SPLIT SPLIT SPLIT

why?

Why not? It would be better that way

Best for whom is the question really - I know most Flemish speakers want independence, and that's the wealthier part...I suspect there is another side to the story but I'm not well-up enough on it to make any real judgement.

Can you explain a bit more? I'm actually interested to hear more of your thoughts on this subject, rather than Google for some news website's view.

SA.

Very long story short:

Belgium was a mess from the beginning, 2 parts put together that are totally different and never really liked each other. The French side has exploited the Flemish side from the beginning, than there was the extremely disgraceful behaviour during WW1 and for many years now, the Flemish side has been supporting the French side financially but getting nothing in return, not even a bit of gratefulness. (for example, if a Flemish and French person each pay in a €100 into social security, the French will get €120 back and the Flemish €80 ?).

In the previous governement they made a change to the law to split a certain electoral district, but the French side refuses to make this change. This is what is currently the biggest problem and why it is proving impossible to govern Belgium. Any national elections that would take place without the split of that electoral district would be illegal according to Belgian law. In the past, the Flemish side has nearly always given in to the French and now that they finally are trying to stand their ground, the answer from the French is a resounding "non".

There were elections in June last year. It took about 9 months to be able to form a coalition governement, meaning Belgium didn't actually have a proper government for that time. It took only 4 months for that government to break into pieces once again. The king doesn't want to accept the resignation of the PM and has put together a group of people who must try to bridge the communities. Funnily enough this group consists of 2 French guys and 1 German (Belgium has a tiny German minority), he decided not to put in someone from the Flemish side. At this point, nobody sees an end to the crisis, Belgium has now become ungovernable. Split it already, it was a farce from the beginning.

Sorry, this is the most biased and misleading thing I've ever read on this subject (and I say that as someone who gets leaflets through the door from Vlaams Belang ?)

The inflexibility comes from both sides, and in some matters the Flemish are far worse than the French. In some areas, French-speakers are barred from social housing. In Overijse, shopkeepers are prosecuted for using languages in addition to dutch (nb in addition to, not instead of ) on signs- prosecutions in convention of all sorts of human rights laws.

I have a lot of sympathy for some of the Flemish complaints- certainly the failure of Frnech schools to put the same emphasis on Dutch as Dutch schools do on French is a very legitimate grumble. However, the point you make about social security is a complete red herring- the French areas are, on average, poorer than the Flemish and so receive more in social security. It's no more remarkable than noting that the north of Britain receives more social security per capita than the south- it only seems remarkable if you start from the position that the country is already split (and so perceive it as Flemish funding French, rather than rich supporting poor).

I do agree that the country is becoming ungovernable. As far as I can see it's mainly due to the failure of federal government to grow a pair of balls- their solution to any disagreement seems to be devolve, devolve, devolve, in the vain hope of not rocking the boat. The outcome is a country that is fractured and weak.

So, hard to see what the solution is. Certainly if Belgium did split, Brussels would have to be dealt with separately, maybe becoming an autonomous city state. There is no way that it would become fully Flemish- as you know, the majority of people here speak French as their first language. The mindset here is far more international than the rest of the country, I think, and the French/Flemish stalemate is seen as being quite embarrassing- the majority of people in Brussels are in favour of unity (I actually think the majority of Flemish people are in favour of unity as well, for all the grumbles).

I know you feel very strongly about this- we've discussed it before (when you told me I ought to write to my water company in Dutch, despite the fact that I don't speak it and was writing to a French speaker ?)- and your opinion is completely valid, but I do think it's unfair and misleading to post your views in a way that suggests they are unbiased and simply factual.