THus you may not have to be insane to believe in the EU, but it apparently helps.
Regards, Ivan
Posted on 05/08/2005 11:43:04 PM PDT by MadIvan
LANGUAGE wars between French and Flemish-speakers in Belgium have reignited, sparking riots, bringing the Government to the brink of collapse and prompting some commentators to say that the country is “finished”.
The dispute, over whether 120,000 French-speakers living in Flemish areas should have the right to elect French- speaking politicians, arouses high passions in a country split between the two languages.
As the apparently innocuous spat in an electoral district just outside Brussels escalated out of control, demonstrations ended in violent confrontations with police. Senior government ministers cancelled all other work for emergency negotiations, but failed to broker a deal over the weekend.
“It is clear — there is no progress,” Laurette Onkelink, the Francophone Socialist vice-premier said.
The unresolved dispute will now be handed over to the federal parliament to try to broker a deal.
“For the Government, for the majority and the country, this week will be pivotal,” Johan Vande Lanotte, the Institutional Reform Minister, said.
Such is the anger on both sides of the linguistic divide that the French-language Le Soir newspaper wondered on its front page: “Is Belgium finished?”
The linguistic schism is so deep that no political party yet straddles the language divide. There are two separate Socialist parties, one French and one Flemish, a dialect of Dutch. There are two national theatres, and universities and hospitals are either French or Flemish, with doctors sending patients to a particular hospital on the basis of their language.
Belgium — the last surviving artificially created state in Europe after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia — has tried to resolve the tensions by dividing itself into three semi-independent regions. In the north is the Flemish-speaking Flanders, where the largest political party is the separatist Vlaams Berlang; in the south, the poorer French-speaking Waloonia; and embedded within Flanders is Brussels, the only region of the country that is officially bilingual, although in practice it is more than 80 per cent Francophone.
The latest dispute has arisen because Brussels is surrounded by a commuter belt in Flemish territory and French-speakers living there want to have the same language rights as if they lived in Brussels.
In Flemish communities, all official business and advertising has to be in Flemish, making it difficult for French-speakers to have dealings with their local authority.
The Flemish, who make up 60 per cent of the 10.5 million population, complain that in many areas, most notably Brussels, French is taking over. Brussels was historically a Flemish city — and is still the capital of the Flanders region, as well as the national capital — but it has become almost totally Francophone, making the Flemish resentful that they have difficulty using their own language in their own capital.
THus you may not have to be insane to believe in the EU, but it apparently helps.
Regards, Ivan
Ping!
Coming soon to a U.S. state near you!
Why in the world would anybody want to bother with a dead language like "Flemish"?
There is a simple solution, they should just ban both languages and make them speak English. As a bonus, it would make everything a lot easier for American tourists.
Regards, Ivan
Regards, Ivan
Europeans should put trifles aside and unite under the banner of Christianity, and kick all the undesirable immigrant elements out of the cradle of civilization.
The EU is bad for Europe as it portends integration, or sameness, which will result in socialist immigration policies. The continent must be protected from the trash of the third world and unite. Christianity of all denominations can, and should, do that or in 100 years is gonna look like the United States.
Unfortunately, it seems more likely that they will band together with the Muslims and kick the Christians out.
Belgian beer is over-rated!
"Why in the world would anybody want to bother with a dead language like "Flemish"?
Well, if over 6 million people speak it, it's hardly dead, now is it.
I love how the French language continues to be marginalized!
What does it profit a country now, anyway?
I will give my pat reply on this type of topic - Screw the French
I, uh, respectfully disagree...
Yes, whomever "they" is.
Puts me in mind of an old Python skit, where Palin was trying to think up ethnic insults for the Belgians: Flems!
That nails it. If Belgium can't unite it's own two ethnic groups, what do they think will happen with all of Europe? Good old Europe, that's had two near-suicidial wars in the last century, and Belgium is the EU capital now.
It does seem like Europe is determined to eventually destroy itself, and all we can hope is that they don't drag Britain down with them this time.
WE're checking to see if they get the Billboards changed.
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