Operation Betancourt - animo responds to the Belgian crisis

You can express your displeasure about the current political crisis with throwing puddles of mud like small children in the sandbox. Eventually everyone gets sand in the eyes and nobody sees clear. animo refuses to fall to this flat populist trap.

People have no use for empty accusations such as 'French-speakers have done it. " Accusations as such do not help the negotiation, but only strengthen the controversy in the country. It shows political courage not to join these positions for electoral gain and work towards compromises that are utmost realistic and in service of the country. An ode to the failure of Leterme is in this matter not an helpful act. If there's one thing on which everyone could agree it is that the past year has produced no winners.

The economy is stretched under the burdeons of this political inefficiency. The man and woman in the street see after months of aimless and goalless policy a decline in consumentary power and rising energy prices. These negotiations aren't in their best interest. The government waves one promise after the other, turns the other cheek and does nothing once more.

Elections will not change this substantially. The real problems are put on hold, unrealistic and futile promises are renewed. animo considers a fundamental debate necessary. A debate about the perverse effects of the ongoing election fever which led to endless electoral auction. Therefor animo first of all makes a plea for coinciding elections. Secondly for a reflection on the necessity of maintaining certain structures such as the provincial council and Senate. Thirdly, our electoral system should be complemented with a federal electoral district in order to advance the representativeness and the negation of 'the other citizens' in our country.

To animo it is not so much the model but the people in charge within the current political system, who have failed. Moreover, the dictatorship of the minority, and animo does not only refer to the south, has created an immense apathy in a majority of the electorate. Cartels have an overwhelming responsability to this crisis. Parties that merely represent 6% of the voters paralyze an entire country. animo makes a plea for an operation Betancourt to set the CD&V and others free of their hostage takers. Only if this condition is fulfilled there can be a possibilty for reasonable and mature talks about state reform.


A first step in the de-radicalisation of the country should be in function of our capital. There needs to be conversation about Brussels in a pragmatic manner, free of demagoguery and lingual fetishism. Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde needs to be split on short term. This division can operate in the framework of an expansion of the Brussels Region. Which can only go ahead if in the Region firstly sorting out is made of among others the reduction of the powers of the municipalities and the guaranteed bilingualism.


animo does not shy away from the debate on a further going state reform. A state reform can contribute to a better functioning of the state .. However, the idea of solidarity needs to remains central. Solidarity together with efficiency are the two terms by which a social state reform should be formed. An efficiency not simply used as an excuse for the separation of the country, but an efficiency seeking a state that provides the best possible social services for everyone and ensures that the economic engine keeps running.