All local council proceedings must be in Dutch, even in a couple of communes where the mayor and most local politicians are Walloon.

ECONOMIST: Rows over who should speak in which tongue have got worse

There was no majority for the king in the Walloon region or in the Brussels district - but in areas like Flanders, there was a 72% majority for the king's return.

BBC: 1950: Government falls as Belgians vote for king

He says he does not seek immediate secession but wants the Belgian federal shell gradually to dissolve into the EU. He has a vision not only of Flemish emancipation but of economic liberty: Flanders should be permitted to develop a liberal economy less burdened by Walloon demands for social transfers.

ECONOMIST: Charlemagne

Wales's language disputes are certainly nothing to those of Belgium, where personal relations between the Flemish and Walloon communities can be rancorous, or of Quebec, where English-speakers have left in droves. (In fact, the English continue to come to Wales in substantial numbers, something many language activists deplore.) Even those who do not speak the language say they are proud of it.

ECONOMIST: The Welsh language: Patriot games | The