Re: The Belgian crisis - a road map for Scotland?


"The Highlander" <micheil@xxxxxxx> wrote in message news:r1c6f3pir9sfgm94e64qo4aqnj0blglhsm@xxxxxxxxxx
On Fri, 21 Sep 2007 01:34:11 +0100, "Robert Peffers"
<peffers50@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


"The Highlander" <micheil@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:6s16f3584iju44casp5lvfttro8s9f0mag@xxxxxxxxxx
On Thu, 20 Sep 2007 22:24:21 +0100, "Robert Peffers"
<peffers50@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


"The Highlander" <micheil@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:5pk5f3h1693lf8n1img8ec7h3cgnec6gfs@xxxxxxxxxx
On Thu, 20 Sep 2007 08:26:12 -0700, "deemsbill@xxxxxxx"
<deemsbill@xxxxxxx> wrote:

On Sep 20, 6:24 am, The Highlander <mich...@xxxxxxx> wrote:
The following is condensed from an article by Boris Johnson, MP for
Henley and possible future Lord Mayor of London, whose ability to put
his finger on the root of issues of the moment have made him a popular
columnist. His deft touch in defusing what was becoming a war in the
pages of the Daily Telegraph comcerning the guilt or innocence of the
tragic McCann family, once again won my admiration. I have been
reading his columns for years and marvelling at his insights.
--------------------------------------------------------------------Boris
wrote: For 102 days, Belgium has been without a government. The

Walloons can't abide the Flemings, and the Flemings want to maroon the
Walloons, and there is now a real chance that they will call it quits.
It is a superb and suggestive irony that the people of Europe are now
being forced to accept a new constitutional document intended to unify
25 different polities, and yet the desire for national self-government
is so strong that Belgium itself - the very country that plays host to
the EU institutions - is in danger of breaking up.

Belgium, that state de Gaulle claimed had been invented by the British
to annoy the French, may be about to go the way of the Soviet Union,
of Yugoslavia, and of Czechoslovakia.

If Belgium splits up, that fissure will not only make a mockery of
Belgium's central role in the cause of European integration. It will
be a huge boost to Europe's remaining separatist movements, the
Basques, the Corsicans, the Welsh - and, above all, the Scots. If the
Belgian creation of 1830 is capable of falling apart, why should we
expect the union of 1707 to be imperishable?

It is one of the wonders of the Brown "bounce" that no one any longer
sees fit to point out the infamy of the West Lothian problem. We have
a Scottish MP Prime Minister, promulgating measures on health and
education and other matters that have no effect on his own
constituents, and while Scottish MPs are able to vote on English
schools and hospitals, English MPs have no corresponding say in
Scotland. The English seem utterly passive in the face of this
injustice; and in spite of this passivity - or perhaps partly because
of it - the Scots advance ever further on the path towards
independence.

Alex Salmond now calls his executive a government, and Gordon can do
nothing to correct him. Look at Belgium, Gordon, and tremble.
(End of Boris' thoughts on the subject.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
My take on the above is that there is an acceptance in England that if
Scotland decides to go its own way, nobody will do much to stop it;
apart from those Westminster Scottish MPs who will find themselves
where they probably belong - on the dole; what Americans sometimes
call "on relief".

The reality for England is that they have been and still are being
controlled by Scots who have no real stake in England, other than
drawing a Parliamentary salary and of course, being politicians,
getting their feet as far under the table as they can.

The original uproar and anti-Scottish attitudes of the English people
when devolution seemed to be leading to dissolution of the UK have now
subsided into an apathetic attitude of "Let them go if that's what
they want" along with the unspoken "and f*ck 'em!" in some cases and
"good luck to them!" in others.

When the EU concept was originally mooted, my understanding was that
we were to return to the days of the city states which ruled Europe,
with this difference; that non-residents could move to the area of
their choice and settle there, unlike the original city states where
incoming settlers were generally unwelcome because of the fear that
they would dilute the internal markets for local traders, artisans,
craftsmen, etc.

The only exception were the Jews, who dealt in investment money and
loans as they were mostly barred from other occupations and who, being
non-Christians, could make a living by charging interest; the charging
of interest by Christians being forbidden by Biblical prohibition.
Jews in their turn did not charge each other interest on loans, being
bound by the same Biblical prohibition.

This led to a handy little convention whereby whenever the local ruler
found himself up to his eyeballs in debt, such loans could be wiped
off the slate by holding a progrom, with all non-Jewish citizens
invited to participate. The Nazi death camps were the ultimate
examplar of this appalling solution to over-extending oneself, allied
with the pleasurable realization that the progrom participants could
pick up some valuable resources on the side as their reward for being
good Christians, once the original owners were dispossessed and
massacred.

Belgium, like North and south Scotland is a combination of two
separate cultures, but more so. Like Northern ireland it is divided on
sectarian lines - the north is Calvinist; the south is Catholic; on
racial lines; the northerners are of Dutch Germanic descent; the south
is French Celtic, and on linguistic lines; the north speaks Flemish; a
Dutch dialect; while the south speaks French.

The country is ruled by a royal family whose penchant for being really
beyond the pale has always been one of the hallmarks of Belgium; such
as using the Belgian Congo as a personal estate run on feudal lines,
to wit, near-slavery and exploitation - the very name "Belgian Congo"
being redolent of massacre and brutal fighting.

The surrender by King Léopold III to the Nazis within days of their
crossing the Belgian border, leading the Belgian public to suspect him
of collaboration and disloyalty to Belgium, resulting in him being
forced to abdicate after the war ended.

A mini-scandal involving King Baudoin for accepting bribes; a larger
scandal when Baudoin was suspected of being in love with his
stepmother, Princess Lilian, despite being married to (and you'll love
this example of the Spanish aristocracy's naming system) "Doña Fabiola
Fernanda María de las Victorias Antonia Adelaida de Mora y Aragón".
(phew!) Another scandal rocked the throne when the Belgian Congo was
given its independence, and the King personally attended the
festivities; giving a speech that was widely seen as insensitive to
the atrocities in the Congo and drew bitter comments on June 30, at
the independence day ceremony when King Baudouin made a speech
praising King Leopold II's "genius" and "tenacious courage".

This speech was widely seen as patronising and disregarding of the
undisputed historical brutality of the period of Leopold II. President
Kasa-Vubu altered his prepared speech to exclude ending remarks of
praise for King Baudouin. Prime Minister Lumumba was not due to give a
speech; according to some reports this was a deliberate exclusion.
However, he rose and gave a speech which extolled the independence
struggle "of tears, fire and blood". He attacked the Belgian Congo's
"regime of injustice, oppression and exploitation". "Nous ne sommes
plus vos singes" (We are no longer your monkeys), Lumumba told
Baudouin. This speech was well received by the Congolese who heard it.
For many Congolese, hearing a European being addressed in this way was
extraordinary, much less a king. For the king and his entourage, this
speech was an insult. It was one of the milestones of African
resentment of European exploitation.

By comparison, the House of Windsor barely gets to the starting post
with its little spats over Princess Diana, etc. And to flesh out the
picture, the inhabitants of the Essex Estuary, Queen Boudicca, the
Iceni tribe, etc, were almost certainly originally Belgian Celts.

Given the above, it is difficult to think of anything that might
hinder Scottish independence, except for resolving the never-ending
problem of Scotland sectarian problems and the destruction of the Ned
culture, exemplified by Heid thi Baa and his ilk.

The greater issue; that Belgium has managed happily for 102 days
without a government, must be causing panicked diarrhea in Westminster
and Edinburgh.

It must not be forgotten that Belgium, despite its near invisibility
to British eyes, has, like Scotland, some very attractive maritime
assets such as the ports of Antwerp, Rotterdam - until recently the
largest port in the world - Brussels, Oostende and Zeebrugge.

My superior Merkin education leads me to believe that Rotterdam is
Dutch.


Rotterdam and Antwerp are closely linked to Felixstowe in England as
the world's three largest megaports with an iron grip on the
international container trade. This appears to keep Belgium in
relative financial comfort, but Scotland's ports are also in the
running. THe figures shown at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/08/25100154/04106

reveal that Scotland has eleven major ports which accounted for 96% of
the total traffic through Scottish ports and because of its
geographical position, lies on some very favourable routes when
competing with the massive ports of Europe.

Taken overall, Scotland has been a nice lttle earner for the UK,
especially with its current oil resources and the potential for
finding more.

For example, the ownership of tiny Rockall, which measures 19m high,
25m across and 30m wide and which is claimed by Britain as part of the
former Invernessshire, is believed by geologists to sit atop
significant amounts of natural gas and oil, explaing the keen interst
taken in it by the UK, Ireland, Iceland, and Denmark, all of whom have
been bickering for years regarding territorial rights to the place. I
have no doubt that an independent Scotland would also lay claim to it,
given that it was declared part of Scotland by the UK some years ago.
The claim may be somwhat tenuous, not unlike Norway claiming Shetland
because it's closer to Oslo than Edinburgh, but who knows what
Scottish bravado and bluff might achieve - time to call in Highland
Council, whose skills in that department are legendary.

The EU may survive, but one wonders whether Belgium will. It is the
unlikeliest of countries, being cobbled together from other peoples'
estates, fiefdoms, duchies and bishoprics, yet its income is
substantial. It, like Scotland is also iffy about nuclear power and
its adjuncts, like nuclear submarines tied up in Scottish ports. The
Belgian Green Party managed to pass a law which calls for each of
Belgium's seven reactors to close after 40 years of operation with no
new reactors built subsequently. Despite the Greens losing power
later, the law had not been repealed, which gives us food for thought.

Returning to the EU, whose bottom line is a borderless Europe, it's
surprising to see how powerful regional patriotism is. We take ethnic
patriotism for granted - Scots vs. English; Highlanders vs.
Lowlanders; etc. but the fact that the northern English not only feel
completely separate from the southern English, but have even suggested
that they might break away from the UK; with some talking of union
with Scotland.

This bespeaks an underlying and I must admit on my own part,
unsuspected tribalism still alive and well in the secret hearts of us
all.

The urge to set borders and maintain them is apparently a common human
need and who knows whether we might see Northumbria, Mercia, East
Anglia, Essex, Kent, Sussex and Wessex resurrected, along with the
Danelaw and the sub-kingdoms of Bernicia and Deira, etc., hopefully
defended by our football teams and their fans, rather than mini-armies
launching attacks from Carlisle against Newcastle!

Again, reality intrudes, as such statelets can really only be
maintained by agrarian cultures; and I suspect that a hundred years
from now, we will still be answering the siren calls of the great
whores; - what the French call "The Great Horizontals!"; London,
Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Glasgow and Edinburgh, whose
revenues are tied to the country lad arriving to taste the deliciously
illicit pleasures that each offers.

Boring stuff, I'm sure, but it helps keep my sleepless nights filled.

Interesting post. From across the pond, I've never really
understood how the EU is going to work. It doesn't seem to me that
several nations are willing to give up that much sovereignity. Oh, and
de Gaulle was spot on about Belgium.....


The Highlander
Tilgibh smucaid air do làmhan,
togaibh a' bhratach dhubh agus
toisichibh a' geàrradh na sgòrnanan!

I'm flattered you read it.

So few people seem to read these days.

The Highlander
Tilgibh smucaid air do làmhan,
togaibh a' bhratach dhubh agus
toisichibh a' geàrradh na sgòrnanan!
Hey! I read it too you know?

An outstanding one of the few!
I thought you might - you don't miss anything!

The Highlander
Tilgibh smucaid air do làmhan,
togaibh a' bhratach dhubh agus
toisichibh a' geàrradh na sgòrnanan!
Actually I was not doing much for a while as I was very busy.
I'm probably going off line for a day or two again.
I just bought myself a new greenhouse kit.
I grew several standard Fuchsias from little cuttings and I already have
several large pots of Fuchsias that need to come in for the Winter months.
I do have a small conservatory but it is not large enough to hold
everything.
If the new greenhouse is anything like the usual it will take a lot of
figuring out as most of these things have instruction books in rather
strangled English.

It's worse here - everything comes in French and English!

The Highlander
Tilgibh smucaid air do làmhan,
togaibh a' bhratach dhubh agus
toisichibh a' geàrradh na sgòrnanan!
The problem is that the instruction writer has no real command of English, French or any other European language.
I laughed yesterday when I was unpacking the bits to get to the instruction book. My wee dog ran barking to the gate, it usually means one of her many friends is passing. It was a young lady who always stops to pat the dog. I went to the gate to speak with her. She spotted the instruction book and said, "Best throw that away and just build the thing, it will only confuse you". That's one wee lassie wise beyond her 14 - 16 years. I subsequently did become confused by the instructions but on looking at the actual kit o bits it is straightforward.
--
Auld Bob Peffers,
Kelty,
Fife,
Scotland, (UK).

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: The Belgian crisis - a road map for Scotland?
    ... Belgium, that state de Gaulle claimed had been invented by the British ... Belgian creation of 1830 is capable of falling apart, ... Scotland decides to go its own way, nobody will do much to stop it; ... giving a speech that was widely seen as insensitive to ...
    (soc.culture.scottish)
  • Re: The Belgian crisis - a road map for Scotland?
    ... Belgium, that state de Gaulle claimed had been invented by the British ... Belgian creation of 1830 is capable of falling apart, ... Scotland decides to go its own way, nobody will do much to stop it; ... giving a speech that was widely seen as insensitive to ...
    (soc.culture.scottish)
  • Re: The Belgian crisis - a road map for Scotland?
    ... Belgium, that state de Gaulle claimed had been invented by the British ... Belgian creation of 1830 is capable of falling apart, ... Scotland decides to go its own way, nobody will do much to stop it; ... giving a speech that was widely seen as insensitive to ...
    (soc.culture.scottish)
  • Re: The Belgian crisis - a road map for Scotland?
    ... Belgium, that state de Gaulle claimed had been invented by the British ... Belgian creation of 1830 is capable of falling apart, ... Scotland decides to go its own way, nobody will do much to stop it; ... giving a speech that was widely seen as insensitive to ...
    (soc.culture.scottish)
  • Re: The Belgian crisis - a road map for Scotland?
    ... Belgium has been without a government. ... and while Scottish MPs are able to vote on English ... Scotland decides to go its own way, nobody will do much to stop it; ... giving a speech that was widely seen as insensitive to ...
    (soc.culture.scottish)
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