Known typically for their chocolate and beer it seems that the soft-spoken Belgians are in the middle of a political crisis: the secession of Flanders (cue quote from Homer).
If you thought 149 days without an acting government was hard to imagine in these times of statolatry, what about 171 and counting?
And unsurprisingly one of the key issues is the redistribution of income (from the “rich” to the “poor”). As a side note, it was also one of the qualms that shutdown the US federal government from December 16, 1995 to January 6, 1996.
No word on how this will effect the waffle export industry.
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Europe is looking at this crysis with trepidation.
All European governments have signed the Helsinki Protocol, which recognizes for every single people the right to secede peacefully. This is usually a given right to people living on the other side of the world: Tibetans, Timoreans, Karens, Kashmiris etc.
But European governments are the staunchest opposers of secession at home. Everybody is familiar with the Euskadi struggle, but let’s not forget the Bretons, the Padanians, the German minorities of Hungary, Roumania etc.
Until now all claims for freedom have met with nothing but scorn from both the central governments and their propaganda watchdogs (ie the media).
Should Belgium break up it would be the first “national state” to do so, to our immense jy.
Anarchy reigns in the heart of Eurocentralization! The irony is richer than Belgian chocolate.
Wether it be in Belgium or Flanders, something is definately moving in the heart of Europe…
“Cry for Ron Paul”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az2lhPhBCUo
“The Strasbourg Tea Party – Europe for Ron Paul”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07TVBLFroSM
This crisis was predictable, it’s scope however, was not. It all comes down to this: Flanders wants more autonomy (belgium is a federal state) to arrange its own affairs, Wallonia thinks this is the start of a real separation and thus the end of giant welfare transfers. So Wallonia is being a pest over this actually fairly reasonable demand, with the result that Flanders is becoming less tolerant towards Wallonia and old separatist emotions are resurfacing.
The crisis is strange because almost never before the Flemish were this unwilling to concede. Never before Flanders actually started throwing its weight around.
The result will be compromise, concessions from the Walloons so that Flanders can continue it’s economic growth-policy and guarantees for Wallonia that we won’t blow up Belgium soon.
No word on how this will effect the waffle export industry.
Aren’t all modern Belgian waffle makers made in China, nowadays?
HH Hoppe
was filmed in Belgian giving a conference on his “Democracy” book for the Flemish sessessionist party. That’s good…
But don’t be mistaken, Belgium is far from becoming an example of rightful sessession for the free world.
While the Walloons see the Flemish as “Nationalists” the flemish see “Walloonia” as ruled by “corrupted nepotists”
Sad thing is both may be right though…
If Flandria gets more political freedom, it’s no doubt that many “borderline” inhabitants will be forced by the Flemish State to leave their French culture as much as possible (State schooling system etc…)
On the other hand, Wallonia and Brussels lean quite a bit toward a social-democratic conception of a State… and high taxes. Even to the so-called conservative parties, free-market seems barely to be a conceivable solution for them.
Yes, Dr Hoppe is incredibly active in giving speeches around Europe. He is a true gift to the LVMI. I would like to attend one of his European speeches sometime.
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