Brussels
Belgium’s foreign minister had to apologize this week for insulting the Dutch. Annoyed that the Netherlands had rejected the E.U. constitution, Karel de Gucht said Dutch voters were shallow and fickle. “First they supported an extravagant, militant homosexual with a deviating opinion and chauffeur-driven Bentley,” he told Brussels’ Het Laatste Nieuws, speaking of the late gay right-winger Pim Fortuyn. “Then, those same masses elect Jan Peter Balkenende, a mixture of Harry Potter and inoffensive small-mindedness, a man in whom I detect no trace of charisma.” De Gucht assured Balkenende, the Dutch prime minister, that he meant no insult.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.