Belgium Has Had Its Chips

From the desk of The Brussels Journal on Fri, 2007-09-07 23:18
belgian-flag-erase.gif
A quote from Daniel Hannan, British Conservative MEP, on his blog, 7 September 2007
 
Britain, in short, no longer has any reason to support the artificial maintenance of the Belgian state. If one or the other of the communities decides that it has had enough, we should wish them well.
 
What should happen next? As always when issues of self-determination are at stake, it’s for local people to decide. If the Flemish want an independent Flanders, fine: Flanders was an old and trusty ally to England. If they want to merge with the Dutch, and if the Dutch want to let them, then that’s fine, too: bring on Groot-Nederland. Similarly, if the Walloons prefer absorption by France to independence – the position of the small rattachist party – good luck to them. And if the 70,000-odd German-speaking Belgians decide to… oh, you get the picture.
 
A question-mark remains, however, over Brussels, a largely Francophone enclave which, as well as being the capital of the state, is the capital of Flanders. Many of my Euro-phile friends see the city’s anomalous status as an opportunity. In the event that Belgium breaks into its two constituent elements, they dream of lifting Brussels out of the shards and placing it under direct EU administration, as a kind of Washington DC. Only then, they claim, would the EU finally and visibly transcend the nation-state. And I’m sure there’d be plenty of new opportunities in the Euro-city for former Belgian ministers: they have all the requisite skills.

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Birds of a feather,and all that

Submitted by Atlanticist911 on Sat, 2007-09-08 16:57.

@ Amsterdamsky
 
Sounds fine to me.Except,perhaps,for that Canada component.(The French part that is).The last thing the Flemings need is to rid themselves of Wallonia,only to find themselves endlessly "flipping the Oiseau" at the French Canadians.

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North Atlantic Free Trade Zone

Submitted by Amsterdamsky on Sat, 2007-09-08 16:31.

Atlanticist "perhaps Flanders should consider throwing in its lot with England "
 
1st become independent
2nd link up with Denmark, Netherlands, UK, US and Canaduh in a free trade zone.
3 Tell the Commies and Socialists in the EU to Fuck Off!

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@"Bod" Doney

Submitted by Atlanticist911 on Sat, 2007-09-08 15:13.

Don't !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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"V"

Submitted by Atlanticist911 on Sat, 2007-09-08 15:00.

@ Bod Doney
 
Yeah,Calais,you're right.Let's take that back,too.Before leaving them with a final "Agincourt salute".

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Flandering

Submitted by Bob Doney on Sat, 2007-09-08 14:44.

Good idea. Perhaps we could have Calais back at the same time.

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Options

Submitted by Atlanticist911 on Sat, 2007-09-08 14:39.

Following on from a previous comment made elsewhere on this blog, perhaps Flanders should consider throwing in its lot with England (and the rest of GB),outside of the tiresome EU,and let Wallonia continue to wallow in its Gallic self-pity in a EUnion with Brittany and the rest of 'La Belle France'.

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On second thoughts...

Submitted by Atlanticist911 on Sat, 2007-09-08 14:11.

Amsterdamsky: "I will relocate my business there immediately if you become independent"
 
Well,THAT should have one or two Flemings reconsidering their options ;)

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Don't Do It!

Submitted by Amsterdamsky on Sat, 2007-09-08 14:00.

"If they want to merge with the Dutch"  Don't Do It!  Follow Luxembourg.  Be small and business friendly.  Holland will destroy you with regulation. I will relocate my business there immediately if you become independent.

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Belgian Chips

Submitted by Paardestaart on Sat, 2007-09-08 05:12.

Well, Holland could certainly do with a little territorial spread..Now mr. Chavez is making gestures toward annexing the Antilles we would be wise to consider taking in Belgium instead.  It will be a whole lot more advantageous to us, the flemish no longer 'll have to fight de taalstrijd, and they'll never have to hear french again, especially as since the schoolreforms nobody here speaks it anymore, ànd they can make a bundle opening decent restaurants and selling their delicious belgian fries here. Wonderful solution, I think, so it probably won't happen..

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Providing opportunists with

Submitted by Geraldo on Fri, 2007-09-07 23:39.

Providing opportunists with opportunities?

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