Dutch frontpage news: minister playing with Barks and Rosa art

[Daniel van Eijmeren]

I'm on digest mode, so I don't know if it's already mentioned, but on the
frontpage of today's Dutch newspaper "Algemeen Dagblad" Carl Barks'
painting "Spoiling the concert" and 4 panels of Don Rosa's "On stolen time"
are shown. 

So far the positive news, at least for me, because it seems to be a
reproduction of a "story" pasted together by the Dutch Minister of Finance
(Mr. Zalm), presented to the cabinet council(!), and the way I get it he 
uses the art to honor himself as Uncle Scrooge who's protecting the Dutch 
money matters. I'm sure it's meant as a funny joke, but then I think a more
suitable real ending for the "story" could have been Graham Chapman of 
Monty Python walking in as the Colonel, saying: "Stop it! This is getting 
too silly!"

The Dutch government seems to have a party because the Dutch economy seems
to be going so well. Indeed a reason for a party, but not when the distance
between the Dutch people and the government seems to get bigger and bigger
in recent years. The government only seems to honor *itself* and the Dutch
people are second place (a good second place so far, but still not the
first place as it should be in a democracy). So, for me Minister's Zalm's 
self-honoring "story" is only rubbing that in. 

Opinions may differ on this, and it's not the right place here to discuss 
such matters (fortunately!), but I hope I've explained why I'm not happy 
with this "news". 

Dutch "Oom Dagobert" album No. 62 is mentioned as a source, so maybe this
album will get bigger sales than average now. So, apparently minister Zalm
also takes care of the Duckburgian economy at the moment. :-)


Greetings,

--- Daniel