- Principles
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- The Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) is the political
mouthpiece of the Flemish Movement as it has developed through time. The
party voices the demands of the Flemish Movement on the political scene.
The Vlaams Belang is a party of Flemish patriots. It is an instrument for
the advancement of the national and cultural identity of Flanders. Through
its political initiatives the Vlaams Belang aims to ensure that the organisation
and government of the state are (co-)determined by the need to preserve
the cultural identity and the national interests of the Flemish people.
The state is but a structure. In accordance with the principle of selfdetermination
the state exists to serve the people. The state should serve the people,
not the other way round.
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- The ideology of the Vlaams Belang can be described, in
the continental-European semantic context, as a "nationalist party
of the right" (as opposed to the collectivist, etatist "left").
In an Anglosaxon context the term "conservative" would be used
(as opposed to "liberal"). Indeed, we recognise man as a free
agent, with all his human qualities and flaws, and we reject ideologies
that presuppose the "makeability" of mankind and that advocate
social engineering. Tradition, virtues and morality, as these have grown
through time, must be respected and are constitutive elements of the society
of the future.
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- Identity
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- 1. Flemish Independence
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- The Vlaams Belang strives for the secession of Flanders
from the artificial Belgian state. Our aim is to dissolve Belgium and establish
an independent Flemish state. This state will be sovereign over the Dutch-speaking
territory of Belgium and will include Brussels, which is the capital of
Flanders but will have a separate linguistic status.
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- 2. The Netherlands and the Dutch Language.
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- Language is a constitutive element of a people's cultural
identity. The Vlaams Belang defends the interests of the Dutch-speaking
people wherever this is necessary, particularly along the linguistic border
and in the international institutions. The party will encourage Flanders
to cooperate as closely as possible with the Netherlands and with Southern
Flanders (the Dutch-speaking municipalities in the North of France).
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- 3. Europe.
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- The cooperation of the European nations within a shared
civilization and culture provides a historic opportunity for peace, stability
and prosperity. However, we adopt a restrained and critical attitude towards
the European Union with its bureaucracy and tendency to meddle where the
sovereignty of the people should prevail. The Vlaams Belang also believes
that the territory of the European Union should not extend beyond the boundaries
of Europe.
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- 4. Reverse the Erroneous Multicultural Policies.
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- Inspired by its concern to defend and protect the cultural
identity of the Flemish people, the Vlaams Belang rejects the tenets of
the multicultural ideology.
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- It must be made clear to aliens and immigrants in Flanders
that they are expected to comply with our laws, and also to adapt to our
values and morality, to our habits and to important traditional principles
of European civilization, such as the separation of church and state, democracy,
freedom of speech and the equal status of men and women.
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- For those aliens and immigrants who reject, ignore or
contest the above, a policy of repatriation will be implemented, through
appropriate legislation regulating political asylum, nationality, security
and expulsion. Illegal and criminal aliens must be repatriated. Voting
rights are reserved for citizens.
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- Values and morality.
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- 1. Freedom.
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- Human beings are free persons. The Vlaams Belang is dedicated
to protecting the individual from abuse of power by the state. The party
defends the freedom of speech, as the first and most important principle
in the democratic organisation of society. Other principles include - among
others - the right of free assemblage and association, freedom of education,
freedom of conscience and the right to life. The right of ownership and
free enterprise - which constitute the foundation for economic development,
employment and prosperity - are inherent freedoms of our society.
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- In its political activities the Vlaams Belang will respect
the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the European Convention for the Protection
of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of 4 November 1950 and the related
protocols ratified by Belgium. The party and its various components and
elected delegates will also observe the right to self-determination of
nations.
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- 2. Law and Order.
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- The authorities must respect the rights of every citizen
and guarantee law and order. The Vlaams Belang believes that democracy
and the rule of law are the best safeguards for personal freedom.
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- Security, and the curtailment of crime, are essential
to society. The authorities of a state must guarantee security for all
its citizens. The criminal's personal responsibility must be recognized
and appreciated as a cause of insecurity. For the Vlaams Belang a tough
line on crime and zero tolerance are central to government, and the judiciary
and the prison system must cooperate in this.
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- 3. Subsidiarity and a Policy for the Common Good.
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- Society should be organized according to the principle
of subsidiarity. What can be done efficiently at a lower level of society
must not be relegated to a distant, anonymous and unaccountable authority.
Government and the authorities should act with utmost restraint and reticence
at all times. Bearing this in mind, the Vlaams Belang is in favour of the
lowest possible level of taxation and against the dissipation of public
money. The party also rejects politically inspired educational reforms.
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- Politics (and also this party) is never a goal in itself,
but a means to advance the public interest. The Vlaams Belang favours a
sound vision on the duties of government. These include a greater focus
on the essentials (such as the maintenance of law and order), the active
reduction of redundant structures and excessive legislation, the fight
against corruption and bureaucracy, and respect for the separation of powers.
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- 4. Solidarity.
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- A humane society is not made up of isolated individuals.
Free persons are rooted in the framework of their people and their culture.
Solidarity is the interaction between the individual and the smaller and
larger communities of which he is a part.
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- A strong foundation for solidarity is provided by the
community of citizens united by their cultural identity or shared history
and civilization. The care provided by families and their social entourage
for the weak in general, and the handicapped and the sick in particular,
is thus supported and complemented. In a healthy society the excesses of
the "rat race society" must be curbed. In this, the government
plays a carefully considered role, bearing in mind the subsidiarity principle.
All generations participate fully in society.
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- 5. The Family.
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- The traditional family is at the heart of a humane society.
Its merit is acknowledged and safeguarded in the marriage between a man
and a woman. Policymakers should recognize the central role of families
with children in society. Their task is to protect the family instead of
attempting to usurp its functions. This is the only approach which can
provide solutions for the urgent problem of the birth dearth.
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- http://www.flemishrepublic.org/manifesto.htm
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