[Wallace T.]

The Netherlands is the closest Continental nation, from a cultural and historic standpoint, to England. Dutch, and especially Frisian, are the closest linguistic cousins to English, other than Low German. Yet this country has apparently benefited from European Union membership more than Britain did. While the Netherlands did have an empire, they were nowhere near as successful as England, with the latter pushing them out of South Africa, New York, and other places. The Netherlands was conquered by Napoleon and Hitler, so it is understandable why they may fear leaving a large association of nations, which includes the two largest ones closest to them.

[DIRTYSECRET]

If they were conquered by Napoleon and Hitler shouldn’t they fear Moozlems?

[aspasia]

Oh, my. What a tangle you write. They are closer to England, from a historical standpoint, because of Christianity and Calvin. Linguistically, it’s pretty Germanic. As for the rest, what DIRTYSECRET said.