Separatist party wins big in Belgian election

[Leafless]

BRUSSELS -- A separatist party that advocates independence for the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium, leaving the country's Francophones to fend for themselves, was scoring a big victory in in the country's general election on Sunday.

-snip-Flanders and Wallonia already have autonomy in urban development, environment, agriculture, employment, energy, culture, sports and other areas. Flemish parties want to add justice, health and social security to that. Walloon politicians fear that ending social security as a federal responsibility will mark the end of Belgium.

But the Belgian divide goes beyond language. Flanders tends to be conservative and free-trade minded. Wallonia's long-dominant Socialists have a record of corruption and poor governance.

Flanders has half the unemployment of Wallonia and a 25 percent higher per-capita income, and its politicians are tired of subsidizing their Francophone neighbors.

As governments worldwide tried to tame a financial crisis and recession, the four parties that led Belgium since 2007 struggled with linguistic spats, most notably over a bilingual voting district comprising the capital, Brussels, and 35 Flemish towns bordering it.

The high court ruled it illegal in 2003 as only Dutch is the official language in Flanders. Over the years, Francophones from Brussels have moved in large numbers to the city's leafy Flemish suburbs, where they are accused of refusing to learn Dutch and integrate.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2010/06/13/general-eu-belgium-elections_7684284.html?boxes=Homepagebusinessnews

Belgiums linguistic problems sound similar to Canada's with the exception that the separatist party is Dutch rather than Francophone.

[Argus]

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2010/06/13/general-eu-belgium-elections_7684284.html?boxes=Homepagebusinessnews

Belgiums linguistic problems sound similar to Canada's with the exception that the separatist party is Dutch rather than Francophone.

Yes, and they are the majority - tired of paying for the French. :-P

[Bob]

Yes, and they are the majority - tired of paying for the French. :-P

So Canada isn't the only country where the French demographic, overall, leeches off of the non-French?

Edited June 13, 2010 by Bob

[Guest TrueMetis]

So Canada isn't the only country where the French demographic, overall, leeches off of the non-French?

Depends on you definition of leeches I guess.