NOUVEL AN MADE IN BRUSSELS

Un feu d'artifice ringard était supposé mettre de l'ambiance. Ailleurs l'évenementiel a sorti Adamo du coma, tandis que la croix rouge avait préparé civières et volontaires au cas ou.

Pendant ce temps les sans-abri attendent toujours un minimum de dignité et restent les otages de Bruxelles-poubelle et de quelques propriétaires fonciers bien connus. Quelques volontaires et gestes corrigent imparfaitement une situation dramatique.  

Il se crée un scenario pour les frères Dardenne. Il faut être de gauche pour bien juger les siens. En ne faisant rien, les oubliés d'aujoud'hui risquent de devenir les casseurs de demain. Encore une épopée pour loosers RTL.

Comment voulez-Vous gouverner avec un gouvernement prisonnier de son costume polichinelle ? Pendant ce temps là la négociation avec Engie se traine, comme la ministre Karine Lalieux et d'autres rescapés du PS. 

CHRISTMAS 2022

Christmas was never about good taste. Sometimes it benefited nevertheless the better angels in mankind. This last Christmas did not live up to the expectations. Ukraine did not get a moment of respite...

Kings and leaders said the same banalities over and over, often amidst the decor of past glory. King Charles III sounded as if he were running for the label ¨the pious¨. The Pope was surprisingly harsh.

This absurd holiday which is supposed to be about joy on earth was, more so than unusual, existentially incorrect. The heart of Europe is a battlefield. China's windows are broken since Covid got a free ride on the back of the people who are waking up from their induced complacency. Asia is a luxury emporium wherein greed and selfish grabs are overtaking the leftovers of former harmony. Africa  sometimes looks as if it wants to return to colonial exploitation. Europe fares actually better than what many pundits proclaim but the EU manages rather than innovate. The UK mourns the former queen's better days, that were not that great in retrospect, but the show must go on with second rate performers, alas. Never forget the silent might of Australia...

Only the United States enjoy growth, unemployment, contemporary creativity--and military strength, unmatched for now. Ukraine lives because of its own resilience and because of America. For sure there remain problems which might become vicious after the Republicans take over the House of Representatives. It is hard to believe that Trump might enjoy a comeback, but never underestimate the role of the fool. Anyway, the Republicans will wage a holy war against Biden, who might be too much of a gentleman for a romp in the mud.

The current impasse cannot be allowed to last. Traditional diplomacy doesn't work in the short run. Before addressing negotiation one must look for the conditions wherein such an outcome might become feasible. Only a formula in the Kissinger/ Holbrooke vein, out of sight, might explore mutual acceptable parameters for a start-up for talks, under close monitoring. Putin is more than the sum of his frustrations, he also represents a country that has always been addicted to bluff and tradition. In reality the GDP of the Russian Federation only equals the combined GDP of the Netherlands and Belgium. Putin rules over a depot...

Unfortunately the perceptions worldwide have changed. Trump was a force for the bad. His gratuitous aerobics with any leader who took the time to flatter this insecure, uninformed avatar who had no other compass than his ego. As a result the abnormal became indifferent, if not timely. This American president became the undesirables' rattle without him realizing he was being played. He ended up hating the Europeans intensely because they realized he was fraudulent.

Globalization is now, for the time being, a word in a dictionary. So was "cold war" which has had a comeback. So one had better stay pragmatic. Zelensky holds on because of the approval of the Ukrainians. Putin holds on because of his grip on people and sycophants alike . The West should find a way to refrain from its addiction to energy made in Russia. Last but not least, the real question remains unanswered for now:  How long can the civilized world be content to be the voyeur while war crimes occur next door? The perpetrator has no shame. He must feel the pain if all other arguments are ignored. The UN charter highlights the "universal". The West should not partake in the demise of the rule of law.

IS OLIVIER VANDECASTEELE VLAMING OF BELG ?

De Standaard heeft het over de Vlaming.... Misschien kunnen het duo Jambon / Demir nu ook naar Teheran om een Vlaamse oplossing te vinden. 

Wat in Vlaanderen allemaal straffeloos gebeurt is niet langer te harden. Of die ploeg zijn verdacht canon wil ingaan als een troep "loosers" is dit zijn zaak.

Olivier Vandecasteele verdient niet een tweede maal te worden gegijzeld omwege het plat politiek spel van enkele over het paard getilde amateurs.

HARRY AND MEGHAN (PART 2)

The second part of the Netflix series only confirms the pertinence of the actions of a couple that are fundamentally a game changer, larger than a royal soap.

Both Harry and Meghan have respectfully proven that under the circumstances the choices they made were only theirs. The palace intrigues in the background look pathetic and out of touch with the times we live in.

Not only does the British monarchy look out of touch, the institution as such, in its surviving models world-wide, will be under close scrutiny. The archaic deference it still receives is doomed, all the more so in that the world, in this sad agonizing anno 2022, is on life-support, in need of healing.

The choice for another life in Southern California feels so right. With the exception of the former queen, the other royals look like props playing in a provincial theatre before a scarce public. Harry is truly his mother's son and the loyal grandson of Elisabeth II. Meghan is the contemporary woman who is clairvoyant in the choices she makes and generous in sharing them with her husband. There is still room for a smart love story after all.

LA BELGIQUE ? UN FOUR

Voilà que Joel De Ceulaer, le Ciceron du Morgen, jette l'éponge. Cet éditorialiste aussi sophistiqué que lucide en a raz le bol. Confronté au désastre Belge il choisit l'exil. On le comprend mais on souhaite qu'il revienne sur sa décision, ne fut-ce que pour l'autopsie.

Le pays plie sous le poids de ses parlements et gouvernements parallèles minables, n'yant qu'une pathologie en partage. Il est devenu inutile d'épingler des noms ou de vouloir montrer du doigt telle ou telle  personnalité politique. Elles se ressemblent toutes. Comparés à leurs collègues dans d'autrees pays, les grotesques régionaux ici se distinguent surtout par un provincialisme qu'aucune thérapie ne parvient à remettre à l'heure. 

Le malheur étant que le gouvernement fédéral ressemble de plus en plus à un albatros en fin de parcours. Comment peut-il encore gouverner avec des partenaires à l'intérieur comme dans les régions qui le sabotent. Les socialistes Wallons veulent à tout prix détourner l'attention de la corruption dont ils sont traditionnellement les héritiers comme les continuateurs. Les Verts deviennent un parti fasciste avec lequel le dicours raisonné est désormais devenu impossible. Le gouvernement Flamand court les prés comme une famille Trapp sous l'effet d'une overdose (Anvers oblige ). Le Premier Ministre est obligé de mal gouverner avec tous ses contraires imposés par des présidents de parti. Alexander De Croo ne mérite pas cette descente aux enfers. L'heure d'une démission dans l'honneur doit être considérée.

Joel De Ceulaer est l'accusateur le plus mordant de ce tableau vivant de James Ensor ou les squelettes se disputent un hareng-saur. Nul autre que lui n'a réussi aussi cruellement à épingler les têtes de Turc qui sont supposées habiter les Canons Flamand et Wallon. On ne parle plus de Bruxelles, abandonnée à ses pavés et à ses bierres.

Beaucoup souhaitent ne pas perdre le génial éditorialiste. Ce naufrage belge mérite son Zola après tout.

Bonnes fêtes !

DE EU WERFT AAN

Baron Frans Van Daele wordt EU Gezant voor godsdienstvrijheid buiten de EU.

Deze talentvolle diplomaat zal er voorzeker voor zorgen dat deze bizarre opdracht intelligent zal worden ingevuld.

De vraag blijft hoe de EU de tijd en de reden heeft gevonden om die opdracht opnieuw uit de kast te halen.

Bij mijn weten stond niemand te wachten op zo een aanstelling . Daarom wordt het interessant af te wachten op hij er van terechtbrengt. 

YET ANOTHER WINDSOR TALE, SORT OFF

Netflix serves the Meghan/Harry dish to distract us from the usual Christmas entertainment nightmare.

The first three episodes were mostly pleasurable to watch. Meghan has all the qualities of the predictable American actress, professional, self-conscious and smart. Harry has a wicked sex appeal, sounds very well informed and is happy without remorse.

Some object to the California life-style, so hard to resist, compared to the Royals' favorite residences: Windsor, Balmoral and similar spooky haunts. There is more envy than justification. The remaining Royals in the British Isles look like cartoons. One has to stay generous and feel for Kate and William who already look and dress old, without the support of a drink and fun aunt Margaret enjoyed in Mustique.

One has to wait for the next installments but until now the story is more about the choices made than about the mistakes presumed. Each brings baggage to this saga, less controversial than the mistakes made by others. 

It is almost a solace to see happiness in the current times. It can look even scandalous or oblivious, but these two people look as if they could salvage what they have even in the direst circumstances. 

The series is also revealing of the complexity and diversity of family. There are two heroines there, Princess Diana and Meghan's mother. Charity demands not to dwell on the others, living. Queen Elisabeth II always stood apart, deservedly.