No *true* Belgian

Peephole said:
The Belgian anthem has two versions, a French one and a Dutch one. Leterme (who is Flemish) was interviewed in French, so he probably wanted to sing the French version but obviously ****ed up.
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Apparently there's a german version too.

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ddt said:
Yep, a 10-million people country needs 7 governments.
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Needs?! That's really stretching it!! "has 7 governments" would be far more correct...

About Limburgers: the standard joke is that they actually don't belong to the country (apart from implying they're way stupid (how original) and speak veeerrrryyyy slooowwwlllyyyy going uuuuup aaand doooown in tone several times for every word they speak, which is kinda true. Example: Q. Name a pet from Limburg that has 15 letters. A. A caaaaaaaaaaaaat). Disclaimer: I don't necessarily agree with these jokes, our country is too small to safely insult them ;)

BTW: I'm glad to hear we're apparently not the only not-so-nationalistic country. Though I definitely had a very different impression while I visited the US. Public events always seem to start by singing the national anthem while standing, which is completely unimaginable here in Belgium.
 
lauwersw said:
Needs?! That's really stretching it!!
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Wouldn't the country already have broken up without the ongoing federalization efforts? How is it nowadays with Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde, BTW? :rolleyes:

lauwersw said:
"has 7 governments" would be far more correct...
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Nitpick: has 6 governments. The Flemish merged the regional government with the community government. ;)

lauwersw said:
About Limburgers: the standard joke is that they actually don't belong to the country (apart from implying they're way stupid (how original) and speak veeerrrryyyy slooowwwlllyyyy going uuuuup aaand doooown in tone several times for every word they speak, which is kinda true. Example: Q. Name a pet from Limburg that has 15 letters. A. A caaaaaaaaaaaaat). Disclaimer: I don't necessarily agree with these jokes, our country is too small to safely insult them ;)
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Thanks for the explanation. Shall we swap the two Limburgs? We think they don't actually belong too. :D
 
US Nationalism is tricky at best and anarchy at worse. We are a country founded on the principles of disagreeing with those in current power. Protesting the government is an enshrined value. Even when it is stupid and unfounded. Or unless you are in power or support those currently in power. Then protesting is unpatriotic. Until you loose the next election. :D
 
Shrike said:
Belgien, Belgien über alles?
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Ein Reich, Ein volk, Ein Belgium. Actually not so much, but plenty of platitudes about cleansing the ground with the blood of one's enemies, respecting the fatherland, and such. Pretty standard anthem themes really.

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ddt said:
Wouldn't the country already have broken up without the ongoing federalization efforts?
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Good remark. Possibly. It's only that we also have to pay all those people, while they do a certain amount of work three or four times.

ddt said:
How is it nowadays with Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde, BTW? :rolleyes:
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A nice example of what's wrong with politics in general and how federal constructions manage to get the worst out of it :( The solution is easy, but one side thinks the other side is receiving something unfairly (which is not really the case here) and wants some compensation. We have lots of nice examples, like unused bridges over a highway, a very expensive elevator for ships that's economic nonsense and so on...

ddt said:
Nitpick: has 6 governments. The Flemish merged the regional government with the community government. ;)
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I gave up following on that. I just pay my taxes and get on with my life :)


ddt said:
Thanks for the explanation. Shall we swap the two Limburgs? We think they don't actually belong too. :D
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Swap? No thanks, you can get ours for free :)

Actually the situation in Limburg is improving lately, they managed to finally get some economic projects running after they closed the mines. Maybe you can get Brussels now, that's the only part of the country that really nobody wants. Or we should maybe put it under direct supervision of Europe?
 
Andrew Wiggin said:
Ein Reich, Ein volk, Ein Belgium. Actually not so much, but plenty of platitudes about cleansing the ground with the blood of one's enemies, respecting the fatherland, and such. Pretty standard anthem themes really.
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[mode=grouch]
Yeah, standard stuff. And yet we're told wwe can't have an anthem whose words are all about fighting for freedom and not being a slave, because it's "anti-English" - when the word "England" doesn't even appear in the text at all.
[/mode]

Just for information, here's the words we're told are too racist and zenophobic to be allowed.

Scots, wha hae wi' Wallace bled,
Scots, wham Bruce has aften led,
Welcome tae yer gory bed,
Or tae victory.
Now's the day, and now's the hour:
See the front o' battle lour,
See approach proud Edward's power -
Chains and slavery.

Wha will be a traitor knave?
Wha will fill a coward's grave?
Wha sae base as be a slave?
Let him turn and flee.
Wha, for Scotland's king and law,
Freedom's sword will strongly draw,
Freeman stand, or Freeman fa',
Let him follow me.

By oppression's woes and pains,
By your sons in servile chains!
We will drain our dearest veins,
But they shall be free.
Lay the proud usurpers low,
Tyrants fall in every foe,
Liberty's in every blow! -
Let us do or dee.

ETA: Words written by our universally-acknowledged greatest national poet, and the tune is one of great antiquity, apparently being sung by the Scots soldiers who fought in the army of Joan of Arc.

Rolfe.
 
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Yah. It is pretty sad when even the french have a bloodier anthem. Actually, the french anthem is one of the bloodier ones, and really the prototype for fatherland/bloodbath anthems. It gets all that into the first verse.

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fleabeetle said:
And some people try to tell us that Belgium is a boring place -- not so at all, it would seem !

From some recent posts, I'm getting a perverse desire to take a holiday around Eupen / Malmedy: seemingly a little-heard-of region which few seem to have a good word for...
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Boring Belgium is one of those myths.I've been here since 1975 and I wouldn't live anywhere else.
 
Andrew Wiggin said:
Yah. It is pretty sad when even the french have a bloodier anthem. Actually, the french anthem is one of the bloodier ones, and really the prototype for fatherland/bloodbath anthems. It gets all that into the first verse.

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The Welsh National anthem is one of the peaceful ones.

Cymraeg

Mae hen wlad fy nhadau yn annwyl i mi
Gwlad beirdd a chantorion enwogion o fri
Ei gwrol ryfelwr, gwlad garwyr tra mad
Tros ryddid collasant eu gwaed.

Gwlad Gwlad,
Pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad,
Tra môr yn fur i'r bur hoff bau
O bydded i'r hen iaith barhau

English:

Land of my Fathers, O land of the free,
A land of poets and minstrels, famed men.
Her brave warriors, patriots much blessed,
It was for freedom that they lost their blood.

Wales! Wales!,
I am devoted to my country.
So long as the sea is a wall to this fair beautiful land,
May the ancient language remain.
 
dafydd said:
Pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad,

I am devoted to my country.
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Thank you. I've asked a lot of people, even in Wales, what the words on the milled edge of the Welsh pound coins mean, and this is the first time I've had an answer.

By the way, of course the Welsh don't mention Edward II. His Dad was responsible for annexing Wales into England in the late 13th century. He then tried the same thing with Scotland, to somewhat less effect. Which is why we do sing songs about it, despite 1601/1707.

Rolfe.
 
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zooterkin said:
Well, not entirely:



At least it doesn't mention Prince Edward, who the Scots seemed to be obsessed with. :)
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At least it doesn't harp on about destroying your enemies,as some other anthems are wont to do.
 
Yeah, both the Scots and the Welsh ones are about defending your freedom, not annexing someone else's territory. Come to that, even the French one is only about slaughtering their fellow-countrymen, not other nations!

Rolfe.
 
dafydd said:
Boring Belgium is one of those myths.I've been here since 1975 and I wouldn't live anywhere else.
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On the several vists I've made, I've certainly liked the country and, mostly, the people. I find northern Belgium anaesthetically dull scenery-wise, but it has the ace art-and-architecture stuff; and the south of the country is scenically very attractive.
 
Nick Bogaerts said:
Have we English decided that God Save the Queen is our national anthem, or are we still flip-flopping between that and Land of Hope and Glory, occasionally throwing in Jerusalem when we get bored?
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Jerusalem clearly wins. Why? ELP covered it. You're not going to hear ELP bother with the other two.
 
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