Rich Flanders seeks more autonomy
The sense of Flemish identity is all the more acute as it was suppressed by the French-speaking elites that ran Belgium after the 1830 revolution.
The constitution was written in French. A Dutch version, written a century later, was not given equal legal force until 1967.
As the Dutch-speaking majority demanded recognition, it was mainly pressing claims against the Belgian state.
From the 1960s - with the south’s old mining and steel industries in terminal decline and the north powering ahead - a series of constitutional reforms gradually devolved more powers to the regions.
But for all its economic dominance and political assertiveness, the Flemish still feels culturally on the back foot - and this contributes to their prickliness.
Wallonia may be poorer, but it is part of the 200m-strong francophone community.
The Flemish are not standing on the shoulders of a friendly giant next door - and can be irked by Walloon cultural self-assurance.
Language is a particular sore point. Like their Dutch brethren, the Flemish are taught from an early age the need to learn foreign languages. Walloons are not.
“If we take part in a meeting with, say, eight Dutch-speakers and two French-speakers - we often all end up speaking French so everyone can understand,” says Naima Charkaoui of Minderhedenforum, a Brussels-based umbrella group for immigrant associations.
Mr Daelman belongs to the right-wing Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) party, which seeks a separate Flemish Republic.
“Belgium will not stay united,” he predicts. “You don’t have a Belgian language or a Belgian nation. You only have Flemish and Walloon people - plus a few Germans.”
Flemish pride rarely takes a virulent form. French-speakers visiting Flanders are not in hostile territory. The worst risk they might take is not being served until they make a token attempt to speak Dutch.
But even the least nationalist among the Flemish know where their main allegiance lies.
“I am Flemish first, Belgian second,” says Pascal Francois of Aalst.
For more, visit BBC News.
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