Part 1:
During the English public holiday weekend of 24th – 27th August the streets of Sint-Truiden, Belgium, will play host to a colourful party of British men and women, dressed in their favourite blue, yellow and red clothes, delivering similarly brightly coloured leaflets.
Is this a Brexit event? No – very far from it! They are members of the Roland Out Today Party, who, because the UK is still a member of the EU, can participate in Belgium’s municipal elections on 14th October 2018. So, why have they chosen Sint-Truiden for this celebration of European democracy?
A Roland Out Today Party spokesperson explained:
“Circumstances dictate that we have a particular link with Sint-Truiden. We are fans of Charlton Athletic Football Club, and our incompetent owner, Roland Duchâtelet, is a prominent businessman and politician in this Belgian town.”
“When he bought the club in 2014 we were competing in the 2nd tier of English football (Championship,) with debts well under €20M. Since then the club has been relegated and now operates a paper-thin playing squad. Ticket sales are under 50% of what they were the last time the team competed at this level, and debts are now over €65M. There is a real fear of relegation to the 4th division for the first time in the club’s history, should Duchâtelet retain control this season.”
“Fans have been re-energised to support protests; ROT saw a 62% surge in membership last week, and anger following this week’s press revelations, that the club has not honoured target-related bonus payments to non-playing employees, is expected to prompt even more to join ROT. Already the independent Fans’ Protest Fund has ringfenced £!000 to donate towards legal or related costs incurred by the staff if they decide to go to law over this.”
“Duchâtelet seems incapable of successfully negotiating the sale of the club, although he declared 8 months ago that was his intention. We suspect that, having devalued and asset-stripped the club, he grossly overestimates its value. He has said Charlton is only 1½% of his business interests, worth just 1½% of his time. ROT intends to make it 100% of his business concerns, and help focus his mind on its speedy sale.”
“We were initially incredulous that a man who had built a multibillion business empire could be so inept in his fiscal management of our club. As we delved into his business credentials and his political life in Sint-Truiden, we began to wonder to what extent the former was being supplemented by the latter, so we started digging deeper.”
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“As sport enthusiasts, we believe in the concept of “Fair Play”, but we started to unearth information which appeared to conflict with this. We found murky waters, and actions which although presumably legal, seemed morally questionable. We decided the best way to share our findings with the Sint-Truiden electorate was to start a political party dedicated to respect and transparency. ROT intends to do politics differently”.
“Duchâtelet has a very low and apparently bigoted opinion of football fans. He has called us sheep, misogynists, vinegar-pissers, and racists (this last was a grave insult, given our club’s and its fans’ exceptional activism in the field of antiracism!) The reality is that, as in Belgium, fans come from all walks of life, educational standards, and socio-economic levels, from millionaire business owners to job-seekers. But unlike Duchâtelet, none of us has gone on record boastfully comparing our genius to that of WW2 computer hero Alan Turing!”
“There are very few of us who, given his resources, could have made a more disastrous effort at running our football club. The pattern seems to have been a repeat of his ownership of Standard Liège and STVV, both of which were left in multimillion euro debt to Duchâtelet when he sold his shares. Yet for many years he was a Councillor, entrusted with running the Sint-Truiden municipality. Really? His political party Vivant which merged with VLD, the Flemish Liberal Democrats, to become Open VLD, they are still involved – again, really?”
Surely the Roland Out Today Party does not seriously expect to win seats on the Sint-Truiden council?
“Probably not, although with Belgium’s list system and compulsory voting even for disenchanted or uncommitted electors who might otherwise abstain, we stand a better chance than we would in Britain with its first-past-the-post system.”
“England has a long tradition of candidates with little hope of electoral success, using the opportunity offered by canvassing to spread their views, often in an eccentric fashion. ROT sees itself following in those footsteps. Hence “The Effigy” who often accompanies us in his pushchair!”
“The most important thing is to give the Sint-Truiden voters an opportunity to understand our election message, and let then decide on the morals of Mr Duchâtelet and those others in public office who have assisted him over the years.”
Best of luck to all those in RoT who have travelled this weekend.
I'm going to have to find some goat sitters as I so want to join in the protests!!!!
Sorry i cant be with you this time.
Goats are lovely.
He's a smell old cockwomble.
How much do you pay??
Oh & you'd have to keep my husband happy.
;-D
CARD baying at the front door (of The Valley) and ROT sniping in his back yard (in Belgium).
An excellent pincer movement, which he has brought on himself through his shameful treatment of CAFC employees.
There is one way you can end this misery, Roland - drop your asking price so you can JUST SELL THE CLUB.
ROTtweilers, go bite him in the arse!!
And Roland - just ROT op!!
Good luck to all who are going.
Roland out.