PM belga: “La rottura dei Paesi Bassi è il più grande disastro che ci sia mai successo”

Of course. The separation from the Netherland is the first step towards him becoming prime minister, so I think we could agree with him on that.

Translation:

Ladies and gentlemen,

Good evening!

How wonderful it is to be in the Netherlands.

How wonderful it is to be here with you.

Today, you have made the effort to come and listen to a Belgian Prime Minister.

You could have stayed at home in front of the television, but you chose to be here.

I don’t know if that was the wise choice. You will be the judge of that later.

When EW – I am no longer allowed to say Elsevier – invited me to give the H.J. Schoo lecture, I did not hesitate for a moment.

After all, I noticed that I am giving the seventeenth lecture at this illustrious gathering.

There are no coincidences. This can only be an irresistible nod to the Seventeen Provinces – the exciting and turbulent years in which the identity and unity of our regions were gently carved in marble. In fact, the pioneer of this, Philip the Good, is the father of our fatherlands, and not William of Orange.

When I was recently in The Hague for the NATO summit and, during a radio interview, I was asked about my feelings of melancholy regarding the separation of the Netherlands, I received, as usual in my own country, some sour reactions, especially from Walloon socialists.

In their eyes, it is “scandalous” or even “completely crazy” to say that it is and remains my very personal opinion that the break-up of the Netherlands is the greatest disaster that has ever befallen us.

Perhaps they should consult Edward Anseele, the socialist leader who helped found the Belgian Workers’ Party.

Anseele considered the Belgian Revolution to be a “useless revolution of priests and citizens” and a “shameful crime” which – and I quote – “created a border on the map, a major obstacle to the fraternisation of two children of the same tribe”.

My predecessor as mayor of Antwerp and briefly prime minister, Camille Huysmans, also a socialist, called the Revolution “une faute [qui] a détruit un État magnifique” (a mistake [that] destroyed a magnificent state).

I was also criticised for quoting the beautiful verses of Antwerp poet Theodoor van Ryswyck:

*Here, and on the other side,*

*There and here is the Netherlands.*

Van Ryswyck suffered from syphilis, a disease that affected his brain. The poor man was driven mad and died in a psychiatric institution. It is a fate I hope to avoid – I do not have syphilis, but I do have a high-risk job in Brussels’ Wetstraat. (For my mental health, I mean, not for syphilis.)

In any case, my love for the Netherlands is no secret – I am also married to a Dutch woman – so I cannot simply hide it.

However, closer cooperation between the historic Netherlands – now known as the Benelux – is not a romantic dream or nostalgic notion for me, but a political objective that is essential for our future.

The desire for close cooperation and integration with the Netherlands is, in fact, explicitly and concretely enshrined in Flanders’ latest coalition agreements:

To work together to protect the prosperity of our Low Countries by joining forces in the areas of culture, education and the economy.

To work together to increase our power and influence within Europe.

And to work together to use this power and influence to strengthen the forces of peace and freedom in the world.

He is unhinged 😀

That’s why there is the BENELUX.

I used to think he was a reasonable and intelligent man. The past half year I´ve been wondering why more and more.

Does anyone in the Netherlands want Flanders?

I dont know if the Netherlands could survive another wave of north Africans if north Belgium joined

It’s funny because it’s true.

I’m guessing, Flemish nationalist who doesn’t like having to share a country with Walloons