At the throat of the continent

Like a lot of peoples whose communities have grown up around the coastal waters of northern Europe, the Flemish, or Flemings, of Flanders are a nation held together by their culture, language and history, whilst being stuck in the political regions of other larger powers.

More than six million Flemings live and work in a region that’s spread out over France, Belgium and the Netherlands, originally called the Vlaanderen meaning ‘flooded land’.

Since 862 A.D. they’ve been fought over, invaded, passed around and divided; attacked by the Spanish Inquisition (didn’t see it coming apparently) and withstood the full wrath of Rome over the Reformation.

They illustrate better than anyone the playground mentality that has governed Europe over the centuries; smaller kids trying to get on with their lives whilst quietly hoping to escape the attention of the big bullies marauding about the place and annoying everyone.

Flemish culture survives today through food and festivals as-well as the odd poem, and they even have their own parliament, which represents the Flemish Nation, where feelings of romantic nationalism still run high.

In 2006 some of the more zany elements within the Flemish nationalist movement used a well known TV station to announce that ‘independence’ had been declared and the King and Queen of Belgium had fled the country. They admitted that it was only a joke about 30 minutes later but not before they had sent the entire French region of Belgium into an almighty panic – you crazy kids!

That’s just the kind of country we should all aspire to live in.

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