Belgium seems about to suicide itself. It’s likely it will be swallowed by it’s neighbours rather than pretend to be independent states. I’m a big Brel fan but I dislike modern Belgium and wouldn’t miss it. Anyone else have an opinion about Belgians?
[Homer]
Stupid Flanders!
[/Homer]
Well, are you referring to America and other countries pulling their investments out of Belgium or the political and cultural divisions becoming more pronounced there?
I think this whole conversation is in incredibly poor taste.
Stranger
The latter. I think the country is irreconcilable now.
How so?
Is it Tuesday already?
I don’t want to spoil the joke, but it IS a joke from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. “Belgium” is, everywhere other than earth, the most offensive word in the universe.
Our company has major corporate and technical offices in Belgium.
Belgium wasn’t even a country till what, 1830? How’d they get along until then?
I wonder, would Flanders drift back into the Dutch sphere of influence, Wallonia into the French, and the German-speaking eastern frontier into the German? And where would that leave Brussels? An independent city-state perhaps?
[Monty Python]
Miserable fat Belgian bastards!
[/Monty Python]
Makes sense . . . how could a real country have a naked little boy pissing as a national cultural symbol?
We could make it a federal district for the EU 
Uh, beer?
As I recall, they behaved rather well in two World Wars.
What is going on now that shames them?
It won’t be swallowed. Although they exist, very few Belgians want their half of the country to become part of the Netherlands or France.
The country breaking apart seems more and more likely as time pass, but I still believe such a thing won’t happen (note though that I wouldn’t believe Yugoslavia would break apart until they day it did, either, so my opinion might not be worth much).
I guess they’ll end up with some sort of confederation with the central government only in charge of defence, foreign affairs and justice or something like that.
I recall from playing Trivial Pursuit that Belgium was the answer to the question, “Which European country has seen the most military fighting on its territory?” or words to that effect. So they’ve always had a rough time.
When I was in Belgium, people there were most kind and decent. They must export the morons, because Belgians in Thailand have a reputation as scum, and indeed just about every man-jack one of 'em I’ve personally encountered over here is to be avoided. They’re a shady lot, the ones who reach our shores.
That reminds me, if Belgium falls apart, what side will get the beer and what will get the chocolate?
I met a Belgian guy when I worked at the Library, Rene Moucheron. He was incredibly pissed about an inaccuracy in Barbara Tuchman’s book, The Guns of August regarding Belgium, but otherwise a nice, friendly guy. Don’t know what the hell he was doing in Little Rock, Arkansas aside from working in a cafeteria.
Basically, the Flemish want to get rid of the Walloons. The situation has become more and more tense, the slightest issue (like what language the public servants will speak in some small town) become a major national problem, governments crumble every other day (and occasionally, the country doesn’t have one for months), parties supporting a dismemberment of the country gain more and more votes, etc…