|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
|
THE EU WILL GO THE WAY OF "THE BELGIAN BOGUS STATE"
A Speech by Vlaams Belang MEP, Philip Claeys
Originally published in the July 2005 issue of Sovereignty
The following was presented by Philip Claeys MEP at the Right Now! Conference at Mark Mason's Hall, St. James' Street, London on Saturday 28th May at 4pm. Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends, first of all, let me tell you, it's an honour to be able to speak to you today. I'm also very pleased about the subject of this Conference. "Preserving Western Values" is not a politically correct concern, and it's not exactly a priority of the European Parliament, to say the least! Certainly, we talk a lot about democracy in general and human rights in particular. But we're supposed to believe these are universal values, not Western values. In fact, we are not allowed anymore to define who we are and what distinguishes us from others. Cultural relativism is the new creed: all men are created equal, and all cultures are created equal. Well, let me say I'm sorry but I don't believe in these kind of theories. The reality is that it's a tough world out there. The end of the Cold War did not mean that all the nations and all the peoples of the world would become friends. On the contrary, identity politics have become the main dividing lines, more than ideology has ever been. What we are witnessing today is the Clash of Civilizations, as Samuel Huntington called it in his brilliant book that bares the same name. And Huntington was not afraid to say what it's all about. It's Islam against the West, it's also mass immigration, multiculturalism and relativism against the preservation of our identity, it's political correctness against freedom of speech. And one might think the aggressive expansion of Islam is the biggest threat to the West today. Well, there is an even bigger threat. It's what happens in our minds. How can we expect to be respected as a culture, as a civilization, when we don't even respect ourselves? We don't believe in ourselves anymore, just look at the falling birth rates in most of the European countries, look at our acceptance of the fact that major parts of our cities have become ghettoes. Look at the feeling of guilt we have inflicted upon ourselves after being convinced we are racists -- if not personally, then institutionally. It's as if our immune system has been corrupted. Take Turkey as an example. The European Council as well as the European Commission and the European Parliament are in favour of the accession of that country to the EU. So the unthinkable would become reality, because in ten years or so we will have to witness that the biggest member state of the European Union will not even be a European country! Turkey is not a European nation and that's not just an opinion of mine, but a mere geographic, cultural and historical fact. Less than 4% of the total geography of Turkey lies on the European continent, the rest is in Asia Minor. The European Treaty, however, states that only European countries can apply for membership. This is just an unimportant detail, apparently. In ten years, Turkey will have the biggest population in the European Union, with more than 80 million souls. It would be the most influent country at all decision-making levels within the EU. Moreover, how could we refuse the candidacy of other non-European countries like Morocco and Algeria if we don't do it with Turkey? Not to mention Iran, Iraq and Syria, three neighbouring countries of Turkey. Officially, there is a separation of church and state in Turkey, but 99.8% of the Turks are registered as Muslims, so religion is not just a private matter. For an Islamic country, Turkey is relatively democratic, but is not a democracy as we see it in the West. In the first half of last year, there were 600 reported cases of torture in police stations and prisons. I did say "reported" cases, because the majority of these incidents remain unreported as the victims fear even more violence. Today the Turkish government still denies the genocide against the Armenian population between 1915 and 1917. Today the Turkish army still occupies the northern part of Cyprus. People belonging to ethnic and religious minorities are treated as second-class citizens. Most European countries even accept Turkish refugees. There were about 20,000 of them, last year. First our governments say Turkey is a democracy, then they say we should grant asylum to Turks whose human rights have been systematically violated, and then they still support the candidacy of that country as a member state of the European Union! Even economically speaking, Turkey cannot be integrated within the EU. The gross domestic product of Turkey is about 13 times less than average in the EU. According to a Commission report, the total cost of the accession of Turkey could amount to 28 billion euros a year. That's about 19 billion pounds, a year. Who's going to pick up the bill? No one tells us. And then there's the immigration issue. If Turkey were to become a European member-state, each and every Turk would have the right to settle wherever he wants in the EU. A survey has shown that up to one third of the total population in Turkey would consider settling in Europe if it got the chance to do so. Needless to say, dear friends, that this would lead to nothing less than an immigration tsunami. Admitting Turkey in the European Union would be a historic mistake. There has never been a fundamental debate about the boundaries of Europe. Never were the people asked what they think of it. The Turkish problem has never been the subject of a referendum or even a mere topic of an election campaign in any European country. Everyone knows, and the opinion polls have shown it, that the vast majority of the people are against the accession of Turkey. EU bureaucrats, though, are not interested in what the people think, and they don't want to be held accountable for their actions. This is a nice European democracy we're having indeed! Which brings me to Belgium. Belgium is the last surviving artificially created state in Europe after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. These are not my own words, by the way, but those of a journalist of The Times online. It might seem exaggerated to compare this tiny state with the dictatorships of what used to be the eastern bloc. But this comparison is fully justified in more than one respect. First of all, there is no such thing as a Belgian national consciousness. There is no Belgian people, but two peoples forced to live together. Politically speaking, the Dutch-speaking Flemings in the north of the country almost never agree with the French-speaking Walloons. Flanders is in favour of a free-market economy whereas Wallonia wants -- and gets -- big government socialism. Forty percent of the active population in Wallonia is government-employed, whereas this figure is 25% in Flanders. The unemployment rate in Wallonia is 18%, in Flanders it is 10% less. Each year, more than 7% of our gross regional product is being transferred to Wallonia. In proportion, this is more than the money flowing from Western Germany to the former German democratic republic. It's no mystery why taxes in Belgium are among the highest in the world. The French-speakers in Belgium account for less than 40% of the total population, but they get half of the government ministers and half of the seats in the Belgian Senate. The Walloon minority has the right to veto any form of legislation decided by the Flemish majority. In other words, majority rule is only theoretical in Belgium. The Walloon minority that rules the country is lead by an aggressive, extremist and archaic socialist party. Belgium is a semi-democratic state. It has the formal characteristics of a democracy, but in reality it is ruled by a minority, and there is no separation of powers. Judges, for instance, are appointed according to their political belonging. Only the traditional parties can nominate their judges -- and civil servants, for that matter. No one was really surprised that the regime finally got the Vlaams Blok, the only opposition party and, by the way, the biggest party in Belgium, convicted for so-called racism. The laws against racism are so repressive and the definition of discrimination is so vague that virtually anyone could be convicted for it. One of the elements of the verdict against my party was a text we had published about female sexual mutilation in some Islamic countries. According to the judge, this text wasn't meant to support women in Islam, but to stigmatise Islam as a whole. Freedom of speech is limited in Belgium. Belgium is also a corrupt country. We all know the "banana republics" in Africa and Southern America. If you could think of a "banana monarchy", it would be Belgium! You might think you have enough problems of your own in Great Britain, and that I don't have to bother you with mine as a Fleming, but the problem for all of us is that Belgium seems to have become a kind of role model for the European superstate. Belgium acts as a model for the European Union in its efforts to create an artificial state out of different peoples with separate languages, cultures and traditions. It seems to emulate Belgium's political traditions of corruption and lack of democracy and accountability. The identity of Belgium consists of the fact that it has no identity whatsoever. Some Belgian politicians even take pride in that fact, and recommend this so-called model for the rest of Europe. So what I would like to say to you, my friends, is: always think of Belgium when you hear about further European integration. Get used to the idea that the Belgian bogus state is not going to be around forever, and that Flanders will become an independent nation. If the European Union wants to become some sort of Greater Belgium, it will also break up eventually. That's my message of hope for everyone willing to fight for freedom, tradition and identity!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
