Vlaams Belang

You may have read about the discord these last several weeks over the Belgian political party Vlaams Belang*. The controversy has to be compounded by the fact those involved are foreigners, foreign to Belgium, that is. Do you imagine that the average European has a good grasp of what an American Republican is, and stands for? Heck, American Republicans can't even agree on that. And I don't have the time or energy to devote to an exhaustive study that would allow me to pronounce with any confidence what modern day VB is. I can, however, form a rough idea from reading people I trust to be of good faith on the matter, and who are in a position to know a good deal more about VB than I ever will.

Is Vlaams Belang a racist white-power group? I really don't think so. I know Baron Bodissey and Paul Belien aren't racists, so I'll defer to them on questions of what VB is or isn't.

*(note- the wikipedia article on Vlaams Belang is tagged as "disputed", typical of all VB discussions these days. Their talk page can shed more light on the controversy)