ProFlandria has translated a post from the VB website, and follows it with his commentary:
11.22.2007 17.46u — The Flemish parties in the federal House [of Representatives] have just voted against considering Vlaams Belang’s proposal to split Belgium. In doing so, they have provided the proof of their devotion to the Belgian state, as demanded by the Walloons. This is remarkable given that the consideration of a proposal is a formality which does not contain a judgment on the core of the issue. Voting for the consideration is, in fact, a sign that in a democracy any proposal can at least be discussed. After debate, when the proposal is to be evaluated on its merits, one can still vote against [adopting the proposal].
This is the reason why the consideration of this same identical proposal from Vlaams Belang in the previous legislature was supported by all Flemish parties without reservation. Today, however, those same parties are folding in the face of the [Walloon] dictate to, as “Le Soir” puts it, “Isolate Vlaams Belang, the party which proposes the independence of Flanders”, and in doing so, those parties prove their unconditional loyalty to Belgium. The positions of Bart De Wever and Jan Jambon (N-VA), who were strategically absent during the vote, was flatly disappointing.
ProFlandria comments:
These proceedings once again demonstrate how pernicious the Belgian construct is. As soon as the prospect of participating in a Federal government is dangled in front of the Flemish “mainstream” parties, they voluntarily submit themselves to Walloon pressure to conform to the existing status quo — which is uniformly detrimental to Flanders. Vlaams Belang is shunned into lonely opposition due to its pro-independence platform, while the other Flemish parties time and again experience the fact that the Belgian construct cannot be reformed from within.
13 comments:
Does VB have any way to force the issue -- does it have enough support in Flanders for a national strike, or massive demonstrations?
Yeah, I know the police would kick the crap out of the demonstrators, and the media would brand them all as Nazis and racists, but that would only serve to galvanize those who really support the cause.
Also, how much of the military is Flemish, and could they get them to desert or even revolt?
If you look at the polls on the subject of Flemish independence, it's rising sharply. AFAIR, the last poll was 44 % of the Flemish in favor of full independence. While not an absolute majority, it's a significant change.
These strange machinations, when properly exposed, are sure to boost that number further.
Europe is chock-full of tiny, insignificant countries. Why create more? They will just end up having to be a Jr. ally in partnership with others in the end. They may as well stick together. But hey, what do I know.
Posted on another thread, but I think a better chance of an answer here.
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BTW, does the VB platform have something about pardoning Nazi collaborators from the war or not? Did it have it at one time (or maybe the Vlaams Blok did), does it have it now, or is it just more liberal propaganda.
Not reading Flemish Dutch, or even NL Dutch, internet searches are not helpful.
Europe is chock-full of tiny, insignificant countries. Why create more? They will just end up having to be a Jr. ally in partnership with others in the end. They may as well stick together. But hey, what do I know.
Well, yes, but the whole point of the EU is to make one Franco-German dominated super-state, isn't it. Like the United States of America, but with much less power reserved to the local states, eventually, and all decisions of importance made by bureaucrats in Brussels, best I can tell, as a casual American observer.
Perhaps opposition to a united Belgium is just part of opposition to a socialist centralized EU.
If there is space in the EU for Monaco, then there is space in the EU for an independent Flanders.
And Ed, regarding your question over the whole VB amnesty issue, please see my posts Friday evening around 8:45 p.m. on the previous thread.
It's nuanced. And unfortunately, LGF and Charles Johnson, along with mainstream America does not understand nuance, even if it mimics their own history.
- Sodra
Ed wrote:
Posted on another thread, but I think a better chance of an answer here.
.................................
BTW, does the VB platform have something about pardoning Nazi collaborators from the war or not?
Hey Ed,
This is the third thread in which you ask this question, and I have already adressed it in the other two. So this time I just suggest that you read up on VB at CVF.
Also, more and more people are using this site to keep track of GoV comments -- http://govcomments.blogspot.com/ -- which reduces the need for (re)posting a question in the latest thread for people to see it.
Mr. Smarterthanyou said...:
"Europe is chock-full of tiny, insignificant countries."
You mean, such as tiny, insignificant Denmark?
"Why create more?"
To improve self-determination, responsibility and resistance against Islamist powergrabs.
The recent development in the Flemish house of parliament reminds me of scene from the movie "Braveheart".
The scene where Wallace waits in vain for the other Scottish lords to show up for the fight against the Brittish. But they refused to fight because they were bought by the Brittish king, Longshanks.
But if what the others say is true, that a growing number of the Flemish public is for independence from Belgium, then it's only a matter of time before THE largest party in Flanders, the VB, is leading the new gov't of the state of Flanders.
Good point about Denmark, but would independent Flanders be such a nation? I have no clue.
But then again I understand that the Southern Half speaks French, and personally I would be disgusted to have the language of the cheese-eating surrender-monkeys as an official language of my land. I think that speaking French probably turns testicles into ovaries or something.
"Good point about Denmark, but would independent Flanders be such a nation? I have no clue."
Yes. If they give up Brussels.
The Flemish have a strong sense of national identity, and this is one of the best antidotes to Islamism. Christianity is another.
Zerosumgame,
"Does VB have any way to force the issue -- does it have enough support in Flanders for a national strike, or massive demonstrations?"
With upwards of 800,000 votes out of a Flemish population of around 6 million, VB could raise the manpower. After all, the Walloon Socialist party almost caused the King to abdicate shortly after WW2 with a similar electoral ratio. However, demonstrations in Belgium being what they are, violence is not unthinkable. When you get large numbers of people emotionally stirred up, there's no telling what might happen. I think VB is playing it "safe" by not providing the government with a pretext to take away its funding (government funding is just about the only legal funding a political party can receive).
In Belgium the Armed Forces can be called out in times of "severe civil unrest" to put down any event that the police can't handle. That's where your following comment becomes interesting:
"Also, how much of the military is Flemish, and could they get them to desert or even revolt?"
For a political party to incite revolt in the Armed Forces is more of the same dangerous cocktail of emotions, with the addition of firearms. However, it's telling that the current (Walloon) Minister of Defense, who is already uniformly reviled by his "employees" because of the long-term damage his corruption is causing to his department, found it necessary to create a "liason" position in all major military installations to investigate whether, among other things, there are "instances of separatist or anti-Belgian ideology". Equally interesting is that most the people who were asked to volunteer their services refused the position. It's possible that if The Belgian government decided on a confrontation, a good part of the Armed Forces would not merit an invitation on suspicion of "suspect sympathies". Two of the three Paracommando battalions might even be sent somewhere "safe" instead - the Belgian equivalent of manning a radar post in Alaska. I'm sure there's an African country somewhere that could be persuaded to ask for some remedial training for their troops...
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