Interview with Flemish Separatist De Wever: 'Belgium Has No Future' -- Spiegel Online
Six months after the general election, Belgium still has no new government. Flemish nationalist Bart De Wever, head of the country's largest party, wants to split Belgium into two states. In an interview that has caused a scandal in his country, he told SPIEGEL why the nation has "no future."
Belgium has sunk into political chaos. Following the parliamentary elections six months ago, all attempts to build a new government have failed. The country is divided into two camps that oppose each other, apparently irreconcilably: the socialists, who won the most votes in Wallonia, the French-speaking southern region of the country, and the nationalist conservatives in Flanders, the wealthier Dutch-speaking northern region.
Read more ....
My Comment: I live in the french speaking province of Quebec in Canada. We have always had an independence movement, but this province's depe
Belgium has sunk into political chaos. Following the parliamentary elections six months ago, all attempts to build a new government have failed. The country is divided into two camps that oppose each other, apparently irreconcilably: the socialists, who won the most votes in Wallonia, the French-speaking southern region of the country, and the nationalist conservatives in Flanders, the wealthier Dutch-speaking northern region.
Read more ....
My Comment: I live in the french speaking province of Quebec in Canada. We have always had an independence movement, but this province's dependence on Federal benefits and assistance has effective undermined this movement (for now). While the rest of the country may not like the idea that one province is singled out with special attention, much of the Federal political leadership is uniformly against the idea of splitting the country and will always search for ways to accommodate the french population in Quebec.
Belgium has a different political culture, where any talk of accommodation is moot. In fact, Belgium is already two countries in one .... and with such a cultural and linguistic division, I doubt that there will be any future for this country. The Flemish Separatist leader De Wever is right .... Belgium is living on borrowed time.
Read more ....
My Comment: I live in the french speaking province of Quebec in Canada. We have always had an independence movement, but this province's dependence on Federal benefits and assistance has effective undermined this movement (for now). While the rest of the country may not like the idea that one province is singled out with special attention, much of the Federal political leadership is uniformly against the idea of splitting the country and will always search for ways to accommodate the french population in Quebec.
Belgium has a different political culture, where any talk of accommodation is moot. In fact, Belgium is already two countries in one .... and with such a cultural and linguistic division, I doubt that there will be any future for this country. The Flemish Separatist leader De Wever is right .... Belgium is living on borrowed time.