tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17766817.post5298650369877434244..comments2023-11-05T22:35:31.766+00:00Comments on Neil Clark: Belgium faces historic break up- so will Britain be next?Neil Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10479041156190090119noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17766817.post-17396490711871882492008-10-07T07:48:00.000+01:002008-10-07T07:48:00.000+01:00I believe that the NATO/EU policies promoted in Ea...I believe that the NATO/EU policies promoted in Eastern Europe should be applied here. Namely, if a vote to separate fails, it must be declared rigged. If the unionists resist separation, Brussels should be bombed mercilessly for as long as it takes.J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06264140616044246959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17766817.post-48246728359308204072008-10-05T20:24:00.000+01:002008-10-05T20:24:00.000+01:00To answer Clement Freud's question, the original p...To answer Clement Freud's question, the original point of Belgium was that they are all, irrespective of language, Roman Catholics, so they didn't want to belong to the mostly Protestant Netherlands. Language wasn't as important as religion at the time.<BR/><BR/>Belgium would have split into two a long time ago, were it not for the problem of what to do with Brussels, a bilingual (but mainly French-speaking) enclave inside Dutch-speaking Flanders. The Flemish and the French-speakers both claim it should be theirs.<BR/><BR/>The present federal system, under which Brussels is a region in its own right, making three regions altogether, was supposed to solve this problem. The fact that it clearly hasn't entirely done so raises questions about federalism.<BR/><BR/>Outside observers have been suggesting for years that Belgium is about to break up. It may happen, or it might end up like Quebec in Canada, always being about to do so but never quite making the break. I have a hunch that we might end up with Scotland in the same position here in the UK.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17766817.post-34929957722754098052008-09-29T00:17:00.000+01:002008-09-29T00:17:00.000+01:00I was not aware of these difficulties before readi...I was not aware of these difficulties before reading your post.<BR/><BR/>I've read <A HREF="http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/lgf-search.php?searchWith=lgf&searchWhat=entries&maxPerPage=25&therange=&searchString=Vlaams" REL="nofollow">loud, intense criticism of Vlaams Belang at little green footballs</A>, one of my regular reads.<BR/><BR/>I was thinking Belgium's biggest problem was being turned into an Islamic republic...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com