OTL:
There is a separatist movement active in the Belgian and Dutch provinces of Limbourg.
Their goal is for the two provinces to break away from their respective mother countries and to join together into a new, independant country (preferably an EU member)
When drunk, their leadership has been known to claim 250K membership ... but's probably including every single person who every bought a waffle at one of their fund raisers.
In a more sober condition, they claim something like 10 to 30 K members.
(the two provinces combined have somthing like 2.5M inhabitants)
They aim to reach their goal through peacefull manifestations and political dialogue rather then through the usual murder and mayhem.
ATL:
Suppose the economic troubles in both provinces during the 80s combined with a charismatic leader or two and some successes of Limbourger sports teams/men/women (Maastricht maybe?) all caused their membership to explode (figuratively ... peacefull, remember?).
They actually HAVE a hard core membership of 250K by 1990. During the 90s the "reconversion" aimed to replace the now worthless colemines with other economic activities fails like it did in OTL, further increasing the membership.
Over time the romantic notion of a united independant Limbourg grows on people.
By 1996, it is clear that reconversion failed miserably. The hard core membership is up to (say) 350K with about twice that number as sympathisers. Add in the "voting cattle" who just follow the herd and this gives them well over 50% of the vote in the two provinces.
In 2000, tripartipe negotiations start involving Belgium, the Netherlands and the united Limbourgers.
Now, what are the chances of Limbourg becoming an indepandant country?
Would Belgium and the Netherlands willingly give up one of their (least productive) provinces?
Would, in the end, violence (or at least civil disobedience) be needed?
If they break away, will this encourage other provinces/regions to do the same? (the Belgian Province of Luxembourg, the Dutch province of Freisland, the French Region Bretagne, the two Basque regions, Corsica, the two Tirols ...)
Could this be the catalyst for the EU to become a Union of Regions iso a Union of Nations? (at the very least this would solve the voting problem
)
There is a separatist movement active in the Belgian and Dutch provinces of Limbourg.
Their goal is for the two provinces to break away from their respective mother countries and to join together into a new, independant country (preferably an EU member)
When drunk, their leadership has been known to claim 250K membership ... but's probably including every single person who every bought a waffle at one of their fund raisers.
In a more sober condition, they claim something like 10 to 30 K members.
(the two provinces combined have somthing like 2.5M inhabitants)
They aim to reach their goal through peacefull manifestations and political dialogue rather then through the usual murder and mayhem.
ATL:
Suppose the economic troubles in both provinces during the 80s combined with a charismatic leader or two and some successes of Limbourger sports teams/men/women (Maastricht maybe?) all caused their membership to explode (figuratively ... peacefull, remember?).
They actually HAVE a hard core membership of 250K by 1990. During the 90s the "reconversion" aimed to replace the now worthless colemines with other economic activities fails like it did in OTL, further increasing the membership.
Over time the romantic notion of a united independant Limbourg grows on people.
By 1996, it is clear that reconversion failed miserably. The hard core membership is up to (say) 350K with about twice that number as sympathisers. Add in the "voting cattle" who just follow the herd and this gives them well over 50% of the vote in the two provinces.
In 2000, tripartipe negotiations start involving Belgium, the Netherlands and the united Limbourgers.
Now, what are the chances of Limbourg becoming an indepandant country?
Would Belgium and the Netherlands willingly give up one of their (least productive) provinces?
Would, in the end, violence (or at least civil disobedience) be needed?
If they break away, will this encourage other provinces/regions to do the same? (the Belgian Province of Luxembourg, the Dutch province of Freisland, the French Region Bretagne, the two Basque regions, Corsica, the two Tirols ...)
Could this be the catalyst for the EU to become a Union of Regions iso a Union of Nations? (at the very least this would solve the voting problem
)