you couldn't make it up dept. no.69: the wrong country

[fpb]

Belgium's politicians are notoriously corrupt and incompetent, but even by their standards this has been a new low. The freshly nominated French-speaking Prime Minister of Belgium yesterday took part in some sort of public function where he was expected to take part in the singing of the country's ancient national anthem, La Brabanconne. He started singing La Marseillaise.

Comments

[theswordmaiden.livejournal.com]

HA HA HA HA HA loser.

[jordan179.livejournal.com]

That's pretty damn funny. How did the Belgians take this?

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Answer directly below - sevenorora is Belgian.

[sevenorora.livejournal.com]

Actually, it wasn't clear if it was a joke or not. I hope it was a joke, not very sensible one, to say the last. Either way, he has lost my respect!

What worries me more, is that he didn't even know what we celebrate on the 21st of July.

(July 21, 1831 => Inauguration of Léopold I of Belgium, first king of Belgium)

The fact that he was more busy with his Mobile then paying attention on the Te Deum, is rather insulting, since he is part of the politic CD&V (C stands for Christian!)

BTW; though he does speak French (according to me a must for al politicians here in Belgium!) he is Flemmish.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Except for my error on his nationality, all the things you mention were in the Italian newspaper article that was my source. But to be frank, I would not have known what the July 21 holiday stood for, and so would most non-Belgians; so I could not really make a joke about that. But I have heard La Brabanconne and I have heard La Marseillaise and I certainly know the difference between the two; and everybody knows what La Marseillaise is. So, to have a comment that reached everyone, I had to lop off a few items.

[bufo-viridis.livejournal.com]

I dismissed Belgian-jokes till the moment they hung Polish flag upside down during president Walesa visit. Now, it may seem an easy mistake - Indonesian or Monaco flag looks just like this - but this was a presidential flag, which has a coat of arms on the upper field.
Somehow it did not occur to anybody that eagle may not want to hanging head-down...