Tonight in ‘Gert’s table’: can Mathias De Clercq become the mayor of all Ghent residents?

It should come as no surprise that Mathias De Clercq will be joining ‘Gert’s table’ tonight. Now that an agreement has been reached in Ghent, he looks back on the tough aftermath of the elections. But he also tries to look ahead.

The campaign between the Ghent mayor of Open VLD and his alderman for mobility Filip Watteeuw of Groen may have been very bitter, but no one would have expected before October 29 that the formation of a new city council would become such a soap opera. After De Clercq and his cartel Voor Gent, together with the socialists, had reached an agreement with N-VA, demonstrations were organized and ultimately that agreement was rejected by the members of Vooruit.

Two weeks later there is a new agreement, this time back with Groen. It is the second time in a row that De Clercq has become mayor in a striking manner. How will he succeed in becoming the mayor of all Ghent residents again? And how great is the damage to the image of his supposedly progressive and loving city? (read more below the photo)

Nostalgia with ‘The last show’

Fortunately, there is not yet a war in Ghent, but that could happen at any time, retired Colonel Roger Houssen fears. He wrote the book No war without weapons and docks Gert’s table explains in concrete terms how and why he is prepared for it to happen again and why we are far too little aware of the danger.

There may also be room for relaxation and a good dose of nostalgia. Gert Verhulst and his guests look back on a talk show from another television era: The last show on VRT1, then called one. Or TV1, if you go back to the very beginning. The success had many causes, but one of them was undoubtedly the band that closed the program every evening and performed with many international artists. The program no longer exists, but the band still exists 25 years later. Creator Bruno Wyndaele and bassist Bert Embrechts look back on countless special moments.

Table jumpers tonight are Nathalie Meskens, Cath Luyten and Hetty Helsmoortel.