Pou-Belle
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| Flag of Pou-Belle | |
| Motto: Het gaat slecht, verder gaat het goed | |
| No Map Available Yet | |
| Region | Belgium |
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| Capital | Qotsaburg |
| Official Language(s) | Dutch, English, French, German |
| Leader | Flono |
| Population | 7.096 billion and counting... |
| Currency | BEF |
| NS Sunset XML | |
The Promiscuous Confederacy of Pou-Belle is a left-leaning republic and one of the oldest nations in the region of Belgium. Its capital city is Qotsaburg and its currency is the BEF. Pou-Belle is also a member of the ABBL, although the nation tends to be rather passive when it comes to military campaigns.
Contents
World Factbook Entry
The Promiscuous Confederacy is a massive, safe nation, remarkable for its devotion to social welfare. Its compassionate, intelligent population of over 7 billion have some civil rights, but not too many, enjoy the freedom to spend their money however they like, to a point, and take part in free and open elections, although not too often.
It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of Education, the Environment, and Social Equality. The average income tax rate is 100%. The private sector is almost wholly made up of enterprising fourteen-year-old boys selling lemonade on the sidewalk, although the government is looking at stamping this out.
Crowds of flag-burning protesters tend to accidentally become crowds of burning protesters, female newsreaders distract the nation by breastfeeding during broadcast, the latest Harry Potter book is a bestseller, and religious organizations are being forced to leave the country or pay income taxes like everybody else. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Pou-Belle's national animal is the weasel, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its currency is the BEF.
History
The Promiscuous Confederacy of Pou-Belle was founded on 17 February 2003, after the nation's founding fathers read about NationStates in the popular Belgian magazine Humo. Initially a member of a Dutch region (scholars have, to this date, been unable to confirm whether this was Nederland or Holland), Pou-Belle soon joined the young and rapidly growing Dutch-speaking region of Belgium. The country quickly became one of the region's most active member-states and joined the regional forum, which at that moment in history was part of Belgium's neigbouring region of Vlaanderen. In September 2003, Pou-Belle decided to run for office in the first ever Belgian delegatory election. The nation was not elected and has since refrained from entering in any other regional election. Pou-Belle also participated in talks about the regional constitution and the region's electorial system. Recently, Pou-Belle has been less active in regional and international affairs.
Pou-Belle has always been a peaceful nation, its population and governments consistently pacifistic. In late July of 2003 however, a conflict and perhaps even a war with the neighbouring nation of Megede (which has ceased to exist) seemed inevitable. Megede had a large population of ethnic Pou-Bellians in its Westernmost provinces, situated along the Eastern border of Pou-Belle. The Megedo-Pou-Bellians (or East-Pou-Bellians as they called themselves) were discriminated against by local authorities as well as by the Megedian national government. Pou-Belle objected against this situation and demanded that the human rights of this ethnic minority be respected. When a terrorist organization that called itself the OPB (Oost-Pou-Belliaans Bevrijdingsfront, or East-Pou-Bellian Liberation Front) and wanted to establish an independent state between Pou-Belle and Megede started a bombing campaign against the Megedian state, relations between Megede and Pou-Belle hardened, even when the Pou-Bellian government categorically distanced itself from any form of nationalistic violence. Another Belgian member-state, Lappistan, offered to negotiate between the two countries, but after a particularly bloody attack in the state-opera in Sinte-Marva, its capital city, Megede immediately broke off all talks, sealed its Western border and ejected all Pou-Bellian diplomatic personnel. Relations between the two countries remained difficult, even when a real war was avoided, and the conflict kept slumbering. As time passed, relations became gradually more relaxed and when Megede ceased to exist, many of its ethnic Pou-Bellian citizens found a new home in the Eastern regions of Pou-Belle.
An important figure in the political history of early Pou-Belle is Flono. Initially a rock singer, popular in many nations of the Belgian region, his influence as an activist led him to a political career. Flono's popularity reached its highest point during the 2003 Megedo-Pou-Bellian conflict, when he was a fervent advocate of peace talks and non-violent protest. Flono was the socialist party's candidate in the presidential election later that year and won, becoming the second president of the republic.
Sports and International Tournaments
Pou-Belle has one internationally renowned football (soccer) team, FC Qotsaburg, which has entered a few interregional tournaments alongside teams from other Dutch-speaking regions.
Pou-Belle also participated in the BeNe Winter Spelen (BeNe Winter Games) that were held in Stadion Benelux January 10-17, 2006 and its athletes succeeded in winning a few medals.
