The People's Will

A recent poll, published in La Libre Belgique, suggests that most Flemings and Walloons want to remain united within the Belgian state:

According to the newspaper only 12 percent want a split of the Kingdom of Belgium. Even the Flemish aren’t really keen on a separate state. Just 22 percent desire the final end of Belgium and the birth of an independent Flanders. On the other hand 40 percent of all Belgians would like to see the unitary state back, which existed until the early 1970s. Obviously, they have enough of the internal border that is dividing the country along the languages. 32 percent favour handing over more power to the existing regions.

Reassuring as the results sound, however, there is a danger of becoming complacent. I highly doubt that "The People's Will" is really the deciding factor here. It is important not to underestimate the power of destructive but determined minorities.