This is particularly true of the Christian Democrats, who used to be the bearer of the state, a great unifier. Now both the Flemish CD&V and the French-speaking CDH have embraced the language issue, driving them (and the state) apart. As a result, institutional agreements have become much harder to broker. In fact, CDH’s president, Joëlle Milquet, is often called “Madame Non” in Flanders, because of her stubborn resistance to state reform.

SP.A and PS are both socialists, but of a very different kind. SP.A like to think of themselves as modern social democrats, while PS is more traditional. In Flanders, the latter is associated with decades of economic standstill in Wallonia and with the corruption that comes with having been in power forever. Neither of the clichés is totally true but, still, SP.A prefers to keep some distance from its French-speaking relative.

When it really matters, though, SP.A and PS tend to stick together. Whenever a federal government is formed, for instance, PS likes to have SP.A on board, so as not to have to govern with only right-wing parties from the North. For SP.A – now no more than a medium-sized party – having a big relative in the South has often been its lifeline. The previous federal government included PS without SP.A – an experiment that seemed to please neither party. By the time this is published, the shape of the new federal government will probably be known. Once again, it looks as if the whole socialist family will be part of it.

What SP.A and PS do without saying it out too loudly, the greens have done openly. They have linked their fates: both will enter government or both will remain out, they promised each other. Whether this will work remains to be seen, as both N-VA and PS would rather leave the Flemish Groen! out. With only six percent of the vote, Groen! is not in position to make demands. Kermit, the frog from Sesame Street, knew it all along: it is not easy being green.