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“Split is best choice for Belgium” – senator
Published: 23 March, 2011, 11:44
BELGIUM, Brussels: Dutch-speaking Leon Zoetebier (black) and French-speaking Franz Coquidor (red) bicycle in opposite directions in the streets of Brussels, on January 27, 2011 to highlight Belgium's ongoing political crisis (AFP Photo/ Georges Gobet)
(36.6Mb) embed videoTAGS: Conflict, EU, Protest, Politics, Europe, Daniel Bushell
A Belgium split into two states would make politicians from both sides more responsible, according to President of the Belgian Senate, and Flemish separatist, Danny Pieters, speaking with RT.
“You have two countries already. You have two public opinions,” he said. “When you look at a Flemish newspaper, you will see in very tiny letters, far after BBC, far after a number of foreign channels, the French-speaking Belgian programs. In French speaking newspapers it is even worse. Sometimes, you do not even find the Flemish programs. That is not because politics have decided so. That is because we really live in two substantially different worlds and we do not have countries where working with two peoples functions really well in a federal entity.”
“You had Czechoslovakia, it does not exist anymore. You have Cyprus, we know the tragic situation the country is in,” he added. “Everybody would be much more responsible for its own electorate, it would go much better. The question is whether we should split up the state for that. ”
Belgium has remained without a government for a record nine months. Dutch-speaking Flemings are clashing with French-speaking Walloons in Belgian streets, while politicians are trying to reach a compromise on the future of the state.
23.03.2011, 08:43
5 comments
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We have a similar situation in Canada, the English part of Canada constantly fighting with the French province of Quebec. It's worked well so far (over 100 yrs), but we really are in two different worlds...
Danny Pieters and his nationalist party are one of the main reasons why we don't come to a proper solution. It's just not true what he's saying, this 'we don't know eachother so we should separate' story is just utter nonsens. Politicians have separated everything and are blocking by all means every initiative which wants to bring the Flemish and Walloon people closer together. Nationalists and separatists have allways been a minority in Belgium, but somehow they manage to get the most in the media and have gained power in Belgian politics. There's one parallell between Czechoslovakia and Belgium; in both countries the majority of the population didn't want a separation, but in the end politicians of both countries forced it on them. Let's hope they just don't push it so far over here.