In Belgium, the only people who're in favour of uniting the Dutch-speaking part (Flanders) with the Netherlands are the most marginal factions of the extreme right.
On the broader Flemish right, there is agreement that it should split from the French-speaking part of the country, because (a) Flanders is richer and (b) the left parties and trade-unions are more strong in Wallonia* and Brussels. They believe it would be more easy to destroy social security and the welfare state in a split country than in a united one.
Large media-corporations are on their side, and press is filled with stories about "lazy Francophone socialists"in support of Flemish-nationalist parties (especially during strikes and elections).
For that reason, and not just some emotional attachment to a nation state, the left is in favour of unity among the working class. Divided the working class loses, united it wins.
Opinion polls in Wallonia now show that it will become the region with the strongest left in the EU, with around 60% of the vote going to the social-democrats, the greens and the communists (PTB).
In Belgium, the only people who’re in favour of uniting the Dutch-speaking part (Flanders) with the Netherlands are the most marginal factions of the extreme right.
Why is that, wouldn't people want to unite with others who share the same language and culture?
Do you want the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand to be the same country? Because they also have the same culture and language. The language part is something you can't deny, but if you deny the culture part, perhaps you can understand that people who haven't been part of the same country since 1830 don't have exactly the same culture.
Besides that, for the left it's mainly about defending the welfare state, social security and the unity of the working class. Francophone and Dutchophone (can you say that in English?) Belgians are organised in the same unions (5 million people are unionised on a population of 10 million people) and we understand that if we allow the bourgeoisie to split us up, we'll be in a worse of situation.
In Belgium, the only people who're in favour of uniting the Dutch-speaking part (Flanders) with the Netherlands are the most marginal factions of the extreme right.
On the broader Flemish right, there is agreement that it should split from the French-speaking part of the country, because (a) Flanders is richer and (b) the left parties and trade-unions are more strong in Wallonia* and Brussels. They believe it would be more easy to destroy social security and the welfare state in a split country than in a united one. Large media-corporations are on their side, and press is filled with stories about "lazy Francophone socialists"in support of Flemish-nationalist parties (especially during strikes and elections).
For that reason, and not just some emotional attachment to a nation state, the left is in favour of unity among the working class. Divided the working class loses, united it wins.
The Dutch were a mistake and only beaten by countries outside the Netherlands which speaks Dutch.
The Dutch have a lot to answer for when it comes to inventing capitalism tbh
Why is that, wouldn't people want to unite with others who share the same language and culture?
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Do you want the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand to be the same country? Because they also have the same culture and language. The language part is something you can't deny, but if you deny the culture part, perhaps you can understand that people who haven't been part of the same country since 1830 don't have exactly the same culture.
Besides that, for the left it's mainly about defending the welfare state, social security and the unity of the working class. Francophone and Dutchophone (can you say that in English?) Belgians are organised in the same unions (5 million people are unionised on a population of 10 million people) and we understand that if we allow the bourgeoisie to split us up, we'll be in a worse of situation.
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