So Long Belgium?

[Bill3000]

The easy solution is always the best. Flanders to the Netherlands, Wallonia to France, Brussels as the international capital of the EU.

 

[Mise]

One less team for England to lose to vs one more...

 

[Marla_Singer]

I always believe that if a people want to be independent then they should be. Whether that decision to become independent is intelligent is another matter.

Well, things aren't that simple. Cause even in assuming the majority of Flemish people want to be independent, it seems that the majority of Walloons don't want to be independent. That would make a little place of 3 million people lost between France and Germany. And apparently, in the case of a Flemish independence, Walloons would like to join France, but France asked for nothing in the story!

As you can see, the principle that everyone wanting to be independent should be is nice on paper, but when looking at things more carefully, you realize that it's a whole different matter.

 

[scy12]

What is some dissatisfaction compared to the chaos and the economic instability that would happen if Belgium would dissolve ?

 

[storealex]

Let's make a friggen glass crater out of the whole bunch!

err... vote! I like votes!

 

[Slaughter]

Well, Brazil would probrably like to have a Enclave in Europe... Why not? Ask them if they are willing to join a country with beatiful women, good beaches and cold beer.

 

[Mirc]

If they really, really want to be separated (which I don't know if they do), separate them, make Brussels an international city, capital of the EU, unify the EU and have them as different provinces.

 

[bhsup]

I already discussed this with you, but that ruins any aesthetic appeal that the flag will ever have, until it hits 100 states. oh, and it will lower our GDP per capita.

I gave this some thought. Three circles of stars. The outer with 26, the middle with 16 and the inner with 10. It harkens back to the original 13 star flag in its basic pattern.

 

[Norseone]

Belgium should reunite with the former Belgian Congo. That way the Walloons and the Flemish would forget about each other and argue with the more different people.

 

[geminisama]

They can't seperate, or who will make the belgium waffles? D:

 

[luiz]

Belgium is the unique example I can think of where it's the dominating group which is asking for independence and the minority group which wants the union to remain.

While I also cannot think of another case of a majority wanting to split, it is normal for the richest group to want independence, as is the case with the Flemish. In Spain, Catalunia and the Basque country were historically the richest regions, and they always wanted to leave the castillan dominion.

I think that issue is that in the past Belgium was ruled by a french-speaking elite even though the majority was flemish, and this generated some resentment that lives on untill today and is reinforced by the fact that nowadays the richer flemings have to subsidise the poorer walloons.

 

[sirdanilot]

Interesting. I live in holland very close to Belgium (or flanders?), in fact almost in an enclave within belgium, so if Flanders would be part of the netherlands that would be really cool. But I'm sure that will never happen anyway.

I still think that Flanders should get independance if they want to. Brussels should be an european independant zone. Antwerp could be the capitol of Flanders then (second biggest city). As for wether Wallonia and the german speaking belgians in the east want to remain independant or join france and germany respectively is their own business.

As for the waffles, the solution is simple. Brussels waffles will be made in Liege (wallonia) and Liege waffles will be made in Brussels!

 

[mitsho]

Wouldn't that be a diplomatic nightmare? Another country added up to the European union and all that stuff. Would make the bureaucries increase again. And really, what would be to gain? I am speaking here out of a position of a country with 3 "people" and a whole lot of "secondos/"""foreigners""". I live in a federalistic nightmare. In my imminent region (say a radius of 10 km), I have 4 organisational districts that all decide differently. Add to this French Alsace and Germanys Baden-Würtemberg which have also a lot of influence on "life". If I leave home and go to the city (work, night life), I normally cross 3 cantons, and I live close to the city, 20 minutes at most. Now tell me really, how's that supposed to be beneficial?

Belgium splitting - to come back to the original topic - really does nothing good at all. Europe is unifying, Belgium is in the middle of it. I can't really imagine that happening, neither the Belgians going through with it, nor the EU allowing this to happen. It just doesn't make any sense...

mick

It really adds to nothing

 

[TheLastOne36]

Belgium splitting - to come back to the original topic - really does nothing good at all. Europe is unifying, Belgium is in the middle of it. I can't really imagine that happening, neither the Belgians going through with it, nor the EU allowing this to happen. It just doesn't make any sense...

mick

It really adds to nothing

Well that's what is going to happen in europe for now on, And Belgum is just one example.

You have the Basques in Spain, Lapps in Lapland, And all those minority ethnic groups demanding independence in Georgia, Moldova, and Russia.

Do you honestly think that those People aren't going to ask for independence? I mean Basque culture and Language is being wiped of the planet right now, and really the only way out of that is if the Basques get there independence.

The only exception to all this is Switzerland, which will hopefully stay the same.

Belgium is experiencing a similar thing that's happening across Europe. I think the outcome of all this is that either Belgium will remain as it is, or the French side get's annexed into France and the dutch side get's annexed into the Netherlands.

My question is what is the outcome of the german speaking side!!! Wll it be annexed into Luxembourg? Or Germany? Or will Germany annex both them and luxembourg? Or will Luxembourg annex germany? or will the german speaking belgium get it's independance?

AND an EVEN BIGGER question is, Which team would Mpenza play for?!!!?!?!

 

[Naval Power]

Now who will I play as in Victoria?!?

Netherlands of course!

 

[Bill3000]

Do you honestly think that those People aren't going to ask for independence? I mean Basque culture and Language is being wiped of the planet right now, and really the only way out of that is if the Basques get there independence.

They already have the damned right to ask for independence. It's a human right - the right to self determination. The difference is that those groups do not have a majority for independence.

 

[mitsho]

Well that's what is going to happen in europe for now on, And Belgum is just one example.

You have the Basques in Spain, Lapps in Lapland, And all those minority ethnic groups demanding independence in Georgia, Moldova, and Russia.

Do you honestly think that those People aren't going to ask for independence? I mean Basque culture and Language is being wiped of the planet right now, and really the only way out of that is if the Basques get there independence.

Really bad example... Basque call for independence has lasted now for how many years? Have you ever heard much of the FRench side? the ETA is losing popularityand support in Euskadi (that's the basque name, right?). This is the last news I heard. In any case nothing pointing to independence for them...

Further, I highly doubt any parts of Belgium will be incorporated into one of the bigger neighbours. I don't know the situation but I can tell that there would be a civil war first before Switzerland joined Germany and France respectively... Everything else but this.

Look, I just can't imagine something like this happening, there is just too much of checks and balances for an ochlocratical mass to steer something like this through.

 

[innonimatu]

Do you honestly think that those People aren't going to ask for independence? I mean Basque culture and Language is being wiped of the planet right now, and really the only way out of that is if the Basques get there independence.

I'm all for breaking Spain apart, if it can be done peacefully. But frankly I don't understand what value people see in preserving regional "culture" and creating new nations with that purpose. Culture changes, and not all ancient cultures can be preserved. And why should they, anyway? Not to mention that national and even regional "culture", "folklore" and other such things are usually just the creation of politicians and ideologues while building the tools they use to control modern states.

Genuine (historical) popular culture doesn't extend beyond the hinterland controlled by a village or city, without the intervention of a larger state. When a modern state comes into play culture ceases being popular and genuine and becomes something imposed and coordinated from above, for political gain. So I'm very skeptical of of independentist "movements" - just as I'm skeptical of nationalism. Hypocrites, all of them.

 

[Pannonius]

Let's just dissolve EU instead!
And hand out AK-47's to everyone!

 

[willemvanoranje]

But frankly I don't understand what value people see in preserving regional "culture" and creating new nations with that purpose. Culture changes, and not all ancient cultures can be preserved. And why should they, anyway? Not to mention that national and even regional "culture", "folklore" and other such things are usually just the creation of politicians and ideologues while building the tools they use to control modern states.

Genuine (historical) popular culture doesn't extend beyond the hinterland controlled by a village or city, without the intervention of a larger state. When a modern state comes into play culture ceases being popular and genuine and becomes something imposed and coordinated from above, for political gain. So I'm very skeptical of of independentist "movements" - just as I'm skeptical of nationalism. Hypocrites, all of them.

Agree. Autonomy, sure, but independence would be so impractical for most of those regions. I can't really see how independence of for example the Basque territory would preserve its culture. If they have their own government, there will still be non-Basques coming there, there will still be Castilian and international television, and McDonalds doesn't plan on leaving either. Sure, they could have school books in their language or something, but they'd still have to learn Castilian and English, because most of the job opportunities for youngsters will probably be outside the Basque territory.

So..it's all just useless.