retired_heather

and that article is talking crap aswell. "There is growing talk of a secession of Flanders, the Dutch-speaking northern half of Belgium. If that happens what to do with Brussels, a French-speaking enclave within Flanders?"

please. the growing talk came directly from filip dewinter, of vlaams belang, formerly vlaams blok: far right. he said something in a speach about belgium being terminally ill, and secession as the ultimate euthanasy.

no other parties have suggested it, nor are willing to take that step. it'll be at least 10 to 15 years before belgium is ready for secession.

and brussels is hardly a french speaking enclave. there are more flemish speaking people working in the heart of brussels that french speaking persons. which says it all basically. if belgium were to split up, brussels would have every chance to become a sort of "european capital", where people come to work etc. brussels would never belong to flandres or wallony alone.

retired_heather

oh and: belgium will never split anyway. far too many issues connecting the two halves, issues that could never be split/sorted out.

retired_hurtleftvirtue

a bit passionate there ... you are belgian right? ... what's the main reason for non-agreement so far in making a government?

retired_tam5868

haha, what is this joining lux and france stuff?
well, i live in the former and it would basically treble, quadruble etc. its size even if only one province was involved. shall mention to all my belgian colleagues tomorrow and see them laugh

it is always the flemish promoting this as they think they are fed up subsidising the wallonne part amongst other things.

retired_hmarckel

i lived there for about 7 years- it was ok really, its just brussels thats a bit bleak.

but yeah, there are massive differences between the north and the south, and the gist i got was that they were'nt too keen on each other. however, the two halves will never split because they're just too intrinsicley linked

retired_shellmac13

buffalo :****(

retired_heather

staatshervorming. the political party that won the electons in flandres want a staatshervorming of belgium, which the walloon politicians do not want, as a staatshervorming would bring some negative aspects for the walloon region. this means it is, at least for now, impossible to come to an agreement.

a staatshervorming is roughly translated a state reformation, and its definition might come close to: a proces in which a solution is sought for the language and other problems between the dutch and french part of belgium. we call these problems communautaire problemen, problems in the proportions and relations between flandres, wallony and brussels, and between the german, the french and the flemish part of belgium.

that about sums it up: flandres want a state reformation, yet the walloon politicians do not. and to form a government, we need the cooperation and agreement between flandres and wallony, but I think that was clear from the off.

cbhoyhern

Bagsy being a Walloon!

retired_heather

and the idea that us flemish people hate or dislike the walloon people is just plain wrong. we get along fine, we just don't see eachother all that much. it's the far right politicians who are spreading a message of hate and dislike, in order to get their secession of belgium. all strategies, all bullshit.

and stop generalizing us, not all flemish people are "fed up subsidising the wallonne part". it's not even like that, far right always exagerate when giving numbers to the press when it comes to walloon dependence.

anyway, can't wait for rhâââ lovely 2008. and oh look, it's in wallony, and I'm flemish, bet they'll cut my throat and eat my legs.

retired_tam5868

yeah, bleak sounds about right. go there often to visit friends but although i do end up liking it a bit more each time i go, it is not somewhere i would ever want to live.
then again, there are hardly any people who could see themselves living where i do now so i can hardly say much...