To misquote the Fifth Doctor...

[Harry Hayfield]

"Two months till Belgium"

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(Here's the actual quote: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=CuwUHIBkqOQ (32 seconds in))

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Wait. Did this government take longer to put together than it actually lasted [qm]

[Platypus]

Yes.

Coincidentally, cannot wait for last two eps of s4 new Dr Who. Cream.

[Verily]

Wait. Did this government take longer to put together than it actually lasted [qm]

Not quite. There was no government from June 10, 2007 through December 23, 2007 (196 days). That government then lasted until July 15, 2008 (205 days).

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Wait. Did this government take longer to put together than it actually lasted [qm]

Not quite. There was no government from June 10, 2007 through December 23, 2007 (196 days). That government then lasted until July 15, 2008 (205 days).

Drat

[afleitch]

Dammit.

I should have booked my bi-tri-etc annual jaunt to Belgium for this week

[Harry Hayfield]

BREAKING NEWS: Belgian King REJECTS resignation of government.

[Хahar 🤔]

BREAKING NEWS: Belgian King REJECTS resignation of government.

Does Leterme vote a motion of no confidence, then?

[Torie]

Does Belgium really need a government? Can't it just subject itself to the EU laws, and call it a day?  And why doesn't the Flemish region join The Netherlands, and the Walloon region join France?  What is the point of the country?  Just asking.

[Хahar 🤔]

Does Belgium really need a government? Can't it just subject itself to the EU laws, and call it a day?  And why doesn't the Flemish region join The Netherlands, and the Walloon region join France?  What is the point of the country?  Just asking.

It decided not to secede from Spain 500 years ago. Sort of like why Canada and the United States are separate countries.

[Hash]

Does Belgium really need a government? Can't it just subject itself to the EU laws, and call it a day?  And why doesn't the Flemish region join The Netherlands, and the Walloon region join France?  What is the point of the country?  Just asking.

Walloon would have a hard day fitting into French society... because of all the French jokes about Belgians.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

And why doesn't the Flemish region join The Netherlands, and the Walloon region join France?

 

Because the Flemish aren't Dutch and the Walloons aren't French. I doubt that the Flemish would like being part of the Netherlands anymore than they did last time round and Wallonia has never been part of France (some of the random meglomaniac periods of French history excepted, obviously).

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What's the point of any country? If you want to go back a long way then the answer is, more or less, religious divisions between it and it's northern neighbour.

[Torie]

Yes, but what is the point of the country now? Religion (at least the Christian religion) is "dead" in that part of Europe more or less, so the Catholic versus Calvinist thing can't matter much, no?

Other than religion to the extent that about half of the Dutch are Protestant, how are the Flemish and Dutch different -  about anything?

[minionofmidas]

Yes, but what is the point of the country now? Religion (at least the Christian religion) is "dead" in that part of Europe more or less, so the Catholic versus Calvinist thing can't matter much, no?

Wrong. No Flemish restaurant offers meat on a menu (as opposed to things on the carte) on fridays.
And it's also safe to say that Traditionalist Protestantism is more viable in the Netherlands than anywhere else in Europe.