You are right. But still it would be better if Groningen, Friesland, and Drenthe would give up being Dutch and join the Danish instead because they feel terribly denied by all the rest.
Strange enough i practice my sexual phantasies on a regular basis, but maybe i am not intelligent or i should allow more phantasies.

Anna S

It seems to me that you should stop living out your sexual fantasies for at least two months. All you are allowed to do is to write down a sexual fantasy every evening before you go to sleep. (If you didn't have any fantasies that day, just write down: "None." )
You should write down your fantasies in a small, black booklet. You should try not to censure yourself. Be specific. You are allowed to use obscene language but if you prefer to go for a more scientific approach (woman’s genitals etcetera) this is acceptable as well. What matters is that your writing is a reliable representation of your fantasy. Don't stop writing when you feel ashamed or disgusted.

Con (wo)man

- It is common practice. I know a woman who was abused as a child but never talks about it. In her eyes, all women who talk about abuse are con women, eager for publicity.
- It is also well known that many Jews returning home from concentration camps in a terrible condition were often welcomed by the phrase “You grumpy bastards, we too have suffered a lot over here!”
- Yesterday I bought my second book by Coetzee, Disgrace, returning from an erotic phantasm… Is this coincidence?

therapy

I have no sexual fantasıes.

on relıgıon

I just notıced on www.ıedereenleest.be that Mark Cloostermans thınks that 'Grunbergbıjbel' a non-fıctıonal book ıs.

Happy new year anyway ;)

belgium

How is Germany trying to break up Belgium? I'm really curious.

@ Maarten

Those poor Americans, they confused the word dutch for deutsch. So in fact it aren't the Germans who want to break up Belgium, but the Dutch, only because Flanders and the Netherlands have a lot to gain. F.E. Together their economy is strong enough to join the G8.
Even more there are already serious talks between Wilders and Dewinter to form one party once the reunion is a fact. To make sure that his children will be well prepared he is sending them at a youth movement which is promoting the 'Groot Nederlandse Gedachte' As a result the complete family Dewinter already knows to sing the Dutch national anthem.

@Mieke Dutoit  

That's the first thing I hear about the Dutch trying to break up Belgium. I think the Dutch couldn't care less. Never trust the Germans though.

On fiction

Isn't the Grunberg bijbel a work of non-fiction? As it is the account of this blog's boss reading a work of fiction. It is the author's selection of certain passages with comments and afterthoughts. A kind of essay. As such I would also describe it as non-fictional.
FYI: I had very quiet sex with my boyfriend yesterday evening, sitting on our toilet (lid closed) while two friends of ours stayed over to sleep on the floor above us. While this was never a sexual fantasy of mine, 'twas très kinky.

Mieke

You happen to live in Belgium don’t you? Do you think Belgium is going to break up? This weekend I sent a mail to an acquaintance in which I wrote: “Belgium is not going to break up in the near future.”
But you are allowed to correct me.

Maarten D

My acquaintance sent me this article. It’s in French:
http://www.conscience-politique.org/international/hillardeuropeeclate.htm

Alexandra V

This site is neutral on whether the Grunberg-bible is fiction or non-fiction. All it says is:
“Grunberg-bible: the best from the Old and the New Testament according to Grunberg.”
Kinkiness is in the eye of the beholder but I appreciate the fact that you are willing to share intimate details with us. It’s fair to assume that this is part of your secret or not so secret desire: to be watched.

@Arnon

Coming from a separatist family , I would be highly surprised if Belgiuml decides to, divorce. but even I can be mistaken. I just don't know, but for the moment it doesn"t look like it.

Mieke Dutoit  on De Winter and Wilders

When it was clear the PVV was a convincing winner of the elections in the Netherlands De Winter sent his gratulations to the president of the PVV, Wilders.

Wilders reacted: 'Ik verwacht geen sympathie uit die hoek.'

I believe that quote comes from De Standaard. What is your source concerning the unification of both parties?

Mieke

What’s going to happen with Brussels?
I would not bet two dollars on the separation of Belgium. Is Flanders going to join the Netherlands? Unthinkable.
A separate Flanders and a separate Walloon region? Highly unlikely for the time being.
Or are we going to have three states? Flanders, the Walloon Regio and Brussels? Oh wait, and Eupen? The German speaking province of Belgium? I love Eupen.

Pjotr, don't believe everything I write. I was just inventing a hilarious story in respons for a very hilarious assumption, namely the germans trying to brake up Belgium. The only thing I didn't invent is the part about Dewinter , his children, the youth movement and them knowing the Wilhelmus.

But Pjotr don't underestimate the contacts 'of the record' between those guys.

@ Pjotr

F.E. I know ' of the record' that there are exchanges in strategy about winning the elections between Dewinter and Le Pen.

Yesterday I had a discussion on the seperation of Belgium with some Flemish seperatists. They don't think that Belgium is going to break up, their reason was: 'we, Flemish people, have too much respect for the others to break up'.

belgium/germany

Thank for the link (and the trouble of going after it). I never realized Germany tried to conquer Europe by breaking it up into small zones along ethnic lines. But I'm sure the Flemish of pro-separation parties like NV-A, CD&V en VB knew... Didn't Jacques Brel sang in 'Les F...' about the Flemish being pro-nazi during the war and catholic in-between? But seriously: like any other commentator on this site I don't believe Belgium will split up in the near future. But it is still more probable than the Netherlands and Flanders forming a union. The Netherlands are Northern Europe, Flanders is Southern Europe. The cultural division couldn't be bigger, don’t let the use of the same language – well, more or less – fool anyone.

Shana Tova!

@ Maarten

First of all it is not fair to call CD&V a seperatist party. They are not and they would be very offended if they hear this.
Second I am flemish, but I don't feel myself a south european. I think it is a gross exageration to describe the cultural differences between the two of us like that.
Third I was educated with the notion that we, flemish, are Nederlanders too, Zuidelijke Nederlanders. My father always favored the idea that one day Flandern should form a union with the nord, but it's only a minority in Belgium who thinks this way. And I know it might sound silly but because of this upbringing , the thought of a dutch pasport still has an emotional effect on me.

@ Dens

The separatists I know are very determined about the separation. And the Cordon Sanitaire is only strenghten them in their believes .

@ Mieke:

Regarding CD&V you are right. I was exaggerating. But please bear in mind: from a Dutch point of view even the CD&V and its leader Yves Leterme seem radical. I do know a little about the ‘Vlaamse ontvoogding’, but only as an outsider. Therefore the so-called ‘rechtvaardige Vlaamse eisen’ seem to me not so ‘rechtvaardig’ at all, but an expression of outdated anti-French sentiments. (But let's not get to far off topic.)

Mieke and Maarten

What is radical about Mr.Leterme? Did I miss something? It’s probably naïve and I say this without irony but the “cordon sanitaire” struck me as something utterly undemocratic, and second of all as something very ineffective. The racist party it is meant to fight is only blossoming under the cordon sanitaire. Now I have some Belgian friends who are intelligent and moderate at the same time and they seem to favor the cordon, so maybe this is a slightly arrogant outsider observation.
There is no way that the Dutch are going to vote for the same parliament as the Flemish. Separation of Belgium means the end of the European Union.
The idea that Germany would favor the end of the EU is an opinion as absurd as the idea that the Jews were behind 9/11

Arnon I am pleased you consider the cordon to be undemocratic and uneffective. I used to favour the cordon, now I think we made a terrible mistake and we really should aknowledge that.

I think that it makes a big difference to be a seperatist in Belgium or on holiday in Turkey makes a big difference. Conformism, for one , is excluded.
I wouldn't mind joining The Netherlands, but I would mind losing the Walloon party as well. I've met some nice Walloons while I've been here. Although I must say that the cliché that they don't do any effort to speak (or learn) Dutch is true in 90% of the cases, which is a pitty.

I hold on to my quote (I don't remember who said it): "every new language learned, is one more life"

Dens

The Netherlands, I’m afraid is not interested in annexation of Flanders. Once again a practical question: when there is a breakup what happens with Brussels? And the king? Will he be hanged or will he be sent into exile? I strongly believe that one Yugoslavia is enough but hey, I don’t live in Belgium. (Although I have fond memories of Eupen.)

A seperation is just too stupid too think about. I think it'll never happen, and that wouldn't bother me one bit. I still believe in eternal love, call me a romantic.

cordon

The only mistake about the cordon is that the political parties actually announced they build a cordon around the extremists. It would be better if they had said: we're willing to form a coalition with you, but alas, your opinions differ to much. Like in the Netherlands with Wilders. That is: I hope there's a secret arrangement never to make a deal with him.

The cordon & radicals

Maarten, that is exactly what the cordon is: we cannot make a coalition with you as your ideas differ too much from ours. I don't see why this is undemocratic. Every party is free to form a government with the party of his choice (as long as it respects the result of the election). Of course you neglect 30% of the people that chose for the excluded party. But do not forget that Vlaams Belang has everything it has a right to have in the Belgian democratic system, there is no difference with the other parties (money for promotion, people at important commissions, parlaiment members, operational money, ...). That no-one wants to form a government with Vlaams Belang doesn't mean that they don't have any power.

Of course you can ask yourself if the cordon has helped radicalising the Flanders and if it has helped mr Leterme and NVA winning the elections of June (in the Flemish part of the country).

Yves Leterme is a radical. He won the elections with an impossible idea and continues to hang on to this idea. He wants to show he is 'clean', that he doesn't make any compromises. Up till now he didn't explain any project for Belgium. From the beginning he didn't present himself as the prime minister of the Belgian people. He (and the NVA) made the Flemish people believe that new reforms and eventually a separation are necessary and possible. He calls this 'good governance'.

The problem in Belgium is that we don't have national parties, parties that have to please the electors in the whole country.

I find it such a pity that Dens doesn't speak Chinese or Russian. Don't let those people put ideas in your head Dens, nobody is obliged to do an effort to speak wathever language. I am sure every Walloon know 'goedendag', 'tot ziens' en 'eet smakelijk'. They learned this at school. Not everyone has to be 'sympathetic' or has to like saying this at every occasion. And come on, Dens, most of my Frenchspeaking friends love to speak Dutch. I love to speak French.

And Arnon the question is not only: what will happen with Brussels? The question is also: what is happening with Brussels?

I am going to stop here, there is so much to say, you can always say it better and my message is too long already.

Lila

What’s happening with Brussels?
And what’s a radical exactly? When you disagree with somebody it’s easy and pratical to dismiss the opinions of the other as radical?
As to the comment by Maarten D. about not working together with Mr. Wilders in the Netherlands: there are no principles in politics, there are no principles in business I would say.
(When a bookstore in Amsterdam cancelled a book signing session for Mr. Wilders because of security reasons a while ago I swore never to sign books in that bookstore ever again.)
Accepting democracy means accepting that let’s say 30% of the electorate is fond of racist thoughts and opinions

I know a politician with enough Wille zur Macht can’t afford to have any principles. Therefore I hope Wilders will fall for the seduction of the media attention and make every time even more radical and ridiculous statements in order to get it, and in that way makes it impossible for any politician to make a deal with him.
As for the bookshop: the bookshop claims the signing couldn’t go through because of practical difficulties. You’re right not to believe them.
To Lila: you’re right that the non-existence of national parties makes it in the end inevitable that Belgium will split. I don’t believe it will happen in the near future, because too many Belgians seem reluctant to face the consequence of thirty years of on-going federalism. But as long as Leterme and Flemish radicals only have half the country to - how do you say this in English? ‘verantwoording afleggen voor gevoerd beleid’, he will in the end lead the Flemish to an independent Flanders.

Belgium

Not separating Belgium would be a crime. There is so much to be won and so little to be lost.

First of all, Brussels will become 'Europe D.C.' A european capital without any national involvement must be a dream for generations of european politicians.

Second of all, the Flamand and the Wallons are already segregated. The next step will be separation, since almost 200 years of being one nation hasn't helped them integrate. Now is the time, because now the mood is not too violent. If tensions continue to rise a clean and peaceful separation will probably be impossible. This is why it is a crime to wait.

What will be lost? The dream of a united people? That never came to be? There will be a few small practical problems, separating infrastructure, governmental bodies. Compagnies already work across borders. Some people will feel the need to move. In the end all the efforts of keeping the country together for unclear reasons, all that energy lost, can finally be put into making Belgium a nice country to live in. And drive through, which is more important for me personally.

Will the Netherlands adopt Flanders? Most certainly not. They pushed for the peace of Munster in the 17th century once Breda was liberated. They didn't need another big harbor then and they won't need it now. And the Netherlands has its own rotten infrastructure to tend to.

Admit it, the public hanging of the Belgium royal family would make an instant Youtube classic. Not much to be lost there.

Sander

I hate to say this and I understand your irony but I don’t like to make light of the hanging of people whether they belong to the royal family or not.
I’m not sure if a person living in the French speaking part of Switzerland has more in common with a person from the canton Appenzell Innerrhoden than a person from Bruges with a person from Namur.
What’s to gain when we break up Belgium?
And why do I get the impression that you are personally insulted by the fact that the Belgian state still exists. What happened the last time when you were in Belgium?

Arnon

I am sorry if my irony offended you. You brought up the hanging of the king. I merely examined the consequences. Personally I am strongly opposed to the death penalty. But for me that doesn't mean a joke about it can't be used to underline the absurdity of the situation. The king is not personally responsible for the history of Belgium, so death or even exile would be inappropriate.

Although I have nothing personal against the current Belgium, I can't stand the fact that people that don't like each other stay together. Just because it is more convenient in the short term. It is like a divorce waiting to happen. I advise friends to move on when their relation isn't working anymore, so I advise Belgium to get it over with. The swiss seem to be relatively OK with their status quo, the belgian people apparently are not.

The main reason for my advise is that all that energy, money and emotion that is waisted on making it work against all odds could better be used for the advancement of the two regions themselves.

I also disagree that it would mean the end of the EU. In a time where 80% of the legislation is coming from the Union, national entities should mainly focus on nurturing their own culture and identity. This means a major and unprecedented shift in the role of national governments. Before they were necessary for political stability, now they merely apply their cultural flavour over the european structure. As long as parties agree not to use violence, why would anyone oppose to rethinking the national borders as they came out of WWII?

@ Sander

Please, let us grant the king some decency, a beheading instead of hanging him.
Beheading has always been the punishment for the nobility, being hanged means your just an ordinary criminal.
I wonder if the fundamentalists realise that a beheading is an honorable death in the West.

@ Mieke

Wouldn't it be amusingly ironic if the equipment for the hanging, or beheading as you want it, was also supplied by the navy?

@ Arnon

Arnon, I am going to answer your questions and I'll try to be so precise as possible.

1. Brussels is an agglomeration of 19 communes ('gemeenten' in Dutch).
It is also a Region, the Brussels Region (next to the Flemish Region and the Walloon Region). The Brussels Region has its onw government and parlaiment. The Brussels Region has the same responsibilities as the Flemish and the Walloon Region. To show you a concrete example of the absurdity. As we all know, most of our laws are decided on European level. The countries adapt these laws to integrate them. In Belgium the environment is a responsibility of the Regions. So each Region has to adapt the same European law to integrate them. Each Region has its proper administration to do this. The Flemish have OVAM, that employs a few hundred people (I do not know the exact number). The same administration for Brussels employs around thirty people and they have the same work load! So in Belgium, the same work is done three times!

In Belgium, you not only have four regions (Flanders, Walloon, Brussels and the German), you also have three communities ('Gemeenschappen', the Dutch, the French and the Geramn). In Brussels, a bilangual region, the Dutch and the French government are responsible.

This administrative web is a big burden on Brussels. Taking simple decisions is very difficult, let alone taking complicated decisions. A small region has to do the same as a big region. So now this small region has responsibilities that before were part of the federal government (that's what one would call 'decentralisation'). If Leterme can realize his plans of new reforms, f.e. social security will also become a regional responsibility.

2. What exactly is a radical?
In Vandaele I find:
- radicaal (bijv.nw): 3. strevend naar diep ingrijpende hervormingen (vooral gezegd van een stelsel, richting of partij)
- radicaal (z. nw) : aanhanger van een politieke partij die zeer ingrijpende hervormingen beoogt.

I think this can be applied to mister Leterme.
If you want to tell me not to use words like 'radical' too fast because otherwise the meaning of this words will decrease, I agree.

3. I know there are no principles in politics and in business. My nick may sound sugarsweet, but I am not naive.

Arnon

Why do you think the splitting up of Belgium would mean the end of the European Union?

@ Maarten

I did not say the non-existance of national parties makes it inevitable that Belgium will split.
I said the non-existance of national parties in Belgium is a problem.
And I said the separation of Belgium is simply impossible.

I only wanted to set this straight.

Sander and Mieke

If you cannot stand the fact that people stay together while disliking each other you should dissolve 90% of the marriages, break up most countries and condemn people to live in solitary cells. If this is your hope for the future please let me know.
Mieke, you are frivolous person. Good for you. My Belgian friend yesterday told me that
Brussels will be part of the Walloon region in case of a break-up. Also he thought that it would be wise to call the Walloon region Belgium in that case.
He was horrified by the thought though. Life would become even more provincial and claustrophobic he feared.

@Sander

I understood your reaction was ironic but I am going to react anyway because a lot of what you said is said very often.

I can see at your reaction that you don't live in Belgium or in Brussels (you live in Paris, don't you?) and that you live in a very stable country. Maybe we (you) don't know how lucky we are that we live in a stable country and that our institutions function how they should (more or less, okay!).

I don't think that you can compare Belgium to a marriage. In Belgium there are 10 million people. In a marriage there are only two.

It's not that I want Belgium to stay together because I love unity. It is that the separation of Belgium is simply IMPOSSIBLE. And if it will happen, it will lead to very big problems (Arnon, do not ask me to think about them, because otherwise I will have to write an essay or better - a book). And we, the Belgians (who?) will have very big problems for a long time.

I also think we have to protect Flanders against itself. A lot of Flemish people really think they are the King of the World. Their economy is doing okay and they think it is going to be like this forever. They don't have any historic sense. If you have been to Azia (Japan, South Korea, China, ...) you can see where the future and the economic growth is. You can see how driven the people their are to excell and how they believe in growth.
It is not because you are doing better than the Walloon that you will survive on your own.

And now I am going to stop for today. I am going to make dinner!

Lila L

I agree with many tings you said. I have never heard any valid argument for the break-up of Belgium. There is quite a distinction between disliking each other and killing each other. Besides this most Flemish people I know have never uttered one single negative word about the people the Walloon region.
I don’t need a dictionary to know what radical means; I was trying to make the point that the word “radical” is used to dismiss people’s thoughts and opinions.
Leterme’s thoughts and opinions need to be criticized, probably, but not because he is a radical.
And don’t try to indulge in self-hate. I’m not sure if the Flemish people are worse than the Dutch. As my friend from Leuven yesterday rightly said: “Wilders is much worse than the right-wing party in Flanders. (Vlaams Belang.)”

@ Sander

Yes, that would indeed be amusingly ironic considering he made his career in the navy and that belgian navy doesn't have such a good reputation.

Simply impossible

Lila, I don't think simply impossible exists when it comes to Belgium and its future. I have already heard dozens of scenario's, who knows one of them might come true. However don't panic. There is still no majority in Flanders for a separation. As long there is none the separatist party's won't push the buttons. In any case if such a scenario -a majority I mean - would happen, there is a very big consensus about moving trough democratic institutions without the use of violence. That is almost like an oath to them.
I want to assure you that Leterme is no separatist or a radical. Yes he wants more powers for Flanders, but in my opinion that is just moving towards a confederalist states. This might cost something but al this quarreling is expensive too. Further I believe that a confederate model is working in a lot of country's, maybe it could be a good solution for Belgium. But lets not worry too much, we are after all living in one of the best country's of the world.

Mieke, Lila, Sander

This article might be of interest to you

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/21/world/europe/21belgium.html?ex=1348027200&en=d7bd60e43c3464aa&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

Lila, Mieke, Arnon,

I sincerely hoped, while writing my comments, that someone would stand up and rant about the beauty of the country Belgium, how stupid I was for suggesting to break up this amazing people, how the world could not thrive without the cultural enrichment of this united country.
Instead all I have heard is impractical, impossible or politically dangerous. I am under the impression that all that keeps Belgium together at the moment is a fear of change. So all the country needs is a greater fear of staying together and the opinion of the people will turn in an instant. Maybe a prank by the VRT will do the job. Maybe it takes a minor demagoge. Maybe a small violent clash.

Until somebody gives me good reason why Belgium is better off as a whole, in my opinion this country is doomed.

@ Sander & Mieke

Sander, you want romance! What a strange conclusion, Belgium staying together because of the fear of change. Again, I can clearly see you don't live in Belgium.

Mieke, good for you, you have confidence. I hope you are right.

Sander, Mieke, Lila

Practical problems ask for practical solutions. A stat is not a love affair, and who knows maybe a marriage is not a love affair either. I’ not married and I don’t live in Belgium. So what do I know?
Lila enlighten us, what does it mean to live in Belgium?
And Sander, I think that the positive effects of breaking up Belgium are by far smaller than the negative effects. Many people agree. Isn’t that enough reason to be in favor of the status quo?
I really wish that somebody from Luxemburg would join this discussion. But I have the statistics of this site; we haven’t had a visitor from Luxemburg in ages.

Living in Belgium means (in general):

- you have good trains, trams, busses, metros that drive regularly and arrive in time most of the time
- there are schools where you can learn to read and write; there are high schools, colleges, universities, technical schools, ...
- you can go to church, the mosque, the synagogue, ... or not
- you have good roads, highways to every village, town
- you get unemployment money if you have no job. There is no limit in time for this money.
- you receive money from the government when you are ill
- you get a pension when you are old
- you have good doctors and hospitals and you can go to the doctor of your choice
- you have theaters, libraries, sport centers, ...
- ...
All this will be different when the country splits up.

There are already big differences between the schools for dutchspeaking and the schools for frenchspeaking children. Education is a responsibility of the communities.
This means that in Brussels the Flemish community is responsible for the schools where the education is in Dutch and the French community is responsible for the schools where the education is in French. As the Flemish community is richer and better organised, the education in Dutch is of a better quality. Almost everyone I know (even Frenchspeaking people) want to send their children to a Flemish school. After Easter 2008 the daughter of a friend of mine will go to school for the first time. She had to inscribe her daughter in february 2007. Parents camp before the school the evening before the inscriptions start to inscribe their child in a "good school". This is not the case in Flanders or in Wallonia. Schools in Brussels are a big problem.
But this is a part of 'Living in Brussels means'.