Word: spaak
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...debate, Spaak went to Parliament serenely ready to counterattack. When newspapermen asked him whether he intended to resign, he grinned: "The dead man is still standing up." To the deputies he cried: "Things have changed . . . Today we can shake hands with a Catholic without assuming him to be a supporter of the Inquisition or of Saint Bartholomew's massacre...
Over their coffee and pistolets (rolls), Belgians found no hint in their morning papers that anything special was in the air. But by evening of the next day, Premier Paul-Henri Spaak had resigned. Belgians were so bewildered that they called their first political crisis in over a year la drole de crise, as they had once spoken of la drole de guerre (the phony...
...Christian Social Party had beefed that a new $6,850,000 subsidy to state schools meant discrimination against "free" schools, which are mostly Catholic (TIME, May 10). Socialist Spaak's common-sense solution in overwhelmingly Catholic Belgium: a consolation prize of $1,350,000 for "free" schools. But rebellion broke out among old Socialist anticlericals. Trumpeted brass-lunged Party President Max Buset: "We are asked to concede too much." He lined up other Socialist M.P.s, predicted that the Catholics-and Spaak-would back down...
...When Spaak sat down, it was clear that he had his majority. Even most of the Socialists applauded. But he refused to settle for "most." "Monsieur le President," he said quickly, "I see I am not supported by my own party. I beg you to adjourn the session." He strode out, drove to the royal palace, formally handed his resignation to Regent Charles. Then he took his wife out for a good dinner...
...week's end, la dróle de crise was still unsettled. Belgians expected, however, that it would be settled Spaak's way, and that Spaak himself would be back in the government, stronger than ever...