Hoezo mijn naam in wikileaks?

Dankzij blogger en twitteraar Luc Van Braekel kwam ik te weten van mijn bestaan in de Wikileaks documenten. Hij twitterde me de txt die in het ambassadeverslag staat : " ...censored 3 times for politically incorrect programming..." Zie je wel, ik zeg dat toch al lang ;-) Lees verder het hele stuk over LDD...

180356
ID	08BRUSSELS1795
SUBJECT	A TALE OF TWO PARTIES: THE FIGHT FOR THE FLEMISH
DATE	2008-11-26 17:01:00
CLASSIFICATION	UNCLASSIFIED
ORIGIN	Embassy Brussels
TEXT	UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 001795 SIPDIS STATE PASS EUR/WE KATE SHARP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV, PREL, BE SUBJECT: A TALE OF TWO PARTIES: THE FIGHT FOR THE FLEMISH RIGHT REF: A. STATE 1772 B. STATE 1787 1. Summary: Though the June 2009 elections are months away, they lurk in backs of the minds of most Flemish politicians. The center-right Flemish Liberal Party (Open VLD) is worried about recent controversies besetting its ministers, while the upstart center-right party Lijst Dedecker (LDD) anticipates drawing former Open VLD voters as well as moderate-right voters turned off by the nationalist rhetoric of Vlaams Belang. The Open VLD has traditionally been one of the three largest Flemish parties, competing with the Flemish Catholic Party (CD & V) for centrist voters, but trying to espouse a more free market economic policy, reforms of the social system, and an open immigration policy that meets the needs of the Belgian economy. Lijst Dedecker, headed by former Open VLD member Jean-Marie Dedecker, supports more radical economic policies, including a flat tax, increased autonomy for local regions to levy taxes, improvements to infrastructure, reduced public support of media, and stricter immigration policies and greater integration of immigrants. The key challenge for the LDD is to continue its recruitment of strong politicians and sell itself as a legitimate party with a platform rather than a collection of politicians and strong personalities under the charismatic Dedecker. End Summary. Open VLD -------- 2. An Open VLD party member recently confided to Poloff that his party could face serious challenges going into the June 2009 local elections. The party leadership is concerned that recent controversies surrounding alleged preferential hiring for sexual favors in the Interior Ministry headed by Open VLDer Patrick De Wael and Foreign Minister De Gucht, whose wife sold a large number of Fortis shares just before the stock tumbled (ref A), could tarnish the party's reputation. Open VLD has also taken note of polls showing the LDD's steady rise in popularity with Flemish voters (10.3 percent of Flemish voter support in June, and 15.4 percent in September) while Open VLD support has remained relatively stable (17.4 percent to 18.4 percent). The party will continue to espouse its center-right positions on tax reduction, a balanced budget, fighting poverty, empowering business, labor market flexibility, open immigration policy focused on addressing labor shortages and key industries. Lijst Dedecker -------------- 3. LDD Spokesperson, Deputy Party Chairman, and Flemish MP Jurgen Verstrepen recently expressed confidence in his party's June prospects. Calling rival Open VLD a center-center party, Verstrepen said that the LDD could position itself as a more effective voice for true center-right voters and those disaffected by the rabidly nationalist parties on the far right. The LDD intends to draw support from both the Open VLD from which many of its candidates come, as well as the rightist, Flemish Nationalist Vlaams Belang (VB). Verstrepen, a former outspoken radio personality who left radio to join the far right VB after being censored three times for "politically incorrect" controversial programming. He later left the VB for its extreme views and inflexibility, which turned off reasonable and moderate-right wing voters. He hopes to help the party draw many of those disaffected by the racist reputation of the VB but want to cast a vote for a true center-right party. 4. When asked whether his party was simply a grouping of politicians or actually stood for something, Verstrepen said the party had adopted a platform that supports more radical-liberal economic policies, including a flat tax, giving local and regional governments taxation authority, improving infrastructure, reducing public support for media, and reforming immigration policy while better integrating immigrants. Recent press reports have highlighted the LDD's continued success at attracting lawmakers from other parties, with three local politicians defecting from the Open VLD to LDD this week. Overall, the LDD currently has one national senator and five MPs, elected in 2007. LDD claims 103 regional and local elected officials, all of whom where defectors from other parties, mostly from Open VLD and VB ranks (Note: LDD did not exist at the time of the last local election in 2004. End Note). Conclusion ----------Q BRUSSELS 00001795 002 OF 002 5. The June 2009 elections are the major electoral event for Flemish parties in 2009. Many political careers are begun at the regional level. The Flemish government also co-chairs the ongoing negotiations with the Francophone parties on regional - national government reform, making these coming elections even more important to the Flemish voter. In this environment, the upstart LDD could do very well if it is able to draw voters who previously voted for the radical Vlaams Belang and paint the more traditional center-right Open VLD as a party that has moved too far to the center. The challenge for the LDD is to sell itself as an actual party, rather than a collection of opportunistic pols under the banner of the charismatic Mr. Dedecker. In a September poll on the popularity of Flemish politicians, Mr. Dedecker was the only politician named as outstanding by intending LDD voters; they then named leaders from other parties. In the six months leading up to the June elections, the LDD will try to solidify its support, while the Open VLD will try to move the popular discussion beyond its current controversies. In June we will know which party has done the best job at selling itself to the center-right Flemish electorate. .
HEADER	VZCZCXRO0528 RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHNP RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG DE RUEHBS #1795/01 3311701 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 261701Z NOV 08 FM AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8262 INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE XTAGS: XTAGPGOV, XTAGPREL, XTAGBE REF: 08STATE1772|08STATE1787