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Could Belgium Split Apart?

Posted by Raymond on April 23, 2010

From Global Post:

It’s been a bad couple of days for Belgium.

On Thursday the government collapsed, plunging the country into a renewed political turmoil; politicians from the French-speaking south and Flemish north cast doubt on the country’s survival; Flemish separatists sang for independence in the parliament; and the press around Europe warned the country is teetering on the brink of disintegration.

Then, on Friday, one of Belgium’s best-known churchmen, the bishop of the beautiful medieval city of Bruges, resigned after admitting he had “sexually abused a boy who came from my close circle of friends.” The revelations added to the sense of malaise that has gripped the kingdom.

“Is there still any point to this country?” asked the leading French-language newspaper Le Soir.

“We are a country gone mad,” exclaimed Deputy Prime Minister Laurette Onkelinx as the fifth government in three years came tumbling down.

The crisis could hardly have come at a worse time, as the country struggles to pull out of the economic downturn. Unemployment has soared to its highest level in 20 years and public finances are getting dangerously into the red. With the possibility that political instability could undermine investor confidence, business leaders have warned the country risks becoming a Greece on the North Sea.

[Read more at Global Post]

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  • http://twitter.com/Vordreller Vordreller

    I'm from Belgium.

    And let me tell you this: this isn't the first time our government crashes and it also wouldn't be the first time a new one pops up not much later and they pretend nothing ever happened.

    From 1980 to 1992, we had 10 governments which came and fell, most of them in less than a year.
    And we're still here.

    Why?

    Not because “Belgium is strong” or something like that. More likely because if Belgium fails, the Walloon(French-speaking south) is either on their own, or will go to France, in which case they'll be considered just another province.

    Another thing about that. Last year, Fortis, Belgium's biggest bank, was hit by the crisis and taken over by BNP Paribas. The deal was a really bad one and that woke up the Walloons. The majority always thought that if Belgium went for the worse, France would come and save them. Caus' hey, they speak the same language.

    But that's not how it went. Many considered the deal like a chicken being plucked, and the Walloons were schocked about it.

    Either way, it's not good for them. As long as Belgium exists, both as a country and a brandname, they thrive. Belgium gone, they're in trouble.

  • 5by5

    Feh. Belgians just like to fight. They don’t have any enemies, so they’re fighting amongst themselves. Just give them some wild boar, beer, pomme frites, and brassica oleracea, and they’ll forget all about it.

  • 5by5

    Feh. Belgians just like to fight. They don't have any enemies, so they're fighting amongst themselves. Just give them some wild boar, beer, pomme frites, and brassica oleracea, and they'll forget all about it.

  • Anonymous

    It’s quite the opposite. We hate to fight so it’s time to end this failing marriage for once and for good.