Flemish vs. Dutch

Northern Belgium consists of Flanders.  In the Middle Ages Flanders was a collection of various wealthy merchant cities that eventually came under Spanish Hapsburg rule. The more northern provinces of the Low Countries, the nether or low lands, fought a bitter and bloody revolt under William of the House of Orange. These areas became the Netherlands.  Flanders remained under Hapsburg rule before becoming its own independent monarchy as part of Belgium. 

I asked our taxi driver what is the difference between Flemish and Dutch.  He told me the two are the same language, but that the Flemish call their language Flemish in part because a number of Flemish people don't much like the Dutch. At least, this is how our taxi driver in Brussels explained things. 

Today language and identity continue to be connected.  One guide book informed us that certain parts of Brussels favor Flemish or French. According to this book, greeting a shopkeeper or waiter in one language may offend someone whose primary language is another of Belgium's two main languages.  This morning in fact the housekeeper at the hotel greeted us with "good morning" in both Flemish and French. Strangely this has pushed me to use English as a kind of neutral ground. I'm sure people with more familiarity with Belgian life know how to tactfully bridge the dual language issues. I believe 80% of Belgians speak French as their first language -or again so I was informed by our cab driver. Online, Flemish folks on the chat apps seem to consistently list they live in the Flemish Region rather than Belgium. 

I suspect that if the move for statehood among minority nations such as Scotland, Catalunya, and the Veneto set a pattern where such regions can have a national identity within the larger EU, Flanders will eventually seek independence.