[Abrivianius] Why Belgian Independence Is Such A Good Thing
Habraka Abrivianius
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Dear citizens of The United Netherlands,
Some of you might know me, most of you will not, so allow me to introduce myself. I am Habraka Abrivianius, former Minister of Trade of Belgium, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belgium, two time Member of Congress of Belgium, two time Party President of the Belgian party Free Flanders, and Belgian in real life. I am also the guy who engineered the union between my native Belgium, and The Netherlands, which was completed on the 5th of April, 2009.
The details on how the union exactly came into being are a little blurred, mostly due to only a select few people knowing what exactly transpired during that important period of eBelgian history. Allow me to enlighten everyone:
There had been talks about a possible union between our two neighbouring countries since the beginning of eRepublik, mainly based on the fact that most Belgians at the time were Flemish and thus Dutch-speaking, and because both countries had small populations, were vulnerable to PTO's and thus could use each other's added population for improved security. Things turned out differently though, with Belgium joining the United Kingdom. After Operation French Toast however, the UK lost it's continental possessions, and Belgium regained it's independence (first Flanders and Walloonia, after a month or two Brussels was freed too). Belgium at the time was a barren wasteland, we barely had an active population of 20-30, with most of them two-clicking, with only a handful players that could be bothered logging in more than once a day. Our Congress was made up of the three most active leaders of the country and de facto leading triumvirate, Palodigon, CreveRoeland and me, mixed in with some two-clicking and inactive Belgians, and as always, a handful of foreigners only here to get the medal and 5 Gold.
During that time there was a lot of discussion on the future of our country, one option was to join a neighbouring country, The Netherlands, but talk about rejoining the UK or staying independent was heard as well. It was a stalemate however, things didn't go forward and day by day people went inactive and we were at the mercy of foreigners. Then it hit me, we are so afraid of PTO's, instead we should use our biggest weakness as our biggest strength! One of the major issues against a union with The Netherlands (which I favoured) was that it was a member of PEACE, and the pro-independence folk were mainly pro-ATLANTIS or pro-neutrality. Since joining PEACE was not an option for half of the country, I decided to force their hand a little.
I had a good chat with Leroy Combs, the director of the CIA at the time, and informed him of the Belgian situation. I told him that if ATLANTIS were to PTO Belgian Congress that month, and install me as President later on, I would make it an ATLANTIS outpost that could spearhead an advance against PEACE in Western Europe. Lo and behold, a couple of days later, a Spanish PTO group under the name of Tropas Imperiales comes to Belgium. Till this day I do not know if they came as a result of my little chat with Leroy Combs, but it didn't matter, they were coming, and I was expecting them. I quickly made contact, assured them of my loyalty, and started feeding them valuable information to win the Belgian people for their cause. On the other hand, as part of the Belgian triumvirate, I spread dissent and misinformation in government circles, which caused massive confusion and panic about the current situation we found ourselves in. Negotiations with the Dutch cranked up considerably, but it still was not enough. So Congress was PTO'd, and the President elections were coming up. Roughly 24,5 hours before the President elections would end, The Netherlands voted to declare war on Belgium, when everyone had to face the truth, the only way the Belgian people would maintain any say about how their regions are run, is to give up Belgium and merge with The Netherlands. The plot thickens.
On Sunday, the 5th of April, The Netherlands declared war on Belgium, and presidents CreveRoeland and DanielB1989 in an unprecedented and highly coordinated move attacked and retreated regions, conquering the whole of Belgium in less than 5 minutes. Finally my, and with me the members of the Dutch Reunification Movement's goal was achieved, merging Belgium with The Netherlands, and doing it with the approval of 98% of the Belgians. At first, all was great, almost everyone could spoke their native Dutch, in articles, on the forum, on IRC. However, soon after, a mere weeks, Belgium experienced a small babyboom, when 50-100 Walloons from the Liège area joined, and unwittingly placed a lot of unneeded pressure on the young union. Articles started to appear, first in French, then in broken Google translated Dutch, and then finally in English, all calling for an independent Belgium. Those players were new, they did not know why and how Belgium merged with The Netherlands, nor did they care as they joined to play in their native Belgium, not a, in their eyes, foreign occupation force.
How did things turn out differently... Nowadays, the Belgian Party, which mainly consists out of French-speaking Belgians now control the majority of Congress, and on some occasions even provide the president. After a second Walloon babyboom, English has replaced the native Dutch of the beginning of the union, and due to a situation that is getting worse and worse by the day, two peoples, two cultures, two languages are forced to work as one, and that it is not going well can be clearly seen; a large part of Congress is inactive, even the President is known to say on IRC; "bathroom break, be back in 5" and then disappearing for a month. The Union has become a sick joke compared with the potential it had at the onset, it's ruling class is decadent and corrupted, it's member base inactive and inexperienced.
It's about time to end this union, and give the Belgians a real chance to stand on their own two feet once again. There are more Belgians than Dutch players at this point in time, with citizenship PTO's are no longer such a huge threat, and neutral wargames now provide the Belgian population with a way to rank up and level up much faster then at first. Belgium and The Netherlands can thrive and prosper on their own, but if they remain in union then there is no end to the downwards spiral of inactivity and decay.
Belgians, I call upon you to do what is right, what feels right, and that is to finally give Belgium back it's independence, for you, for me, for all of us.
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Comments
Do you want a neutral Belgium or will Belgium become an Eden puppet?
If Belgium reemerges there is going to be free citizenship. how can you stop a possible PTO?
Another eAmerica stooge, just what we need right now.
Did you start talks or just decided to start an RW?
First you manipulated fellow Belgians to side with PEACE and now you've switched geopolitical sides you get them to go against PEACE. Sorry, but I'm not convinced this has anything to do with what's good for Belgium.
If there's a problem at the top, then fix it, but don't throw away the union that people worked so hard to maintain and is an inspiration for the rest of the eWorld.
Not agreed. To publish this on the day where barbarians try to take over Flanders with lies and false writings, is highly inappropriate. If this was to succeed, Flanders would become a puppet, slave state. Also, the synergy effects for two still very small countries remain more useful than ever. Two historically bound cultures can show the example of Unity to the world. We will defeat the 'divide and conquer' agitators, from wherever they come.
One great union is still better then two small country's.
1)Abrivianus wants a independent Belgium because his company has a lot of BEF.
2)You didn't prepare the future Belgium. You're just a clown.
3)The Union is the better things to do.
=> Fight Green!
Wow, negativity.
Cool story, bro, but why don't you accept that your creation has taken on a life of its own and trying to kill it might be wrong?!
There's something fishy whenever an eRomanian is talking about freedom, and Highst (the guy who started the Flanders RW) is a Romanian (just see his old shouts).
Might that sudden eRomanian urge to "liberate" eBelgium have something to do with the ability to block both eUK and eFrance from a puppet eBelgian state should one be created?
Interesting read for the first part but then it doesn't change anything. You aren' giving any arguments why it would be better to have two countries instead of one union.
You are trying to convince Belgians that this resistance war is in their own interest but you are doing it with strangers and not Belgians. Have you asked to Belgians what they think about it? How can you decide by yourself what is the best for Belgians?
Then you are stating things about the way the congress and the government works in these country but you have no clue about that since you have left this country several months ago.
You are implying that the problem of the union is the cohabitation of several communities and cultures which say a lot about your political opinions. You say it's not going well but how do you know that the country isn't doing well and by the way wouldn't it be the same in an independant Belgium, "two languages forced to work as one" ?
As soon as Belgium appears on the map, everyone can get belgium citizenship without permission needed. And we all know what that means.
PTO-Time
Pretty good article untill the end. But i will leave it to the Belgiums to answer.
Interesting. If it was anyone else I would dismiss it as selfish dissent and support the union even though it's a part of PEACE, but knowing you a little back from my time in eGermany I'm not convinced that this might not be for the better.
I'll get into contact with you, I'm rather curious about this.
There are lots of pro-union Belgians, and theyre all scoring points for the green side in Flanders!
Fight Red in Flanders!
Yea, FIGHT RED.....to tarnish EDEN's reputation.
In the case Belgium would become independent once again, the Regional Bank of Flanders will be investing several hundred Gold to get the Belgian economy up and running as fast as possible, by purchasing inactive companies and even starting new ones where needed, to supply the Belgian market and to provide jobs to our countrymen.
The article is full of nonsense and made by a person with 16k BEF which he wants to get rid of, because they are useless.
He wants to invest hundreds of gold in Belgium, just to make a few hundreds of gold more.
Habraka was never really there when Belgium needed it and is trying to spread disinformation which isn't believed by the Dutch, nor the Flemish, nor the Walloons, just for his personal gain.
Habraka, stay in the USA. It is where you belong.
REAL Belgian speaking: FIGHT GREEN WITH ALL YOUR POWER!
And to Abrivianus: The next time you should inform yourself better before saying that things here go wrong.
Uhm, dionysus, you should really have a long chat with CreveRoeland (the Belgian President at the time of the merger) one day, he'll tell you the exact same thing I'm telling you know.
Only Palodigon, CreveRoeland and me were the active Belgians during the time of the merger, we held the most important positions in Belgium and we were the leaders. I, as leader of the Dutch Reunification Movement, together with CreveRoeland and others worked on the plan to merge Belgium with The Netherlands. There are enough people from the Tropas Imperiales, the Spanish PTO group, that still remember my name from working with them, I even still employ some of them frequently in one of my dozen companies around the world.
Perhaps the Dutch Government should make an inquiry asking how many Belgians want to have their country back, even if it is just one region. Unions should not be forced to remain in place against the wishes of the minority. There's a word for it and that word is oppression. If there indeed is sufficient call for liberty, then it should happen and all excuses why it should not be done must be dropped. Instead, find ways to make it happen without the worst case scenarios becoming reality.
Ik ben een echte Belg, indien iemand het zich afvroeg. Ben zelfs West-Vlaming, dus ik heb evenveel recht van spreken als gelijk welke andere Belg.
Pour tous les Wallons, je m'excuse pour ne parler pas en français, mais le français est mon troisième langue, et mon néerlandais et anglais sont mieux que mon français.
Actually Habraka, I know the other "active" Belgians that were around during that merger. They weren't in Belgium, and neither were you. You were trying to PTO a small nation on behalf of a failed alliance, while they did everything they could to stop people from voting in the Spanish Congress. From the UK we tried to stop the PTO, while you tried to make it possible.
The last thing Belgians need is to listen to a whiny American tell them what is best for them.
Uhm Dish, by all means, those 'active' Belgians were living, working, eating, fighting and breathing in the eUK. That makes them eBritish in my book.
How the heck can you know whether or not I was in Belgium at the time? Ask CreveRoeland and Palodigon, the co-Presidents at the time, ask all the Belgians who actually lived in Belgium at the time, heck, I still have a link to our old forum somewhere, or go read my very first articles I have written. All evidence proves my case.
Simply saying I am lying, doesn't make it true. The real Belgians know I was there, the real Belgians know I was active and living in Belgium, the real Belgians were there together with me seeing our country go down the drain due to constant PTO's and inactivity. At the time, the union was the only option, but we all know there are many more Belgians playing nowadays, and that the situation has changed drastically.
To all those people claiming my motivation is to make money of this situation, you don't know what you are talking about. I don't give a rat's ass about money or Gold. I have an average monthly income of 2.600 Gold a month, I don't care about a hundred more or less here or there. Want proof?
I donated a Q4 DS and Q5 Hospital to Germany after the EDEN invasion, for free.
I donated a Q1 and Q5 Hospital to Denmark together with Dale Marks, the Danish President at the time and good friend of mine, for free.
I sold a Q5 Hospital to the Czech Republic for 200 Gold, which is 100 Gold less than the average market price, and 50 Gold less than the build cost.
I sold a Q5 DS to Japan under the same conditions as the Q5 Hospital with the Czechs.
I am currently working on a Q5 Hospital for Switzerland, which I will again donate completely free of charge.
I have donated a Q1 Gift company, a Q1 Food company and soon a Q1 Moving Ticket company to various new player initiatives in the USA.
I have bought literally tens of thousands of Gold in the 10 months I have been playing, and I have given away and donated roughly 75% of it. So again for everyone who missed it the first time around, I am incredibly wealthy in this game, and I don't give a crap about Gold. I'm not doing this to get rich, not by a long shot. Heck, I'm even willing to spend a couple hundred gold from my own cash to see this through and free Flanders, my home region.
This has gone on for far to long, it's time to end the Union and bring back our beloved Belgium.
@Habraka Abrivianius: So an independent Belgium, with two languages, because you dislike the union that uses English?
What will happen when using two languages?
So your solution is no solution. Say no to a puppet state of Romania!
Most Belgians know, so fight green!
Habrakaka, you really dont understand it don't you? All the Belgians are happy with the union. They have Dutch friends, a good Government, a good place to live and so on. If you don't respect what the Belgians want, then go back to eUS like you did before.
>I have bought literally tens of thousands of Gold in the 10 months I have been playing
Then your as ignorant as you are long winded.
PS - Habra, the only reason you were in Belgium is because you couldn't get elected in Germany 😉
Dish mate, you really need to get your facts straight. I am Belgian in real life, I started in Flanders when it was still part of the UK. I was there, two-clicking in Flanders when Operation French Toast backfired and Flanders was first conquered by France, and then subsequently liberated. When Flanders and Walloonia were RW'd, and Belgium became independent again, I start playing acctively, and got into Belgian politics.
After I engineered the merger, and it was completed, I decided it was time for something new, and I moved to Germany for a change of scenery. Everyone has that sooner or later, the need to go live in a different country for a while, meet new people and generally improve your gaming experience. That is why I moved to Germany after the Union, and that is why I moved to the US after I helped rebuild Germany after the EDEN invasion.
How interesting
Hilarious; Habraka is after another piece of the pie that he can lord over.
Fight Green.
PEACE AT HOME, PEACE IN THE WORLD
See the PEACE trolls are out in full force...thats usually good proof that this is a factual article...
Belgium deserves their independance, FIGHT RED!
Sure eBelgium can stand on its own without high resorses!
@Gaius Iulius: Is this interference in UNL internal affairs habitual matter for an US official?
@Woxan: can't US ministers speak English?
@Egmont: The US has not stated an official opinion on this, I don;t see US military funding paying for the start of the battle or the fighting. Therefore I would call this an unsanctioned action by various US citizens/freedom lovers. I am very sorry the UNL cant hold itself together, its such a shame. I really did love watching you fight against the US in the World War. What comes around goes around? Also Woxan is a secretary not a minister learn emerikan pleazzz.
PEACE: OH NOEZ INDEPENDENT THOUGHT FROM ONE OF OUR MEMBER COUNTRIES. KILL IT WITH FIRE
@Julius: so it's all personal opinion on your side? What a coincidence. I am so sorry your cowardly 'battle plan' is so transparent. It's certainly not a Flemish independentista who started the RW. You can't prevail since UNL is voluntarily united. A true Belgian/Flemish will never allow to live under American/Romanian rule.
@Woxan: you quickly correct your incomprehensible propaganda - at least the spelling mistakes in it. Now for neologisms and capital letters please?
"cowardly battle plan"
Lol RW's are cowardly...well I guess we'll keep being cowards across Canada, Denmark, India, China maybe even drop back into the Netherlands again. Also chill bro its a game 😉
@Julius: You start to ridicule your opponent because you can't argue with him. Weak fight, private 🙁
nice to know the US still has tiptop diplomacy
wait a minute
Justin, your nose is brown.
So, I suppose you will stay in the country you wanted liberated oh-so-much and invest tens of thousands of gold in there too?
Again, buying gold with RL cash to *obviously* win some eFriendship is pretty sad.
Good luck with the PTO.
Thank you Vettige Swa, although the PTO is going to be for next month, as Congress Elections are bugged, as your side has noticed as well.
Oh well, it was a fun tanking battle at the end, I enjoyed it and it wouldn't have been possible without PEACE to fight against. Love you all, hugs and kisses.
Who's this guy?
@ Luis
He's just jealous of my massive wealth. Can't really blame him either 😛.