Benelux Does Anarchy

[Јas]

Three months after their general elections neither Belgium nor the Netherlands seem to have gotten much closer to forming a government. Make your predictions on which government forms first and watch the accolades roll in...

[Kuu ülevaade olulisematest]

Belgium, because there are innate problems with the structure of the country.

Flanders should join the Netherlands and Wallonia should join France and BHV (or perhaps Brabant) should be its own country.

[Benwah [why on Earth do I post something] Courseyay]

Wallonia should join France

That has sometimes been actually discussed here on news talk-shows, and some serious ones, on some TV news as well. Well, always as an aside and with a kind of 'hey who knows, could it be possible??' tone, some polls have been made too iirc, don't remind them exactly but I've been surprised of the high numbers who could envisage it, from both countries. Wouldn't happen anyhow.

[Vasall des Midas]

Belgium, because there are innate problems with the structure of the country.

Flanders should join the Netherlands and Wallonia should join France and BHV (or perhaps Brabant) should be its own country.

They have far more common with each other than where you want to put them. They'd get along even worse with their new partners.

[The Mikado]

The whole "interim government" thing is quite something.  Apparently, in this day and age, you can run countries on autopilot.

[Proud Lieberal from Northeast]

Not Benelux. Just Bene. Luxembourg is stable.

Wallonia should join France and BHV (or perhaps Brabant) should be its own country.

De Gaulle said "no".

[Kuu ülevaade olulisematest]

The whole "interim government" thing is quite something.  Apparently, in this day and age, you can run countries on autopilot.

Bangladesh did that for years.

[Insula Dei]

A week ago I'd have told you Belgium would have a government this time next month.
Right now, I don't know.
I feel like there's no real desire to resolve problems in certain circles.

As for the separate-and-join-the-netherlands idea... You guys are kidding right?

[Benwah [why on Earth do I post something] Courseyay]

Belgium, because there are innate problems with the structure of the country.

Flanders should join the Netherlands and Wallonia should join France and BHV (or perhaps Brabant) should be its own country.

They have far more common with each other than where you want to put them. They'd get along even worse with their new partners.

Well, that could certainly be true of the Flemish toward Dutch. Those conservative Catholics wouldn't have so much in common with the liberal and/or tolerant and/or open-minded (choose what define the Dutch society the best) Dutch.

But for French and Wallons, I beg to differ. Culturally they are quite close, and the cultural ties have been regularly cultivated along the years, for example a lot of popular singers in France came from Belgium, and song is a very popular thing in every sense of the term, but in other fields too, humor, writing, TV, lots of cultural exchanges, and a big cultural French speaking Belgian presence in France. French speaking Belgians have French TV too, and you can regularly find Belgians in TV shows such as TV games and other stuffs. On Internet, you regularly find Belgians on the 'French sites', Québequois too, but French and Belgians feel closer than French and Québequois.

Ok, there is a kind of traditional cultural contempt from France to Belgium, but that isn't a deep one at all, that is more a Americans/Canadians stuffs, that are our Canadians, and we're their arrogant Americans. We have jokes on Belgians being so stupid, and they have jokes on us being so arrogant, and so it goes, nothing very deep, and rather old-school moreover I'd say.

Actually there would be less differences between most French and Wallons than between most French and Alsatians, or even less differences between people living in the north and the east of France with Wallons, than between those French and those living in south-east.

[Fmr. Emperor PiT]

     Split Belgium up & have Wallonia & Flanders become independent countries.

[PASOK Leader Hashemite]

liberal and/or tolerant and/or open-minded (choose what define the Dutch society the best) Dutch.

NOTA terms.

[Senator Libertas]

That's not anarchy.

[Benwah [why on Earth do I post something] Courseyay]

liberal and/or tolerant and/or open-minded (choose what define the Dutch society the best) Dutch.

NOTA terms.

Yes, wasn't sure of those either, please propose.

[Insula Dei]

liberal and/or tolerant and/or open-minded (choose what define the Dutch society the best) Dutch.

NOTA terms.

Yes, wasn't sure of those either, please propose.

Compared to Flanders... Yes, Liberal and open-minded seem to be appropriate. Don't forget that Wilders-style parties have repeatedly been the biggest in actual elections over here.

[Benwah [why on Earth do I post something] Courseyay]

liberal and/or tolerant and/or open-minded (choose what define the Dutch society the best) Dutch.

NOTA terms.

Yes, wasn't sure of those either, please propose.

Compared to Flanders... Yes, Liberal and open-minded seem to be appropriate. Don't forget that Wilders-style parties have repeatedly been the biggest in actual elections over here.

Yes, yes, beyond the xenophobia aspect, indeed, that's in part why I was cautious.

[freek]

The Netherlands will have a new government first, probably in the first week of October. Yesterday it was day 100 after the elections, which means that this time it takes longer than average, but 3 months is quite common. The record of 208 days is still standing.