“Did you see the news?” my elderly neighbor said with rising indignation, “THEY got a 6% pay rise, while my pension fund has crashed to the floor”.
Belgium’s much criticized royal family are in for a rough ride these days, after a 6% “inflation compensation” increased their 2009 annual state-issued stipend to a staggering 13,853,000 EURO. “Trivial pocket money to pay for their every wimp”, given they inherited a huge family fortune, live rent-free in the palaces provided by the Belgian state, with Belgian king Albert (only a token figure without much power) spending much of his time cruising the warmer waters of the Mediterranean, far away from Belgium.
Much like many EU countries, the tiny but heavily indebted kingdom of Belgium is going through the worst economic crisis since its independence in 1830. With a significant part of the country desperately struggling to stay afloat, the royal “pay rise” provoked serious controversy.
Belgian King Albert II traditionally delivers a yearly public TV address to the nation, placing strong emphasis on universal human values: honesty, integrity, accountability (etc, etc) while evoking a spirit of “sharing”, being less egocentric in our ever more materialistic world. If he ever meant one single word, he should have said “no thanks, I don’t need this extra cash, give it to a worthy cause”. But he didn’t, making him a “money grabbing Catholic Saxen-Coburg“, like a local journalist bluntly put it. Rich Royalty with nothing but a token function: should we stop “feeding them” with tax Euros? [The Belgian Royal couple - Image credit: Tijd.be]
This blog is not affiliated with or endorsed by the city of Antwerp, Belgium.
I’m Belgian and outraged watching the way this country is run. A king with a ilegitimate daughter in a country on the brink of bancruptcy: we have becom the laughing stock of Europe.
Comment by Johan — November 19, 2008 @ 5:22 pm |
Proof again that the rich are not like us. Nor do they really like us.
[Blog author: "Indeed VioletSky. I get the impression our royals know how the country feels, but I strongly doubt they really care. "]
Comment by VioletSky — November 19, 2008 @ 8:09 pm |
That is obscene!!! Royalty is obscene, but in this financial climate that is like a slap in the face of the entire human race. It’s like these Wall Street bastards who are throwing multi-million dollar parties and giving themselves multi-million dollar bonuses with their bailout money. And this morning I heard a story on the radio about a French family with four kids who were evicted and are now living in a car. It sickens me. What is wrong with people?
[Blog author: "It appears some of us lost some fundamental human values Pamela... Belgium did recently prohibit outrageous severance payments across the board, but somehow the Belgian royal puppet show is allowed to go on."]
Comment by Pamela — November 20, 2008 @ 8:09 am |
Has there ever been any kind of national referendum there to abolish the monarchy, or is it too much of a moneymaker in tourism to consider that? I wish it was something I can relate to, but alas, we kinda rebelled against monarchy. Some might say we simply substituted an elected monarch for an appointed one, though I never quite subscribed to that theory.
[Blog author: "I'm afraid our Belgian language divide makes that kind of hard Mr. Nighttime. It's like proposing to turn the USA into a monarchy: the constitution won't allow such profound changes. Even if Belgium became a real Dutch/French confederation, we'd probably see endless raws over "should a French or a Dutch speaker become president". Belgium: it really was a bad idea that turned into reality. Obviously, most of us agree it's time to cut back on our (imported) royals, who seem to think we really love their expensive soap opera. "]
Comment by Mr. Nighttime — November 20, 2008 @ 10:26 pm |
Inflation Compensation? Someone needs to tell them we are all in the midst of a DEFLATION! They need to take a deduction in their salaries!!
[Blog author: "They do live in another world Brenda, a fairy tale world we shouldn't be subsidizing at all. However, the Belgian parliament is considering changing the current "royal list" funding system. Last year there were rumors our imported queen (after +40 years she still has problems with Dutch) called for a Belgian military jet to airlift a brand of marmalade she couldn't get on her yacht while cruising the Mediterranean. A few miles from her Brussels palace homeless people are sleeping in cardboard boxes. "]
Comment by Peace — November 21, 2008 @ 5:04 am |