4 Apr 16
Background on Belgium, from a friend and colleague:
“I grew-up in Belgium and went to local French-speaking schools.
Belgium is characterized by a weak central government and strong regional governments, who don’t like each other very much!
There are three ‘governments’ in Belgium:
A ‘federal’ government, with King Philip ostensibly as head of state, but with no real power, and a prime minister who is the actual CEO of the federal segment. The federal government is in charge of defense, budget, justice, et al.
Then, there are ‘community governments,’ French, Flemish, and German. Community governments are responsible for education, culture, language.
Then, there are ‘regional governments,’ Flemish, Brussels, and French. They oversee transportation, energy, housing, economic development, public works.
Here is where it gets impossibly complicated:
The federal government (based in Brussels) has a parliament, with an Assembly and Senate. The Brussels ‘Region’ has its own parliament. The Flemish ‘region’ also has its own government, with a parliament that represents both the Flemish region and ethnic community.
The Walloons (French ‘Region’) also has a government and a parliament, while the French ‘community’ has a separate government and parliament.
Of course, the German community also has its own government and parliament!
As you might imagine, the foregoing is a formula for unending paralysis, and it seldom disappoints! Even after the Paris attacks, Belgians did not change a federal law that prohibits police raids between 9pm and 5am.
Flemish and French-speaking Belgians generally do not get along. Both sides are resentful of tax dollars spent in the other’s area.
As a ‘nation,’ Belgium was manufactured out of post-Napoleonic chaos, and was literally gouged-out of the Netherlands. It was created by the Great Powers and initially ruled by a German noble family (the house of Saxe-Coburg).
Ethnically, culturally, or linguistically, there is no race of people called ‘Belgium.’ In fact, when asked to sing the national anthem, a recent Belgian Prime Minister sang the French national anthem instead! Citizens almost never wave nor display the national flag, opting instead for Lion of Flanders, German, or French flags. The national soccer team is just about the only thing that will predictably unite most Belgians!
The plot thickens:
Add a massive wave of migration from Algeria and Morocco in the 1960s. Workers were allowed in to support heavy industry. When those jobs mostly dried up, migrant workers stayed! Today, large neighborhoods are entirely Moroccan and Algerian.
Like Islamics everywhere, they have never assimilated, nor do they have any intention to. Three generations later, self-imposed segregation is still the order of the day. Unemployment is high in these communities, as is poor education and violent crime.
ISIS has found, to no one’s surprise, a fertile recruiting ground. Belgium’s approach to terrorism and radical Islamic recruitment has been similar to BHO’s:
‘Let’s look the other way and pretend it’s not happening.’
That approach has worked about as well there as it has here!
Belgium is essentially a failed state. A prosperous, affluent, and wonderful place, but a failed state none the less. It has allowed an ISIS beachhead to be firmly established in the heart of Europe, as we see!
The current storm will pass, of course, and, as always, no action will be taken. Belgians will shrug their shoulders and go their merry way, until the next disaster.
Belgium needs to decide if it really wants to be a nation, and grow-up and join with what little remains of Western Civilization.”
Comment:
My prediction is that the situation in Belgium, and all of Europe, will get a lot worse before anything turns around, on the off-chance it ever does. The enemy is at the gate, and today’s clueless descendants of Saxons, Goths, Gauls, Vandals, Vikings, Celts, even Huns have lost their courage and their reason.
We are witnessing the twilight of Western Civilization!
/John