Hey, Belgium... Get A government

[Reef Badlaw]

Okay, we've had a few laughs all-the-way-around, but it's approaching the year-anniversary of last June's election-impasse. The 'naked'-protests, sex-strikes, and beard-growing stunts were entertaining, but the unemployment-rate is still about 8%. And nothing's getting passed.

It's been like an unmoderated chat-room. Everything's functioning, but all it takes is one troll to conjure a hornet-storm of controversy. It only took about 8 months for Iraq's new Government to form from-scratch. Citizens are filing applications to Luxembourg for duo-citizenship (if they can prove their families came from there) just-in-case the nationalist Flems can't secure a workable-coalition with the French-speaking Walloons. The King is running-out of mediators.

[lycanox]

Yes, but iraq had it easy. That is still one nation which only had to go through a polititical crisis.

The problem with belgium is that it are basically two nations that they continue to stick together in one. Which resulted in an border dispute around bruxxles regarding voting. Which spawned an Systematic political crisis.
Which means as much that the only sure way to fix things right now is to become an dictatorship to sort the problems out. Regardless of what the people want.

Basically there are several options right now.

1. One of the sides forces the other side to step down and give them full reign.
The functional dictatorship option.

2. They call another election.
Which would result in similar results. Or big losses for the current winner.

3. They ignore the elections and return the previous government.
Possible. But would only hold until the next time they start discussing the Bruxxel border dispute.

4. The end of belgium.
The flanders and Walonian government get full control.

[Reef Badlaw]

Can't certain powers be returned back to King Albert II, on a temporary time-table?

[Reef Badlaw]

Congratulations... ya did it. -The first French-speaking PM in 30-years, Elio Di Rupo, also speaks Dutch. The divided-language sticking point was becoming an increasingly ridiculous reason not to form a governing coalition, especially after the S&P credit-downgrade. Flanders isn't happy, but 6 of the 12 new cabinet-members are Flem, who represent 60% of the population. That's a comfortably practical negotiating body (50% of a 60 vs. 40 language divide).

http://www.france24.com/en/20111205-political-crisis-nears-end-new-premier-cabinet-named-di-rupo-king-albert-belgium

Di Rupo will also be the EU-mainland's first openly gay Premier.

[lycanox]

And that concluded with 541 days the longest government formation in world history.
Now to see how long it lasts.

It is suprisng do.
The Walloon part of the nation already started negotiations with france to see if they could join them in the case Belgium would fall apart.
They must really have been pressuresed by the international economy. Which recently started to mark the nation for failure.

[Blu-ray]

::biting tongue::

[Beatnik Bob]

Belgium was only created as a buffer state between France and Holland anyway. Let Flanders join the Netherlands or be its own state, and then let Walloons re-join France or be their own state.


And nobody gets Brussels. Let Brussels be autonomous. Brussels is the only reason why Belgium hasn't disintegrated already.


Because this fundamental difference is not going to be resolved, in the long-term, via short-term concessions.

[lycanox]

Actually Flanders is opposed to any merge with the netherlands.

[Beatnik Bob]

Actually Flanders is opposed to any merge with the netherlands.
I had heard as much.

Why is that anyway?

[lycanox]

Perhaps due to all the dumb belgiums jokes we make.
But most likely becouse except for the south. The netherlands have a different culture.