With Flemish Nationalism on the Rise, Belgium Teeters on the Edge

This article is your typical, biased, anti-Flemish rubbish that seeps into the American press every year.

The facts are that the majority population (60%) of Belgium is Flemish. They produce 75% of the GDP and pay 77% of the taxes. They finance the 40% that are primarily in Wallonia. Because of the screwed up constitution one-vote-per-person democracy does not exist. The 30% of the country that is Walloon (10% are foreigners) have veto power over the 60% Flemings. Every year each Flemish family remits the equivalent in transfer payments of an SUV to a Walloon family. How is that fair? And when the Flemish speak up they are either labelled ‘racist’ for having ethnic pride or ‘selfish’ for not supporting the welfare state in Wallonia (and the corrupt Wallonian politicians). If this existed in any other country it would have lead to civil war. But the Flemish are long-suffering and patient and are willing to endure much to achieve the basic rights that we Americans take for granted.

So the next time you see a slanted headline (like the one on this NYT article) realize that the bigots are on the French not the Flemish side.