A Throne in Brussels [Hardcover]

Paul Belien (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 184540033X | ISBN-13: 978-1845400330 | Publication Date: May 1, 2005

Paul Belien argues that the pan-European super-state currently in the making will resemble a 'Greater Belgium' rather than a 'Greater Switzerland', since Europe will also be an artificial construct. Belgium has infected EU political attitudes and acts as a model for the EU -- a failed attempt to'construct a nation' out of different peoples with separate languages and traditions. To learn what the EU as a single state might be like, take up this highly readable mix of history, analysis and warning. You'll never feel the same about Belgium or Europe again.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An extremely well-written, penetrating historical analysis" -- Lord Ralph Harris

"If you read only one book on Belgium, make it this one." -- Daniel Hannan MEP

"Paul Belien writes with ease and erudition, and mounts an unanswerable case." -- Roger Scruton

"The Belgianisation of Europe is a real threat." -- Lord William Rees-Mogg

"This is a fascinating book after which I cannot but see the Belgian royal family in a completely new light." -- Hugo Vickers

About the Author

Paul Belien is a Master of Law, with specialisations in European and Social Security law (University of Ghent) and has a PhD in International Studies (University of Buckingham). He is the founder of the Brussels-based Centre for the New Europe (CNE) and worked for two decades as a professional journalist. His articles have appeared in various British and American publications, such as the Spectator, the Wall Street Journal and many others.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Imprint Academic (May 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 184540033X
• ISBN-13: 978-1845400330
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,556,758 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unauthorized history of Belgium and its royals, June 8, 2005

By 

Luc Van Braekel "lvb987" (Waregem, Belgium) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Throne in Brussels (Hardcover)

This book comes in three layers: it is about the Belgian royal family of Saxe-Coburg, but also about Belgian political history and about European integration. The message that the author brings is that a federal Europe will go the same way as Belgium: a state without a real national identity, held together by opportunism, corruption and the cultivation of a non-identity. But don't expect a long philosophical treatise: this is a book packed with facts, anecdotes and stories about politics, about royal love stories and about royal business and financial ventures. The moral lesson is explained in the preface and in the last paragraphs of the book.

The author is a Eurosceptic and a proponent of the secession of Flanders from Belgium. But even if you are not a Eurosceptic nor a secessionist, you will find this unauthorized history of Belgium and its royals very interesting and amusing. You will learn from this book how a monarchy can sustain an artificial state and what the drawbacks and dangers of this type of government are.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The First True History of Belgium, August 5, 2009

By 

David Baeckelandt (Glenview, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Throne in Brussels (Hardcover)

This book is the most honest history of Belgium I have read. For once things that are taboo to the Belgian establishment - the role of Lafayette in the establishment of Belgium; the coup by radical refugees from France that established this artificial state; the scandals around King Leopold I of Belgium (and his successors); etc. - are finally exposed. This is history that reads like fiction. And it is the history necessary to understand the current issues between the Flemings and the Walloons. The pace is fast but the scholarly detective work (and thorough citations) also make this a ready reference tool. The title is a bit of a misnomer because in fact this is truly a revisionist history of Belgium.

6 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars buddys, September 9, 2007

By 

sam "sam" (sam) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Throne in Brussels (Hardcover)

why is luc van braekel writing reviews of his colleagues book...?
they work together at the brussels journal a very political organisation.
the book is more politics than history with a thinly veiled point.. belgium's failed experiment (country not yet broken up) is the future for eu attempts at statehood. though is the eu a state? some of the assertions made about politics in 19c belgium are a little simplistic so yes the royal family intrigue is laid on thick. its a polemic though not an appraisal and poor really.

from the brussels journal
Who We Are
Editor:
Paul Belien
Webmaster:
Luc Van Braekel
Writers:
Chresten Anderson, Copenhagen
Ernest Baert, London
Alexandra Colen, Brussels