glyn

__________________
Semper in excretum. Solum profunda variat.

crooks

I've never been - it sounds nice though (might stop on the way to Luxembourg ).

__________________
'I firmly believe that Ireland and history shall remember Michael Collins with reverence, pride and passion...and it shall be at my expense'- Eamon De Valera.

USAUSAUSA

How would this affect Belgium waffles?

entropy

Sir,

The Flemish were a Germanic tribe who lived in the Lower Countries for centuries. They were Catholics, and their Northern neighbours were Calvinist (which explains why the Netherlands are far more powerful and prosperous). The Flemish were conquered by the French, but won at the Golden Spurs Battle (1302), one of the many battles where the Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys took a pounding from well-motivated foot soldiers. The Flamands regained limited independence, but remained subordinates to French landlords.
Afterwards, Belgium fell under the Habsburgs, but afterwards it was liberated by the Dutch and included in the United Netherlands.
The Flemish were all the time peasants, with the intelligentisa fleeing to the Netherlands from Catholic rule, and only the plebs remaining. They had no university of their own, and even after the Belgian independence, the French-speaking Wallons prevailed, and French was the elitary language. During WWI, the officers were all French-speaking, and the soldiers Flemish.

Afterwards, Flemish nationalism rose higher and higher, as we see it today.

The Flemish despise Wallons, laugh at the Dutch (mostly of jealosy) and think that their people are the best in the world. They have no decent language, with the Dutch telling them how to write. You can go 20 kilometers to the west in Flandria, and tge local dialect will be impossible to understand. How they live like that, I don't know, but I am happy the guys in the North dictate them what Dutch really is.

The Wallons are direct descendants of the Salian Franks (and Merovingians) who were more than often a part of France. They were the economically powerful, until they closed their mining industry, and after Flandria took over industrially and economically, became the most unemployed people in the EU. They feel snobbish towards the germanic barbarian Flemish, have a slightly different pronunciation than the French (they use huitante and nonante instead of quatre-vingt and quatre-vingt-dix, and the mere thought of a split gives them hellish nightmares. The Wallon Socialist Conspiracy is to be compared with the Evil Zionist conspiracy, except for the fact that it is more real and its goal is to hold Belgium together and suck money.

I hope that I've given some clarity about the

__________________
If memory serves...

entropy

There are no Belgian waffles. There are Luik-waffles or Brussels waffles.

marklv

I agree that Belgium should dissolve. It was a state invented by the British, designed to weaken France, but there is no reason for it to exist. The Felmings should be part of the Netherlands and Wallonia part of France. The difficult question is what would happen to Brussels.

marklv

Having been to Brussels, I rate it as the most boring city in Europe. Apart from the Grand Place and an alleyway where there are some interesting restaurants, there is nothing else of note. Belgian women are quite attractive, though.

Ironduke

I'm not sure what the figures for the Flemish wanting to unite with the Netherlands is, but a quick search showed a poll by a Flemish newspaper that surveyed the Dutch found 77% of the Dutch support such an idea.

To me, Belgium seems to be a highly artificial state. If the people desired so, they ought to be entitled to self-determination to decide what future they'd want, whether it be two states, each respective portion uniting with France and the Netherlands (and perhaps the eastern counties with Germany), or staying together in one state. My opinion is that the best course of action would be the second option, instead of having small statelets.

The Czechs and Slovaks (who in my opinion had less acrimony between them) peacefully split, and I don't really see any negative impact of Belgium, especially in today's Europe, doing the same.

On top of that I think a Greater Netherlands would be a really awesome country.

__________________
The Buck Stops Here

ExNavyAmerican

It's been my impression that many states are artificial. To name two, how about the United States and the United Kingdom? They do just fine.

__________________
"I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever."
- Thomas Jefferson

Feanor

What? You mean the evil Zionist theory isn't real? But..... but....... but...... awww. You just destroyed a childhood dream.


What about night clubs? Every city has night clubs. Well every large city.

Dwarven Pirate

Not sure about that. UK grants some holding independence each decade it seems, and Vermont votes to secede once a year

Parihaka

While we're at it can we do away with Australia as well? A boil on the bum of the world if ever there was one.

__________________
In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz

entropy

Don't worry man, just repeat after me:

Jesli v krane net vody, znachet vypili Zjidy

Jesli v krane jest voda, znachet Zjid nassal tuda

braindead

__________________
If i only were so smart yesterday as my wife is today

glyn