A frustrated Belgian citizen has posted, for sale on eBay, the state of Belgium. As you all know, Belgium has not been able to put together a government because the Flemish and Walloon politicians have not managed to reach a deal, many months after the elections. Calls for the independence of Flanders are getting louder. Flanders is very prosperous and speaks Flemish; Wallonia is very poor, a recipient of charity from the Flemish and of course they speak French. It was the other way around before World War II. Wallonia was prosperous and the French-speaking Belgians controlled Belgium, forcing the Flemish to speak French, conduct official affairs in French, and worship the French-speaking king. There’s so much animosity right now between the two groups, it’s hard to see how long Belgium can last. The Flemish resent how the Walloons still continue demanding such a huge voice and of course money from the wealthier Flemish region.

Back to the eBay “sale” of Belgium:

[Gerrit] Six placed the advertisement on Saturday, offering free delivery, but pointing out that the country was coming secondhand and that potential buyers would have to take on over $300 billion (euro220 billion) in national debt.

eBay pulled the ad after having bidding reached 10 million EUR.

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