Hi Bart,

This is my take on things. Sorry if I go on for so long but I need to get this off my chest!!!

It may get a bit harsh but please leave it up, I really want to see what people think of it

INDEPENDENCE FOR THE SAKE OF SPORT

As an Irish man living in Flanders I can agree with a lot of what you are saying in your above article. So what are my experiences? There are a lot of things going on in this country that I don’t understand. Indeed you mentioned there are no such things as Belgian country and no such thing as a Belgian identity; a lot of the people here either refer to themselves as being Flemish or Wallonian. You can see that this is having a serious effect on the senior football team for example when they are trying to qualify for a major tournament. What exactly does a coach tell them before a match? How does he ‘psyche’ them up? What are they playing for? For whom are they trying to win? And in what language is he speaking to them in? I have seen a Youtube video where a manager of Ireland is shouting at his players before the match saying that ‘this is our turf nobody comes in here and tells us what to doâ€ The heart that this must give to the players is unimaginable! It is beyond me that a manager like RenÃ© Vandereycken can be left in a job after a performance like that in the European Qualifiers is beyond me. Have they no pride? Ireland finished with more points than Belgium and our manager was nearly lynched!

Flanders has to seek independence from Belgium if it is only for sporting reasons alone. Sport is important, more important than some people think. Your national team is what represents you on an international stage; it is really what defines your country, it is what people see. There is not heart, no desire to win, how can this go on for much longer?

The VLAAMS BELANG

Ah yes, the disease that is the VB. I cannot stand them. I have one sentence to say for people who vote for these people:

“If you want to prove that you love your country or province, then go out on the street and fly a flag. Don’t go voting for a party whose members are so ashamed of who they are and what they do, that they only go out at night in order to put their newsletter in your mailbox. Whatever way you look at it, hate is wrong and the Vlaams Belang sends a clear message of hateâ€

They relay a message that Flemings are superior to other countries and for a FACT look down on all other foreigners. Now there are a lot of people who say that the Vlaams Belang are only opposed to the ‘Islamization of Europe’ this is not true. I believe that the VB are against any people who are not Flemish. This is not meant to offend anyone mind, it is just my opinion. I ready with great interest their English site (www.flemishrepublic.org) and the above newsletter (which I can find in the morning in my letter box) and reading between the lines, it becomes very clear what their agenda is. Take for example (and this is a classic that I use a lot) a comment that they made very recently over ‘Flemish Fathers’ The Vlaams Belang said they are outraged to see that 55% of all children born in Flanders last year did not have a Flemish Father. I would like to question the VB and ask them what that meant by that. It truly is a terrible statement to make and is clearly aimed at those who are not Flemish. They could argue that they meant it only to be at those of the Muslim faith, but that was not mentioned. In fact I am offended by that statement. Another thing on the now very damp from being in my letter box all night newsletter, a lady said that it was terrible to hear that 40% of the people in her village were not Flemish, printed by the VB and therefore in theory, the VB are agreeing with her.

I would advise anyone who wants to know more about this disease to have a look at their website and see the real agenda of the Vlaams Belang. Long live the Conduite Sanitaire