On Sun, 16 Sep 2007 22:15:33 -0400, Yves Bellefeuille wrote:
>On Sun, 16 Sep 2007, VainGlorious wrote:
>
>> Wholly ignored in the US press is the current political situation in
>> Belgium. Embarrassingly, the only US pundit I've heard even mention
>> the situation is crazed xenophobe Pat Buchanan. He predicts that
>> Belgium will disintegrate by years' end. He may be correct.
>
>The Flemings and Walloons have drifted apart for many years now, and the
>situation has reached the point where they hardly know anything about each
>other any more.
>
>The current problem is relating to the creation of a federal government
>after the elections of 10 June, and in particular to how that government
>would deal with questions related to electoral and judicial rights around
>Brussels. The Constitutional Court has decided that these matters must be
>settled before new elections can be held, so even the idea of holding new
>elections isn't available.
>
>Belgium has had many disagreements like this in the past. What's
>surprising is how quickly support for independence has grown in Flanders;
>it's now 40%. I think it's unlikely that Flanders would become independent
>before the end of the year, but even that's not impossible any more.
>
>Belgium may well have reached the point where it no longer serves a
>purpose and should be dissolved. That's what The Economist has said, as
>other posters mentioned. The only practical problem is what to do about
>Brussels. Perhaps it would become a independent capital for the EU. (That
>would surely annoy the UK.)
Don't you mean the French, who see Strasbourg as some sort of EU capital?
--
Martin
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