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2010-09-06 Europe
'Get ready for break-up,' says top Belgian minister
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Posted by Fred 2010-09-06 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11126 views ]  Top

#1 Flemish make good beer & chocolat, but what are the French for?
Posted by g(r)omgoru 2010-09-06 01:54||   2010-09-06 01:54|| Front Page Top

#2 This could be entertaining.

What would the two (new) countries be called? The Flemish part could be Flanders, of course, but would the rest be Wallonia, or something else?

Who gets stuck with the EU headquarters and all the accompanying folderol? From the article, it's obvious Brussels is presently entirely in the Flemish part, but I'm betting the city is mostly French-ish.

Would Brussels try to become a separate (third) country? (An EU bureaucrat's wet dream, I'm sure; their own little feifdom funded not by taxes upon the bureaucrats citizens themselves, but by every other hapless country in Europe.

If Belgium breaks up, which would Albert be King of? Would the other country have a king, too, and if so, who?

Has anyone looked at how much of the present government's money would go to which country? 50-50, or something else?

For that matter, what's the proportion of Flemish and Walloons (or whatever) in the present country? (Apparently, from a little searching on Bing, the Flemish speak Dutch and the rest speak mostly French.
Posted by Barbara Skolaut 2010-09-06 02:21||   2010-09-06 02:21|| Front Page Top

#3 Dear g(r)omgoru

You have it right, the Flemish produce the wealth and the French consume it.





Posted by Bernardz 2010-09-06 06:21||   2010-09-06 06:21|| Front Page Top

#4 

Posted by Goodluck 2010-09-06 06:26||   2010-09-06 06:26|| Front Page Top

#5 
Here ya go Barbara: http://home.online.no/~vlaenen/flemish_questions/quste27.html

That should clear everything up for you. {8^)
Posted by Parabellum 2010-09-06 08:04|| http://sidemeat.wordpress.com/  2010-09-06 08:04|| Front Page Top

#6 Beer? Check.
Popcorn? Check.
Comfy chair set to full recline? Check.
101 Nano-violins on the stereo? Check.
TV on The Belgium Channel? Check.
OK, I'm ready.
Posted by Grunter 2010-09-06 09:11||   2010-09-06 09:11|| Front Page Top

#7 Suppose a country broke up and nobody cared?
Posted by tu3031 2010-09-06 10:38||   2010-09-06 10:38|| Front Page Top

#8 You have it right, the Flemish produce the wealth and the French consume it.

The Wallons please. I, for one wouldn't want those people in France: their culture of unashamed welfare (entire families where all generations from grand-fathers to grown-up grandchildren are on welfare) would cause nauseas on most French.
Posted by JFM 2010-09-06 10:52||   2010-09-06 10:52|| Front Page Top

#9 Hopefully Belgiums disintegration is a metaphor for the EUSSR.

What's politically convenient for the bureaucratic classes isn't what the people want.
Posted by Bright Pebbles 2010-09-06 12:06||   2010-09-06 12:06|| Front Page Top

#10 I wonder if a post-breakup Flanders would want to join together with Holland...?
Posted by Scooter McGruder 2010-09-06 13:01||   2010-09-06 13:01|| Front Page Top

#11 Peter Davidson as Doctor Who: "The TARDIS is about to blow a hole in the universe! ... The exact size of Belgium.
Well, that's a bit undramatic, isn't it?"
Posted by Mizzou Mafia 2010-09-06 14:56||   2010-09-06 14:56|| Front Page Top

#12 Thanks, Parabellum! The Internet is absolutely amazing, isn't it?

Though it's kinda worrisom that the link showed possible maps after the breakup, starting with Scenario 11111. Can't help but wonder what Scenarios 00001 through 11110 were. ;-p
Posted by Barbara Skolaut 2010-09-06 18:04||   2010-09-06 18:04|| Front Page Top

#13 Well, alrighty then, its SEDAKA = "DA NEIL" singing his song!
Posted by JosephMendiola 2010-09-06 23:06||   2010-09-06 23:06|| Front Page Top

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