Given the size of Belgium, every train is a commuter train.

But yes, I took three days off from Tuesday, because I was planning a day trip to London on Wednesday. For a while, Eurostar service was cancelled, but it ran again on Wednesday morning, so I was able to go, and to take a photo of this London Taxi, sporting a digital billboards on its roof, like New York taxis do.

Except on the afternoon, the ads were replaced by a belgian flag and a text saying something like "London stands with Bruxelles".



Note that they spelled "Bruxelles" in French, instead of "Brussels". I wonder if any expat Flemish separatist will dare to complain about that.

This is one of the reasons, why these incidents were possible...

Uh ? Could you explain your point ?

It's the annoying and grotesque Belgian language conflict, which wastes a lot of all kind of ressources and causes a plenty of confused results by "frictional losses" (literally translated from German). For example incapable authorities, which doesn't work together, so that important informations are getting lost.

Of course, the very most intelligence services in the very most countries often produces epic fails or don't produce anything usable, also in Germany, where due the federal system the domestic intelligence services and the police are ruled by the local federal states, but in Belgium the language problematic is annother serious and boosting problem.

Maybe you know, that for that reason in quite a lot of other countries Belgium is seen as a kind of "failed state".

Another problem is Europe-wise: there is no equivalent to USA's FBI, as people can travel freely between states it would probably better.

A short briefing for our American and Asian fellows:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O37yJBFRrfg

(bur for us EU-people, too)

small addiction for more details in the North:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsXMe8H6iyc

I see. And indeed the complex structure of Belgium makes things difficult. And I've heard the accusations of "failed state", all coming from obviously perfect countries where everybody lives in harmony, with no unemployment or social tensions.

But when I read your first reply, it implied that whoever from that London taxi company who typed Brussels in French instead of English, was partially the cause of Tuesday's attack. Or at least that's what I understood.

Well, of course, all countries have their own problems, nowhere everything is perfect -sorry, this is not meant to be an an anti-Belgian-offense, but this language conflict makes the things -not only these things- not better. And compared with other conflicts and problems it's a really redundant topic. It's bad when such redundant rubbish causes much worse incidents.

Yes, the German security authorities, especially the intelligent services were also notoriuos know for epic fails and incredible bullshit-cobblework, but the times have begun to change. It started with the Charlie Hebdo-attacs, increased a bit (but way not enough) with the refugee-wave since last autumn, but since
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year's_Eve_sexual_assaults_in_Germany
the wind has really changed. Fortunately. In the past the inability to handle the organized crime was a pain in the ass, plus terrible sorfthearted judgements by "good-minded" judges and their political correctness-wanking.

Now we have -finally- razzias, done in the parallel societies - which indeed exists in Germany. In some town-districts the circumstances aren't that extreme as in the Parisian banlieues, but quite close to Molenbeek. But as it seems, there are first hints, that our authorities now -for decades too late- come along with the "iron broomstick". Let's hope, that they will continue.


On the other hand this pain-in-the-ass rabble

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pegida

is indeed not really a nationwide problem. They are mainly active in the former DDR, especially Saxony. But there indeed quite heavy, so over there there are indeed partly topics visible in direction "failed state".
But for the rest of Germany, especially here in the old west, it's not a real seroius topic. Over here the social residuum is less thick and here are no DDR-remnants existing at all. So when you strictly boycott that area and ignore these chvy morons, you aren't in touch with that junk at all.

...like many foreigner-critical organizations. I wonder why that is so? Because we lost territory in the East after WWII but not in the West?

No, it has nearly nothing to do with the WWII, but much more with the education and the circumstances after 1945.
When the communists came over in 1945 from Moscow (theis East German satellite was the communist party SED, they bullied banished all "capitalists" -owner of factories, but also free farmers and ranchers- but also the majority of the bourgeoisie.
The result was, that the most of the 2.7 million (of 18 million citizens in that area) East German refugees until The Wall came at the 13.8.1961 were well educated middle and upper class people. The most of the proletariat stayed there.

After 1990 this trend continued. Until now 1.7 million East German (of 17 million DDR-citizens in 1989) has left their country. Again the younger, smarter and better educated ones, especially many girls.

So the translation of "DDR" - "der dämliche Rest" (= "the stupid leftovers") from the 50ies is still valid.

After over 40 communism it was no well-educated and wealthy bourgeoisie left over in East Germany. And its grwoing after 1990 is very weak.
So except in big and university towns on the East German countryside the majority of the inhabitants belongs to the underclass.

Nearly all large Germany companies, trusts, banks and insurances still have their headquarters -with the well paid upper class- in the old West.


In the North half of East Germany there's also a problem with much older roots: also before DDR-times there no rich bourgeosie existed there, no industry, no universities, plus the historical fact, that serfage was usual there in an intensive way until the early 19th century. So there were no free farmers and ranchers neither.
Remains of the common Untertanengeist (servile spirit) are still noticeable.


About the lost German countries after WWII: the 14 million refugees and expellees after 1944/1945 tried to escape for the the Soviet Army and the following communist regimes, so the fled mostly to the Western Occupation Zones = West Germany. So not too many stayed in the DDR.


P.S. To come back to topic: the problem with the parallel societies in Germany is caused by all German governments of the last 65 years. Because all failed in an epic way with their immigration politics.
To be precise: because they didn't made anything. No kidding: even today Germany has not a real immigration law at all

The second part is true but the language issue in Brussels is there for good reason, it's really a Flemish city that was lost https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francization_of_Brussels
Perhaps antp's surname is a reminder of that? Not sure. (I actually haven't heard it elsewhere.)

More important right now is that in Molenbeek and other towns on the Brussels edge you have descendants of mainly Moroccan guest workers from the 60s and 70s who are still not integrated for various reasons, although they have access to the social security and education system like everyone else, and who are susceptible to radicalization from abroad. Saudi Arabia sponsors radical mosques in Brussels for example.

There were many other groups of immigrants in Belgium, Turkish, Italian, Chinese, who have all integrated, but the Moroccan community for some reason does not, as is also the case in The Netherlands. That's also a country where a public debate is possible, since Theo van Gogh's murder in particular and thanks to people like Ayaan Hirsi Ali, but not all European countries are at that stage yet.

Well Brussels is a Brabant city, historically Brabant and Flanders weren't really friends
300 years ago it was not French vs Dutch/Flemish areas: the rich/influential people were often speaking French, and the regular people were speaking a lot of different regional languages.
In Belgium they tried to impose the French language to "join" the country. People speaking Romance languages switched more easily to French (those speaking Walloon, Picard, etc.), those speaking Flemish, Brabantian, Limbourgish, etc. didn't. So they later added the Dutch as second official language.
So in a way those currently speaking French are not those who tried to impose French to the others as only language, they are just those which were "converted" to French unlike the others.

Nowadays the city is officially bilingual but in the end there are not many Flemish-speaking people left living in it (a lot come working in it, though) and it seems that often Flemish people do not like the city. A few years ago the Flemish government tried to give money bonus to Flemish who came living to Brussels, but it didn't work that much it seems.

One thing that may have worked better would be to have the whole country bilingual rather than just Brussels area; ironically that was refused by Wallonia years ago, back when the fears were reversed because Wallonia was more powerful.

Also, if schools were bilingual all kids could learn both languages: that's at that age that languages are learned easily. But each community is afraid of losing things to the other, so they keep separated things that shouldn't be.


Originally from Germany it seems (I have very distant relative there that made researches).
My parents met when they were living near Brussels, in Meise (where their parents lived), despite being native French speakers, at that time there were less linguistic problems there...

Often the French-speaking having Dutch-origin names are from when the Wallonia was richer: people moved from the (back then) poor Flanders to the more prosperous regions.

This is an important (but ignored by the politics and governments over decades ) problem in Germany, too. Often with North African guys, but not that much as in francophone countries, also often with Lebanese and Turkish blokes. It's in the very most cases also the second and third generation. Of course we have several specific ethnic mafia-structures, too, but usually they are on their own and people, who didn't belong to their ethnic group, don't see anything about that, but "parallel societies" in its orign meaning is mostly applied to those people from the Maghreb and also Turkey.
But since the New Year 2016 incidents (at least all perpretrotors were Mahgreb-blokes, many with false Syrian refugee-papers) the wind has strongly changed, either by police and secret services but also by the public opinion and the medias.




From the Northwest from Germany I think and presumably it may be based on potter/pottery maker. The word "Pott" is originally used in that area in te same meaning as "pot" and (ceramic made) jar.
http://www.dict.cc/?s=pott

...and I can confirm that it is slang for "mug" (especially when filled with coffee) up here in the north!

Actually there are a plenty of offended comments in German medias and on German websites about M.Bart de Wever's (Mayor of Antwerpen) statement.

Maybe it's questionable, if he had done his job all the time most properly and faultless - but he isn't totally wrong anyways. But still mainly. The most important reason for the actual problems isn't the handling of the actual refugee-crisis, it's rather the total and epic fail of the whole immigration politics of the last decades in Germany. The conservative/liberal politicians have always said "Germany is no immigration country. So we don't need any immigration laws. The forigners are guestworkers and will go home again" - epic fail. The socialdemocratic/leftwinged and especially green politicians have always said "We want to have a colurful, multicultural Germany. Integration is against the human rights"

So noone did do anything right. Actually noone did do anything.

But since the 1.1.2016 these opinions collapsed. There are some ideologic afterpains, but it seems, the most people do understand now, that the whole German immigration politics since the 50ies was a total disaster.

Mr. De Wever makes a lot of statements so had to look it up. He called Germany's refugee policy an "epic failure"? That's sad as he used to be a real admirer of Merkel. I hope he's still a fan of London mayor Boris Johnson... Bart De Wever is really the shadow prime minister of Belgium, he has more influence than the actual prime minister.

Which means a big turn to the right, the immigration laws have been tightened, ending import brides and easy family reunification, but that's only in the past 3 years. Before that you had no control either. Antwerp and Molenbeek were run by socialists for too long.

A very interesting discussion going on. I must find out more about this.

Sometimes I'm really happy to live in a country that sucks a lot also for immigrants.

Italy is beautiful, you can't say it sucks.

In the 50s that's the Italians who were the "bad" immigrants here