I see the EU has given some grey gentleman from a grey country the title of “President”. Well, I for one, do not recognise him as representing me. I suspect that many other RR members feel the same. Therefore can we just refer to him as the “Belgian bloke” in any future threads?

As far as the unelected Labour peer Baroness Ashton, who was parachuted into Mandy Prince of Browness’ old job as unelected commissioner, she is now EU Foreign spokesthingy. AAAARGH!!
_________________
Dreaming the dream; living the nightmare.

Who?
_________________
Shit dits sink ships.

Fret not; his best friend is Tin Tin.

They don’t want somebody too charismatic or gobby too soon as it would give away too many clues to the Federal future.

The United States of Europe will be with us soon.... (USE)
_________________
24 hours in a day, 24 tinnies in a crate, coincidence? I think not...

The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it.

Can anyone name ten (real) famous Belgians apart from Audrey Hepburn & Herge?
_________________
Watch and shoot, watch and shoot.

How long, then, until the civil war?

Aerts, Jean, cyclist
Albert I, King of Belgium from 1909 to 1934
Albert II, King of Belgium since August 1993
Arfeuille, Walter, Guinness Record - lifted 281.5kg a distance of 17cm off the ground with his teeth in 1990
Baekeland, Leo Hendrik, inventor of the synthetic resin known as "bakelite"
Becue, Brigitte, swimmer
Beernaert, Auguste, winner of the 1909 Nobel Peace Prize and prime minister of Belgium (1884-1894)
Bègue, Lambert le, first priest to organise communities of Beguines
Bekaert, Leo Leander, founder of Bekaert N.V.
Benoit, Peter, composer and founder of the Royal Flemish Conservatory
Berghmans, Ingrid, judo champion
Bertrand, Plastic, punk/rock singer of 'Ca Plane Pour Moi' fame
Binchois, Gilles, 15th century composer
Bolland, Jean, Flemish Jesuit and hagiographer
Bologne, Jean, Flemish sculptor
Bordet, Jules, bacteriologist who developed vaccine for whooping cough
Bosman, Jean-Marc, footballer who changed the transfer rules
Boudewijn, King of Belgium from 1951 to 1993
Bourignon, Antoinette, mystic and advocate of quietism
Boutsen, Thiery, Formula 1 driver
Brel, Jacques, legendary chansonnier / singer
Brouwer, Adriaen, painter
Bruegel the Elder, Pieter, painter
Cammaerts, Emile Leon, poet
Campin, Robert, painter
Ceulemans, Jan, international football player
Ceulemans, Raymond, 17-times Word Champion billiard player
Claes, Ernest, novelist and short-story writer
Claes, Willy, ex-NATO Secretary General
Claiborne, Liz, fashion designer
Claude, Albert, biochemist who was the first to isolate a cancer cell
Claus, Hugo, poet, dramatist, novelist and film writer
Clijsters, Kim, world-class tennis player
Coninx, Stijn, director of "Daens" (nominated for an Oscar® in 1992)
Conscience, Hendrik, novelist and short-story writer who "taught the people how to read"
Coopman, Jean-Pierre, the only Belgian boxer ever to fight the great Mohammed Ali
Cooreman, Gerhard, prime minister of Belgium (1918)
Cortázar, Julio, writer
Cuisenaire, Georges, Belgian teacher famous for his method of teaching mathematics
Culliford, Pierre, alias "Peyo", the creator of "The Smurfs"
Damien, Father (Pater Damiaan), missionary on the leper island of Molokai, Hawaii
David, Gerard, Flemish painter
Davidse, Bob, TV presenter ("Nonkel Bob" from "Tip Top")
d'Alviella, Count Goblet, prime minister of Belgium (1831, 1832-34)
d'Anethan, Jules Joseph, prime minister of Belgium (1870-71)
De Bériot, Charles, violinist
De Broqueville, Charles, prime minister of Belgium (1911-18, 1932-34)
De Brouckere, Henri, prime minister of Belgium (1852-55)
De Burlet, Jules, prime minister of Belgium (1894-96)
Deckers, Jeanne (Soeur Sourire), who had a number one hit in the US with 'Dominique'
De Clercq, Guy, water skier
De Decker, Pierre, prime minister of Belgium (1855-57)
De Duve, Christian, winner of the 1974 Nobel Prize for Physiology and discoverer of lysosomes and peixosomes
De Ghelderode, Michel, dramatist
Dehaene, Jean-Luc, Prime Minister of Belgium (1992-99)
De Muelenare, Felix Amand, prime minister of Belgium (1831-32)
De Rore, Cyprien, Belgian composer who produced the first score for voices
De Sauvage, Count, prime minister of Belgium (1831)
De Smedt, Edward, chemist and inventor of modern-day road asphalt
De Smet, Pierre Jean, missionary
De Smet de Nayer, Paul, prime minister of Belgium (1896-1907)
De Theux, Bartholemy Theodore, prime minister of Belgium (1834-40, 1846-47)
De Trooz, Jules, prime minister of Belgium (1907-08)
De Vlaeminck, Eric, cyclo-cross champion
De Vlaeminck, Roger, cyclist
De Vriendt, Cornelis Floris, designer of Antwerp Town Hall
De Wiart, Henri Carton, prime minister of Belgium (1920-21)
De Wilde, Etienne, track cyclist (Silver medal at Sydney 2000)
Des Prez, Josquin, composer
Deburghgraeve, Fred, 100m Breaststroke Gold medal winner at Atlanta 96 and ex-World Record holder
Delacroix, Leon, prime minister of Belgium (1918-20)
Delstanche, Charles, pioneer in otology
Delvaux, Paul, surrealist painter
Demeulemeester, Ann, fashion designer
Denijn, Jef, campanology expert
Duvieusart, Jean Pierre, prime minister of Belgium (1950)
Egmont, Lamoral, general and statesman
Ensor, James Sidney, painter
Eyskens, Gaston, prime minister of Belgium (1949-50, 1958-61, 1968-72)
Eyskens, Marc, prime minister of Belgium (1981)
Ferdi, Will, singer and first Belgian personality to announce he was gay (real name Werner Ferdinande)
Franck, César Auguste, composer and organist
Franquin, Andre, creator of the "Guust Flater" and "Marsupilami" comic series
Frere-Orban, H J Walthere, prime minister of Belgium (1857-70, 1878-84)
Frimout, Dirk, the first Belgian astronaut to enter space
Fyt, Jan, painter and etcher
Geboers, Eric, moto-cross rider
Gerlache, Adrien de, commander of the first scientific Antarctic expedition
Geulincx, Arnold, Flemish philosopher
Gezelle, Guido, Roman Catholic priest, teacher and poet
Gilmore, Matthew, track cyclist (Silver medal at Sydney 2000)
Godefroid, Sebastien, great sailor and Silver medallist in the Finn class sailing event at Atlanta 96
Goethals, Raymond, trainer of the Belgian National Football Team for 10 years
Goossens, Cas, ex-Managing Director of the BRTN and Chairman of Eurosport
Gramme, Zénobe, inventor of the Gramme dynamo
Grétry, André, composer
Grumiaux, Arthur, eminent violinist
Harmel, Pierre, prime minister of Belgium (1965-66)
Hellebuyck, Eddy, 100m sprinter and finalist at Atlanta 96
Hennepin, Louis, first European to explore the upper Mississippi river
Henin, Justine, world-class tennis player
Hepburn, Audrey, actress and special ambassador to UNICEF
Herge, the creator of "Tin Tin" (Kuifje) - his real name is Georges Remi
Heylen, Ivan, Flemish singer
Heymans, Corneille, winner of the 1938 Nobel Prize for Physiology
Horta, Victor, Art Nouveau architect
Huysmans, Camille, prime minister of Belgium (1946-47)
Ickx, Jacky, Formula 1 racing driver
Jacobs, Victor, prime minister of Belgium (1884)
Jansen, Cornelis, Flemish theologian who founded the Jansenism movement
Janson, Paul Emile, prime minister of Belgium (1937-38)
Jaspar, Henri, prime minister of Belgium (1926-31)
Jobe, Georges, moto-cross rider
Jordaens, Jacob, painter
Joseph, Albert, prime minister of Belgium (1831, 1832-34)
Joseph, Etienne Noel, prime minister of Belgium (1831)
Kim, Sandra, youngest ever winner of the Eurovision Song Contest
Klein, Dani, lead singer of Belgium's most successful band "Vaya Con Dios" (sold 10 million CD's)
La Fontaine, Henri, winner of the 1913 Nobel Peace Prize
Lambrechts, Esther, singer better known as "La Esterella"
Lasso, Orlando di, composer
Lateau, Louise, Belgian lady who experienced "stigmata"
Lebeau, Joseph, prime minister of Belgium (1832-34, 1840-41)
Leburton, Edmond, prime minister of Belgium (1973-74)
Lefevre, Theodore, prime minister of Belgium (1961-65)
Lemaître, Georges, astronomer who discovered the Big Bang theory
Lemonnier, Camille, novelist and founder of the Belgian literary renaissance
Lenoir, Jean Joseph Etienne, inventor of the internal-combustion engine
Leopold I, King of Belgium from 1831 to 1865
Leopold II, King of Belgium from 1865 to 1909
Leopold III, King of Belgium from 1934 to 1951
Loiseau, Constant, inventor of the optometer
Lomba, Marie-Isabelle, great judoka and Bronze medallist at Atlanta 96
Lotti, Helmut, international pop singer
Maertens, Freddy, cyclist
Maeterlinck, Maurice, author
Magritte, Rene, painter and theorist of surrealism
Mallise, Xavier, world-class tennis player
Malou, Jules, prime minister of Belgium (1846-47, 1874-78, 1884)
Martens, Wilfried, prime minister of Belgium (1979-92)
Massis, John, the man with the strongest teeth in the world
Matsys, Quentin, Flemish painter who founded the Antwerp school
Meirhaege, Filip, mountain biker (Silver medal at Sydney 2000)
Mercator, Gerardus, cartographer, mathematician and geographer
Merckx, Eddy, cyclist and 5-time winner of the Tour de France
Nothomb, Jean-Baptiste, prime minister of Belgium (1841-45)
Ockeghem, Johannes, Flemish composer
Ortelius, Abraham, Flemish geographer who produced the first modern atlas
Peeters, Bart, radio and TV presenter
Pfaff, Jean-Marie, international goal keeper
Philips, Luk, brilliant actor ("Pastoor Munte" and "Bompa")
Pholien, Joseph, prime minister of Belgium (1950-52)
Pien, Armand, Belgian weather man for more than 35 years
Pierlot, Hubert, prime minister of Belgium (1939-45)
Pire, Dominique, winner of the 1958 Nobel Peace Prize
Pirenne, Henri, historian, well-known for his Pirenne Thesis
Planckaert, Eddy, cyclist
Plantin, Christophe, bookbinder and typography expert
Plateau, Joseph, inventor of the stroboscope
Poirot, Hercule, Belgian detective
Poullet, Prosper, prime minister of Belgium (1925-26)
Prigogine, Ilya, chemical physicist famous for his theoretical framework on the origin of life
Puttemans, Emiel, long-distance runner
Quetelet, Lambert Adolphe, mathematician and inventor of the Body Mass Index
Rakels, Heidi, judoka (Bronze medal at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992)
Reinhardt, Jean Baptiste "Django", inventor of the two-finger guitar playing technique
Remi, Georges, better known as Hergé, the creator of "Tin Tin" (Kuifje)
Renkin, Jules, prime minister of Belgium (1931-32)
Reynders, Yvonne, cyclist
Robert, Joel, moto-cross rider
Rodenbach, Albrecht, poet
Rodenbach, Georges, poet and novelist
Roelands, Gaston, long-distance runner
Rogge, Jacques, President of the IOC (International Olympic Committee)
Rogier, Charles Latour, prime minister of Belgium (1832-34, 1847-52, 1857-68)
Rolin-Jaequemyns, Gustave, who co-founded the Institute of International Law in Ghent in 1873
Röpcke, Jo, respected film critic - nobody in Belgium has seen more films than him
Rouffaer, Senne, actor who is better known as "Kapitein Zeppos" (Captain Zeppos)
Rousseau, Vincent, marathon runner
Rubens, Peter Paul, painter
Rysbrack, John Michael, sculptor
Saive, Jean-Michel, table-tennis player
Sarton, May Eleanor, poet and novelist
Sax, Adolphe, inventor of the saxophone
Scherens, Jef, cyclist
Schoepen, Bobbejaan, Flemish singer and ex-owner of "Bobbejaanland" (real name Modest Schoepen)
Schollaert, Frans, prime minister of Belgium (1908-11)
Schotte, Briek, cyclist
Schueremans, Herman, organiser of the annual Torhout-Werchter Rock Festival
Scifo, Enzo, international football player
Sercu, Patrick, cyclist
Simenon, Georges, writer
Simons, Ann, judoka (Bronze medal at Sydney 2000)
Singing Nun, The (Soeur Sourire), who had a number one hit in the US with 'Dominique'
Snyders, Frans, painter
Solvay, Ernest, inventor of the Solvay process (ammonia)
Spaak, Paul Henri, founder of the Benelux and prime minister of Belgium (1938-39, 1946, 1947-49)
Stevens, Patrick, Belgium's best 100m sprinter
Stevin, Simon, mathematician and engineer
Streuvels, Stijn, novelist
Teirlinck, Herman, novelist and playwright
Teniers the Younger, David, painter and engraver
Theunis, George, prime minister of Belgium (1921-25, 1934-35)
Thielemans, Toots, world-famous jazz musician
Thijs, Philippe, cyclist
Thys, Guy, coach of the Belgian National Football Team for 15 years
Tilly, Johann Tserclaes, field marshall
Timmermans, Felix, author
Tindemans, Leo, prime minister of Belgium (1974-78)
Tin Tin, created by Herge (Georges Remi)
Tura, Will, Flemish singer (real name Arthur Blanckaert)
Urbanus, Belgium's funniest comedian (real name Urbain Servranckx)
Van Acker, Achiel, prime minister of Belgium (1945-46, 1954-58)
Van Artevelde, Jacob, statesman and political leader
Van Barneveld, Harry, great judoka and Bronze medallist at Atlanta 96
Van Beirendonck, Walter, fashion designer
Van Damme, Ivo, athleet
Van Damme, Jean-Claude, action-film hero
Van Depoele, Charles, inventor of the electric railway
Van Donck, Flory, golf player
Van Dyck, Anton, painter
Van Ghent, Joos, Flemish painter
Van Ginderen, Terry, TV presenter ("Tante Terry" from "Tip Top")
Van Helmont, Jan Baptista, physician / chemist who showed that plants feed mostly on water, not soil
Van Himst, Paul, international football player and coach
Van Hool, Bernard, founder of international coachbuilder Van Hool NV
Van Houtte, Jean, prime minister of Belgium (1952-54)
Van Humbeeck, Pierre Edouard, prime minister of Belgium (1878-84)
Van Looy, Rik, cyclist
Van Miert, Karel, ex-European Commissioner for Competition (EEC)
Van Moer, Wilfried, international football player
Van Noten, Dries, fashion designer
Van Ostayen, Paul, Flemish poet
Van Rompaey, Jan, TV journalist
Van Roost, Dominique, tennis player
Van Ruysbroeck, Jan, mystic beatified by Pope Pius X
Van Steenbergen, Rik, cyclist
Van Zeeland, Paul, prime minister of Belgium (1935-37)
Van de Velde, Henri Clemens, Art Nouveau architect
Van de Vyvere, Alois, prime minister of Belgium (1925)
Van de Weyer, Jean-Sylvain, prime minister of Belgium (1845-46)
Van de Woestijne, Karel, poet
Vandecaveye, Gella, great judoka (Silver medal at Atlanta 1996 and Bronze medal at Sydney 2000)
Vandenpeerebom, Jules, prime minister of Belgium (1899)
Vanden Boeynants, Paul, prime minister of Belgium (1966-68, 1978)
Vandevelde, Luc, ex-Chairman of Marks and Spencer
Vanthilt, Marcel, ex-VJ on MTV and leadsinger of the band "Arbeid Adelt"
Van der Goes, Hugo, Flemish painter
Van der Groen, Dora, actress best known for her role in "De Heren van Zichem" (The Men from Zichem)
Van der Weyden, Rogier, painter
Van het Groenewoud, Raymond, singer
Verhaeren, Emile, Flemish poet
Verhofstadt, Guy, prime minister of Belgium (1999-2007)
Vermeiren, Paul, archer
Vesalius, Andreas, famous anatomist and physician
Vieuxtemps, Henri, violinist and composer
Wally, Eddy, world-famous Flemish singer also known as "The Voice of Europe"
Werbrouck, Ulla, great judoka and Gold medallist at Atlanta 96
Woeste, Charles, prime minister of Belgium (1884)
Wauters, Koen, leadsinger of the popular band "Clouseau"
Yourcenar, Marguerite, novelist
Ysaýe, Eugène, violinist, conductor and composer
Zimmer, Louis, world-famous clockmaker


Soporific or what?

Nope. Don't know any of them.
_________________
Watch and shoot, watch and shoot.

Belgium is hardly one country being split between those speaking French and those speaking Flemish, and trust me the two sides do not get on.
In fact quite of lot of our neighbours do not have one single language for the entire country; Spain has at least four languages, one of which is spoken by more people than the entire population of Finland and Norway put together, and it is not Spanish which is spoken by more than 400 million people.
The French language as we know it was only introduced totally a few decades ago.
A lot of EU countries, in fact most, are far less centralised that the UK.
_________________
First they ignore you, then they mock you, then they fight you, then you win.
Ghandi

For fcuk sake Bob what part of famouse do you not understand? Now answer the question properly
_________________
Joined before the "Dead sea" had reported sick.
Roll on the Rodney, Repulse or Renown,
This two funnelled bastard,
Is getting me down.

TimeToJoinUp. That’s a good question. That may be the reasoning behind this lunacy;

www.navy-net.co.uk/For...23589.html

sussex2. That is interesting and might be a reason behind the European desire for unity. Perhaps they see a Union which has their “divided” Countries as nothing more than constituent elements as some form security. Rather than being a minority in something they’d prefer to be independent of, they can be a minority in something bigger and more abstract.

Serious question; do the Scots feel more content being run by the EU than they do by feeling they are run by the English?

BreathingOutOnTheWayUp. Apart from them?

A perfect breeding ground for European unity, then...
_________________
Some people are only alive because it's illegal to kill them...
"Don't make me write your name on my shit list!"
Your lips are moving, but all I hear is 'BLAH, BLAH, BLAH...'
"I don't have ADD, it's just... Hey look! A squirrel!"

I'm slightly worried that I've heard of some of them.
_________________

One in the eye for Blair so I am happy.
_________________
"Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?

Black hats, 40 knots and windscoops.

Unity? Unity? What on earth are you talking about man..
_________________
First they ignore you, then they mock you, then they fight you, then you win.
Ghandi