Belgium and the European Union

It's been a very interesting week in Flanders. Yesterday we watched the wreath laying ceremony in Brugge, with the minute's silence at 11-00am.

Last night we were at the 8-00pm ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ieper (Ypres for the Francophiles). Always a very moving occasion that happens every night at 8-00 throughout the year, on the 11th day of the 11th month it was a huge event with military bands and soldiers from the Commonwealth parading. Everybody should try and get there at least once.

We had an interesting chat en route with a Belgian who regards himself, first and foremost, as Flemish rather than Belgian or European. He feels that the Euroopean Union has now gone too far and has become overly interfering and oppressive. We sense that mood throughout Europe and have done for a few years now, certainly since the Constitution/Lisbon Treaty reared its ugly head.

He also commented on the British obsession with surveillance and the numbers of CCTV cameras in the UK. As did the Australians we spoke to in Ieper.

Goes to show, the rest of the world is watching us being watched! Ever felt like a goldfish?