Belgium

[Chocobo]

Hi, if anyone here knows some information on Belgium please lemme know. I currently reside in the states but I really wanna get the fuck out of here and I heard that Belgium was a rather spectacular place both socially and politically. I plan on going to college (university) and I really dont know anything about Belgium.

I also heard that military in Belgium is a complete defensive military, and belgium being what it is I dont expect it to be doing any globalization soon. Are there military benefits in Belgium like there are in the states? Any benefits?

Any info is extremly appreciated! Thanks!

[Tower of Bebel]

- There are a few comrades from Belgium like myself (an anarchist, Simon, Psychosis, ...).

- Belgium is a federal state with 3 governments. There was a dispute between Flemish (Dutch speakers) and Walloons (French speakers), and since then the government was split up into three govenrments (Brussels as well has a government because it's neither 100% Flemish, nor Walloon). The three regions (Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels) have self-government in many spheres.

- Yes, the army is only aimed on the defense and it also serves to bring aid (tents, medics, clearing minefields). You can say we clean up the mess after Israel or the US has bombed the hell out of the place (like Libanon). Because it's only defensive the army is called 'defensie/la defence'. Administration sucks, I know because I'm a reservist. In Europe both the Italian and the Belgian army is used as an example amongst high officers to explain how not to finance the army. I don't think there are benefits by joining the Belgian army. People aren't very patriotic here, even the Flemish who vote Vlaams Belang (see further down) aren't real nationalists.

- Belgium and Scandinavia are known for their social security.

- In America politics is dominated by two parties: liberals and conservative liberals. In Belgium politics can be dominated by christian-democrats, social-democrats and liberals and then you have a green party that can be used to form a majority. In Flanders since a few years we also have a popular party on the extreme right wing: "Vlaams Belang" ("Flemish importance"), a bunch of Flemish nationalists, ready to split Flanders from Belgium at all costs. But this party cannot rule (for now), as all other parties franticly try to form a majority without it. It's a politcal strategy obtained by the government and is called here: "cordon sanitair".

They think they can stop this right wing party by expulsion from government but today Vlaams Belang already has almost 30 percent of the voters in Flanders. It's because the social democrats suck and there is no alternative. Every goddamn party is neoliberal in some way. Vlaams Belang grows because of dissatisfaction, just like the NSDAP in Germany did under Weimar.

- Left wing parties: Maoist: PVDA/PTB (party of the workers), Trotskyist: LSP/MAS (leftist socialist party) and SAP/LCR (socialist worker's party), Almost dead: KP/PC (communist party), ...
There is also SP.a (socialist party (but) different), but these are social-democrats that suck as. Since there are 3 governments and 2 main languages all bourgeois parties have split up into 2 parties (Walloons and Flemish). only the communist parties tend to stay national parties and toghether they're called small-left because they don't get that many votes.

- For more info on anarchist movements you should contact 'an anarchist'. Leuven is a good place for anarchists who visit Belgium I guess.

- Where would you like to study?

EDIT

- We don't have a specifique culture, I guess Belgians look like the French in many ways, only more northern (but still good food, not like the Dutch who suck at food :P ). Belgians are famous for chocolates and beer, and many people can speak multiple languages (Dutch, French, German, English, and other).

- Wether: like in England

- To be proud of: (Marx wrote his communist manifesto in Brussels, Lenin was in Belgium in 1903 ;) , in comparison we have the biggest and most powerful trade unions (but the leaders suck ass and want to be friends with the bourgeoisie)) Jean-Claude Van Damme :D

- Our king is Albert II, he's a nice guy, but his role as king should be abolished!

[Chocobo]

Wow, lot of info there. Thank you very much!

I studied french a slight bit and have a basic understanding, so perhaps ill put some more time into it.


Where would you like to study?
Im not really sure :P , anywhere that can get me a job as a teacher/professor I suppose.

Thanks again!

[An archist]

twice wow
1: someone is interested enough in our shite little country to actually start a thread about it :P
2: Way to go raccoon for the explanation

Now, the most important thing about Belgium (according to me) is it's beers. Belgium, Poland and Germany are usually in the top three of most beer usage per head. Therefore, these three countries have lots and lots of different kinds of beers (Belgium is one of the only countries were abbey beer is still brewed, 5 of the world 8 abbey beers are brewed here)
However, globalization and capitalism are taking their toll. Inbev, one of the largest brewery concerns in the world (if not the largest), took over the breweries of the most drank pilses here: stella, jupiler and maes. So the tastes got kinda mixed up into an all-round pils.
Fortanutely, there are some who resist! There are about 500 kinds of beer in Belgium :wub: .
Recomended ones (most not owned by inbev, if they are: so be it):

-Koninck
-Duvel
-Chimay
-Troll
-Bush(warning 12 degrees alcohol)
-Leffe
-Jupiler (still good)
-Gueuze (made only round Brussels)
-Carapils (no one likes their first, it's cheap as hell, but when you've been low on money for a while you'll want nothing else)
-..

I'll add more when I think of more

[Tower of Bebel]

Ahum, anarchism in Leuven please; I'm not familiar with it, but it's interesting to know I guess.
Balthier, are you a communist or an anarchist?

[Chocobo]

Sounds like a party :)


Balthier, are you a communist or an anarchist?
I dont really have a political title, I really just study everything (Like objectivism as of now...which is garbage, truely). Id say im more promotional of communism then anarchism but I really stick with promoting socialism if anything. I'm not anti-either of them, and im not saying i'm sympathetic to capitalism either, I just never really felt that the titles fit me since I choose to take as much of a non-biased look as possible.

[Boriznov]

I am also from Belgium from the flemish part. There is still lot of poverty in this country even with it's social health care.

[somebodywhowantedtoleaveandnotcomeback]

You... want to come to Belgium?

:o

Why? :lol:

And yeah, what the raccoon and the anarcho punk kid said.

Beer for everyone! Also, the best pot in the world (perhaps only surpassed by the dutchies, but you really don't want to go there ;) )

[midnight marauder]

My family is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly a colony of Belgium. I live in America, but Zaire was very heavily segregated.

How prevalent is racism in Belgium?

[Tower of Bebel]

Originally posted by [email protected] 29, 2007 02:05 am
My family is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly a colony of Belgium. I live in America, but Zaire was very heavily segregated.

How prevalent is racism in Belgium?
Like in most countries right wing movements get more support and therefor also racism grows. Yet most people are definately not racist, even the most voters from extreme right parties are no racists. This year more than a hundred people wanted to get married by a black magistrate. He got famous because three couples refused to get married by a black person. Many people were astonished.

[Boriznov]

Remember Raccoon that former nazi's formed the Vlaams Blok partij back in the day. Also the nsv has a nazi symbol in there flag. Racism still exists and in my area it's 50 50

[eXacto]

@ An Archist : Inbev is indeed the biggest brewer of the world , they're so big that they relocated some beers to other factorys (Hoegaarden for an exemple) and they fired many many ppl , and replaced them by the much cheaper workers from Brazil .Capitalist scum. And Carapils sucks ! I can't drink that sh*t it's really disgusting (and Maes is disgusting too)!