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| Should Belgium be parted? |
| Yes |
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46% |
[ 7 ] |
| No |
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53% |
[ 8 ] |
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| Total Votes : 15 |
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ophone
Joined: 31 May 2005
Posts: 2191
Location: Lëtzebuerg
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 Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 13:23 |
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The Belgian situation
Well, we Luxembourgers usually love making jokes about Belgians (Walloons and Flemish) but they're political situation is so complex (not to say f***** up) at the moment that you can't even laugh about them anymore.
Belgium haven't had a government for more than 100 days now, which gives even more power to Flemish, the dutch-speaking community of the north, nationalists, who want to split their region from the rest, mainly french-speaking Wallonia. Those of you who know Belgium, know that Belgium is not only divided into regions, Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels for instance. But also divided into provinces, like Liège, West-Flanders, East-Flanders, Antwerp, Limburg, Luxembourg.... And it has even more than 2 linguistic communities, 4 for instance, yes 4! Many Belgians don't know that themselves. They know the 3rd linguistic community, the German-speaking community, living in a zone near the German border, with the cities of Eupen and St. Vith. Those zones were a war tribute from Germany after WWI. And finally the 4th, the Luxembourgish speaking community, next to the Luxembourgish border, including the city of Arlon. As some of you know the Belgian province of Luxembourg used to be a part of the Duchy of Luxembourg before the congress of Vienna in 1839. But since there wasn't a large city in the french-speaking part of that region, the Luxembourgish-speaking Arlon with the Areler Land was given to Belgium and Luxembourg became as compensation a Grand Duchy.
And now the point I want to come to, if Belgium is split up, many inhabitants of the province of Luxembourg want to reintegrate the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. On one hand that would be nice, to see my home-country doubled in size, having cities like Arlon and Bastogne, having loads of Ardenne woods, tasty ham and sausages and the beers of Orval and Chouffe would become Luxembourgish. But on the other hand we Luxembourgers like to stay a tiny country and if the province of Luxembourg would become Luxembourgish, Luxembourg would have a similar linguistic situation as Belgium nowadays, with a French-speaking West and a Luxembourgish-speaking East.
The second point is, that if Belgium will be parted, the two big communities will quarrel (they're already doing it at the moment) over who will get Brussels. Geographically the capital lies clearly in Flanders, but linguistically more than 90% of the Brusseleers have become French-speaking. The proposition to make of Brussels a European district, like Washington D.C. for the USA, is renied by both sides.
The third point is the king, who is a symbol of the Belgian unity. What will become of him?
Really, the political situation is really f***** up in Belgium. Especially since the guy who had to become prime-minister sang the Marseillaise (French national anthem) instead of the Brabançonne (Belgian national anthem) after a journalist had asked him the 21st July, Belgian national celebration day, if he knew to sing the country's national anthem.
For me the thing is clear, Belgium has to stay united. The Flemish and Walloons have many things in common. First of all the French fries with a multitude of different sauces and secondly the love for making and drinking beer. (Belgium is THE beer-nation in the world, no other country has so many kinds of different beers than Belgium, and to all Germans here: I'm speaking of kinds of beers not brands.) And fries are made and beer is brewed all over the country, ignoring completely linguistic borders. Why can't all Belgians be like some Walloons I know who can speak Flemish (or Dutch, whatever) or like that pub I was in at Oostende, where the lager they served was Jupiler, a Walloon beer, and nobody looked at me like I was an alien when I started speaking French? (sorry my Flemish friends, even if my mother tongue is germanic like Flemish, I can't speak Flemish.)
Please Belgium, stay united! Your national motto is not for nothing "L'union fait la force", "Eendracht maakt macht", "Einigkeit macht stark".
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Jamirocat
Joined: 29 Feb 2004
Posts: 282
Location: deeper underground
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| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 00:12 |
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hmmm...i had no idea this was an issue...thanks for your perspective...and i don't live there so it would be hard for me to say, but why change it if it doesn't make things better? |
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jamirokaki
Expert
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
Posts: 3472
Location: basque country
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| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 10:17 |
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definitelly to have the best sauces for fries and beers is not a reason to stay united as a nation.
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peggy
Joined: 06 Nov 2005
Posts: 1263
Location: Back in Belgium !
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| Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2007 12:01 |
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As a Belgian girl from the Flemish part, I want to say that I really think that we should stay united. The country is too small to separate it, anyway where will the german part go to ?
Although Dutch people (and I mean from Holland) are willing to join with Flemish Belgium, I´m proud of my little country with beautiful corners !!! And if people speak french, dutch or german (and this in such a small country) i don´t care and i think it´s charming. Belgian people are know for speaking different languages so... no problem there !
And yes, politic situation nozw in Belgium sucks !!! I agree !! It seems like when you have a radically change after voting a new polical party, Belgium politicals get´s confused and nervous, and they don´t really know what to do !!!
Yep. Small country, I know. But always in the news !!! Unfortunatelly,
not always for good reasons...
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ophone
Joined: 31 May 2005
Posts: 2191
Location: Lëtzebuerg
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| Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 00:26 |
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| peggy wrote: |
| As a Belgian girl from the Flemish part, I want to say that I really think that we should stay united. The country is too small to separate it, anyway where will the german part go to ? |
I'm glad to see what you write as a Flemish wanting Belgium to stay united. But I can't understand your reason about Belgium being too small to be separated, just look at the size of my home country. 
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peggy
Joined: 06 Nov 2005
Posts: 1263
Location: Back in Belgium !
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ophone
Joined: 31 May 2005
Posts: 2191
Location: Lëtzebuerg
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| Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2007 18:36 |
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Of course, such a great country should stay as it is!
(No, no I'm not joking, even if we Luxembourgers like to make jokes about Belgians! I love Belgium, I've spent many summers on the Belgian coast as kid.)
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ophone
Joined: 31 May 2005
Posts: 2191
Location: Lëtzebuerg
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| Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2007 00:07 |
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peggy, do you speak French?
Here a funny article I found about Belgium (especially the sub-subject about gastronomy, which is not invented):
Belgique - Désencyclopédie
(the English version ain't so funny, that's why I posted the French one here, there is also a Dutch version of it, but I don't understand it really. One thing though I understood is that Plop and Co. form the Belgian government.  )
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peggy
Joined: 06 Nov 2005
Posts: 1263
Location: Back in Belgium !
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| Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2007 16:53 |
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Yes, I do speak French. The article was very funny !!!
I just saw that the voting is going for splitting up this beautiful little country !!!! Who and why ?????
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ophone
Joined: 31 May 2005
Posts: 2191
Location: Lëtzebuerg
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| Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2007 20:08 |
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Not me obviously!
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DiscoStu
Joined: 14 Apr 2007
Posts: 363
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
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| Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2007 02:54 |
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It's been a united country for many years now, and everything is fine so far. I don't know much, but I can't see why should they be separated.
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Jay_F
Joined: 21 Mar 2008
Posts: 682
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| Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 20:45 |
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i don't think we should seperate,
but i think that the main problem is that the walloons are (i'm not saying all of them) not willing to really co-operate with the flemish part, for example, flemish people learn french, what do the walloons...nope they don't learn dutch/flemish . but i heard from someone that back in time the walloons where the rich part cause of the mines there and the flemish people where poor back then and as he told me the walloons helpt us...but now in this time it's switcht, not that the walloons are THAT poor but flemish gouverement gives them money and stuff altough they don't do much with it  but i don't give a damn what's going on in the gouverement, as long they can work together, that seems to be not what happening now......but hey, every country has problems somehow...i'm not worrieing about
that's how it is in this world, can't change it......for now
i hope you know what i mean with that long explanation 
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J Bee
Joined: 20 Aug 2008
Posts: 57
Location: K-Town, Belgium
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| Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 15:46 |
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Wow, our politics even got their way onto here
I don't really have an opinion on our politics because they are a joke! To me, Belgium is Belgium. Often laughed at/with, often accused. But hey, apart from our politics and complicated structure, I love my country. It's excellent cities, it's great food and drink, it's music, the moutains, the sea, the beaches, it's people.
It is time for us 'small' belgians to get proud of what we really are, fun, hardworking, generous, kind and smart but modest about it  Too modest. Too bad our politicians don't act as belgians
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ophone
Joined: 31 May 2005
Posts: 2191
Location: Lëtzebuerg
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| Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 15:57 |
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Such true words futaba!
Go BELGIUM!!!
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freaky
Joined: 02 Nov 2005
Posts: 476
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| Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 17:14 |
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Me being Dutch say NO to join both countries.
Reason: Belgium has cheaper Gass to put in my car.
Dutch gass stations, they sometimes compete with the Belgium stations to keep their customers from crossing the border.
So NO don't....my wallet does not like it!!!!
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