Belgium Sets Record!

[Skgoa]

Considering where the article was published, I would have been surprised much more, if they had not taken the chance to somehow work in the European Integration!!RAR!.

[Stargate Nerd]

1) Until a few years ago, there was no democratic majority for separation in Flanders. It is unclear whether there is a democratic majority for separation in Flanders now, either, since many voters for separatist parties approve of those parties' short term goals (i.e. state reform), but not necessarily of those parties' long term goals (i.e. independence)
2) There is no democratic majority for separation in Brussels.
3) There is no democratic majority for separation in Wallonia..

What does the trend look like? Is support for separation going up or down?

Because Wallonia probably can't economically survive on its own. They need the money transfers coming from Flanders they pay their social systems (high health care costs, highest unemployment rates,...). Again, it's in the Party Socialist best intrest to keep the status quo. The government in running affairs is doing just fine, and they can make a left-leaning long term budget while the right-leaning N-VA still can't give any input since no new government is formed yet. Furthermore, the PS can happy go back to tell their electorate they made sure they defended their money, while looking in surprise when during the next elections, the N-VA grows even larger.

I don't really see why Flanders should care if Wallonia could survive on its own. That wouldn't be a good enough reason for Belgium to keep existing in its current form IF there was enough support for separation on the Flemish side. But hey things are rarely that simple.

[wautd]

1) Until a few years ago, there was no democratic majority for separation in Flanders. It is unclear whether there is a democratic majority for separation in Flanders now, either, since many voters for separatist parties approve of those parties' short term goals (i.e. state reform), but not necessarily of those parties' long term goals (i.e. independence)
2) There is no democratic majority for separation in Brussels.
3) There is no democratic majority for separation in Wallonia..

What does the trend look like? Is support for separation going up or down?

Yup, but still a large minority as far as I know

Because Wallonia probably can't economically survive on its own. They need the money transfers coming from Flanders they pay their social systems (high health care costs, highest unemployment rates,...). Again, it's in the Party Socialist best intrest to keep the status quo. The government in running affairs is doing just fine, and they can make a left-leaning long term budget while the right-leaning N-VA still can't give any input since no new government is formed yet. Furthermore, the PS can happy go back to tell their electorate they made sure they defended their money, while looking in surprise when during the next elections, the N-VA grows even larger.

I don't really see why Flanders should care if Wallonia could survive on its own. That wouldn't be a good enough reason for Belgium to keep existing in its current form IF there was enough support for separation on the Flemish side. But hey things are rarely that simple.

On the flemish side there is fear for a messy divorse as well. With someething like Brussels, it's also not as simple as say, the Czechoslovakian split.

... and it looks like the waiting game for the Walloons will pay off... again.... Look like most flemisch parties lost their patience and the NV-A finds itself isolated so I expect a typical belgian compromise soon (meaning the flemisch get screwed again).