Singing PM-to-be

Yves Leterme has been minister-president of Flanders. But as the June general election approached, he wanted to play ball on the federal level. He resigned as minister-president, ran a campaign with promises of more powers for Flanders, garnered 800,000 votes behind his name and became Belgium's prime minister to be.

Yves Leterme wanted to switch from the Flemish regional level to the Belgian federal level, because – so he said – more powers have to be transferred from the federal to the regional level in order for Flanders to be able to conduct good governance. In the meantime, he compiled a dossier that will serve as the basis for discussions to form a new government. Whether he will be able to transfer more powers to Flanders remains to be seen as all French-speaking parties are against such a policy.

For Leterme the switch to the federal level didn't go very smooth when on Belgium's national day he couldn't recall the event in the past that is remembered on July 21 (the coronation of Belgium's first king Leopold I). That's not really a shame, most people don't know. But a future prime minister should presumably be able to sing the country's national anthem. Leterme blundered by singing the first part of the Marseillaise instead of the Brabanconne. Belgium once again was the laughing stock in the foreign press.

Belgium is more and more becoming a fiction. People identify themselves with Flanders, Brussels or Wallonia. Who needs a Belgian national anthem?