Burgemeester Mathias De Clercq (Open VLD) voert geheime gesprekken met Vooruit en CD&V in strijd om burgemeesterschap van Gent

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  1. Don’t know about all of you, but I’ve always felt that Matthias De Clerq carries himself with the air of an eternal highschooler who thinks too much of himself.

    And now he’s trying to cling on to power.

    >Het gerucht deed al langer de ronde dat de liberale burgemeester van Gent, Mathias De Clercq, plannen had voor een soort ‘stadslijst’ met verschillende partijen, verzameld rond zijn eigen figuur.

    For someone focused on his grandfather’s legacy, I would have expected more knowledge of history. But apparently his desire to be mayor is his sole, consuming desire.

    “Deals” like the one described here have a tendency of turning into extreme blackmailing by the parties involved. With the populace at large the victim. And individual power-hungry politicians the short lived winners. Their donors walk away with their prizes and that’s it.

    >De Clercq zijn grootste uitdager lijkt Filip Watteeuw van Groen te worden, de ‘man van het circulatieplan’ met wie de liberaal nu Gent bestuurt. De groenen vormden de laatste twee verkiezingen in Gent een kartel met de socialisten. Maar die samenwerking is fors afgekoeld en lijkt begraven.

    I highly doubt Watteeuw has a desire to be major. He could have done so 2 times already, at points of greater popularity. And has each time stated he’d rather work on solutions on the ground, rather than be at a higher level.

    Sounds like the media creating a fake enemy, based on the fact that a lot of people hate Watteeuw’s guts because of the circulatieplan.

    The effects of which have been great, btw. People complain about businesses that have moved… yet in reality, all it did was sped things up a bit. New businesses have taken their place, lots of people are pleased, lots of people are displeased, as it always goes in a city of this size.

    >Maar dat de verkiezingskoorts nu al opspeelt, betekent dat het in Gent wel eens moeilijk samenwerken kan worden de komende drie jaar. De stad wordt bestuurd door Open VLD, Vooruit en CD&V – de drie die willen samenwerken – samen met Groen. Die laatste lijkt nu volledig geïsoleerd te komen staan.

    This weekends’ editor commentary went even further: it’s already happening. Parties supposedly in coalition are already showing signs of purposefully sabotaging each other’s plan.

    With the voter as a victim, as the powerful struggle for yet more power.

  6. Anyone remember how this system was supposed to improve democracy?

    And within just a couple of months, we are well on our way towards USSR style single party elections.

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