceprts from the terrorist's manifesto were published in the Brussels Journal which has long been known for its right-wing opposition to the monarchie and the very idea of a united and independent Belgium. The leader of Brussels Journal, Paul Belien, is also a close friend of Geert Wilders the controversial Dutch politician who was also praised in the manifesto. Paul Belien has made his living for a long time by attacking the Kings of Belgium, the country of Belgium and calling for Flemish independence and a campaign for racial/cultural "purity".

Prince Laurent Has Support

The King and politicians may be upset with Prince Laurent over his recent private visit to the Congo, but he still has some public support. On 1 April Prince Laurent and Princess Claire visited Ghent where the crowd applaused for the Prince an extra-long time. The mayor thanked him heartfully for coming to keep the engagement despite all of the bad press and criticism he has been getting since going to the Congo. He called the prince very brave even and Prince Laurent was so touched he and the mayor embraced each other. Perhaps not everyone in the public is so stupid as the politicians and media people think and they can actually see how ridiculous it is to treat Prince Laurent in such a way to simply divert attention from their own glaring failures. I hope the prince knows not everyone is against him!

Royals Visit Germany

Yesterday and today King Albert II and Queen Paola have made an official state visit to the Federal Republic of Germany. Federal President Christian Wulff welcomed them at his palace and later they also had coffee with Duke Franz of Bavaria, he would be the King of Bavaria if the republic did not exist and is of the same Wittelsbach family of the late Queen Elisabeth. The King also met, naturally, with Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel along with hold-over Prime Minister Yves Leterme. It also happens that Leterme is unhappy with Prince Laurent for taking an unauthorized private visit to the Congo lately. Leterme urged him not to do this but the Prince went anyway to study sustainable development projects in Congo. The finance minister, quite upset, spoke of cutting off the allowance of the Prince Laurent if he does not want to take government advice and follow his own wishes. A copy of the speech the King gave in Germany can be found here. The King nicely made mention of the last German-born Queen of the Belgians.

Tragedy in Japon

I have not talked here before about other royal families really but what has happened in Japon is so terrible I thought to say something. I do not try to give an account, the coverage has been extensive everywhere but I know some fellow students from Japon who, even coming from an area not close to the site of the disaster, have been feeling very hard the emotional trauma of this disaster. Since I have complained so much about the political crisis in Belgium, the situation in Japon has made me really put that in perspective. Finally, the Belgian people are not really suffering terribly from the lack of government and despite all the problems things are really good at home, everyone has food, fuel, safety and comfort. What happened in Japon should make everyone more grateful and feel great sympathy for the people there who are experiencing a real tragedy with so much death, so much destruction and so much suffering for everyone. I will send my best positive energy to the people in Japon and I hope they know we are their friends and are feeling sympathy with them.

Current Royal Events

As protests and strikes occur across Belgium in opposition to EU austerity requirements the royals are doing their best to find help. Crown Prince Philippe and Princesse Mathilde went to God, going to a special mass for the Belgian EU presidency on Tuesday at Our Lady of Sablon in Brussels. Today the royal couple attended a gala this night in benefit of the King Baudouin Foundation in Oostende. Princesse Astrid had more fun duties going to Milan, Italy for Milan Fashion Week Womenswear which from the photos she enjoyed with lots of smiles. For the King and Queen the days are also full. SM King Albert II met on Wednesday in an audience with President Jacob Zuma of South Africa at the Royal Castle in Laken-Laeken, Brussels. Only yesterday Queen Paola visited the elementary school at Oostduinkerke as part to congratulate them for the twp entries from this school that have won the Prize for Education from the Queen Paola Foundation.

It is good that the royals stay so busy because, despite to appear very busy, their politicians do not seem to be accomplishing anything. The absence of government is driving up the cost of everything, foreign countries don't know what to make of it and now that the national debt is over 100% of what Belgium can produce there are still protests over cutting back on spending. I am not very comfortable with the EU but I have to say, there is no way Belgium or any country can go on spending with such a huge debt. The government will have to cut back, there is just no other way, but they then would get voted out office so they do not want to do that. Maybe they will just give up total economic control to EU and so that the EU leadership can adopt the austerity measures and no one can vote them out of office while the Belgian government can claim opposition the whole time.

Politicians Get Fat, Veterans Cut Back

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