July 21

I just did something I never did before. I listened to the king's speech for our national holiday. Frankly, I did not expect an invigorating speech for a small country in near agony by its head of state, but almost anything would have been more inspirational than what it turned out to be.

Be that as it may ; in a way it was really "Belgian".

July 21, the national day of a country almost nobody loves. Real patriots are a very rare species indeed in Belgium, even among "belgicists" and "unitarists". Belgium is not and never was an inspiring project. It was born 138 years ago out of compromise. And it has lived all these years on compromise upon compromise. It was an agreeable, useful and tolerant way of life. And it is being killed now by hard headed, petty, bigoted politicians.

But, in my opinion, it is one thousand times better than any possible alternative. That is why I am and will remain a staunch belgicist. But one who will never cry "Leve België !".