Belgium’s Flemings push for own free state; right-wing politicians move to split country

[pampango]

http://www.euronews.net/2011/06/14/belgium-s-flemings-push-for-own-free-state/

A group of Belgian right-wing politicians have again pressed their case for a Flemish state not joined with a Walloon state. As a protest against Belgium having no government for just over a year now, the Vlaams Belang party leader, Philip De Winter, briefly renamed the ‘Rue de la Loi’ in Brussels: ‘Flemish Street of Independence’. The police took his sign down.

De Winter said: “After one year of negotiations without any results I think it’s clear that there should be an alternative, and that alternative is the independence of Flanders and the independence of Wallonia. We need a Flemish republic because doing what we are doing now has no sense.”

General elections last year failed to produce a new government and show-cased the divisions between Dutch-speaking Flanders and French-speaking Wallonia. This goes on. The Flemish separatists N-VA, led by Bart de Wever, hold the key to a deal.

Leader of the French-speaking Socialists, Elio Di Rupo is having another go at negotiating with the Flemish, who complain they are subsidising Wallonia in the south. If Di Rupo gets nowhere, there will be elections again.

Right wingers not only seem to want to weaken or eliminate the EU, they want to split up countries, too. At least they are consistently mired in an "us vs. them" mentality.

Glad the Socialist Party is fighting to keep the country of Belgium united.

[brooklynite]

1. Since the two sections of the country have been unable to agree on a Govt for almost a year...

..maybe division isn't such a bad idea.

Walloon Sprouts don't really have the same ring to them, though...

[fascisthunter]

2. Not Surprising.... Right WIngers think they are Speshulll

and therefore should be separate from the rest. They love exclusivity, hence the consistent bigotry of "others".

[EFerrari]

3. Who gets custody of the chocolate?

[KamaAina]

4. And the ale?

:beer:

[arbusto_baboso]

5. Chocolate? Who gets custody of all the wonderful beers?

I just don't want my supply of Chimay, Fantome, Tripel Karmeliet, Gouden Carolus and Duchesse de Bourgogne interrupted!

[KamaAina]

6. Vlaams Belang are racist and Islamophobic

Quelle surprise, or however you say that in Flemish. :eyes:

The current arrangement has worked rather well since the Middle Ages, for Pete's sake. What's the big problem now all of a sudden?

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. To be fair, the Scottish National Party wants to split up the UK, and they're not right wing

and Scotland, England and Wales have been united for longer than Belgium has been a country.

I quite like the way Wikipedia illustrates the history of the area in its sidebar; it's almost art.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Belgium

[AngryAmish]

8. Stupid Flanders

[eppur_se_muova]

10. Heh. nt

[Shagbark Hickory]

9. Sounds a lot like Texas tea baggers, dudnit?