1991 and 2003. Eventually though, the party remained in opposition both at the regional and federal level, as, with the exception of N-VA, no other party was found willing to break the cordon. Ideology The policies of the Vlaams Belang focus mainly on the issues of Flemish independence, opposition to multiculturalism, and defence of traditional Western values. Flemish nationalism The VB's main goal is to establish an independent Flemish republic. The party seeks a peaceful secession of Flanders from Belgium, citing in its program the dissolution of the Union between Sweden and Norway (1905), Czechoslovakia (1992), and the independence of Montenegro (2006) as examples that such would be possible. The reason to seek independence is given as the "enormous cultural and political differences between Flemings and Walloons," and according to the party, Belgian governments are also "paralyzed by ongoing disputes between Flemish and Walloon politicians." Other stated reasons given for secessionism are the financial transfers from Flanders to the capital of Brussels and to Wallonia (Belgium's other half), which Vlaams Belang considers to be unjustified. Members of Vlaams Belang argue that the French speaking Socialist Party de facto rules Belgium and does not represent the interests of Flemish voters. The party also calls for the exclusive use of the Dutch language in Flanders and for compulsory measures that both immigrants and Francophone residents of Flanders learn to speak Dutch. In contrast to its Vlaams Blok predecessor, the VB has downplayed and placed less emphasis on ethnonationalism in recent years when discussing Flemish national identity. Political author Hans-Georg Betz noted that the party no longer features the ethnically defined version of people (“volk”) that was featured in the former Vlaams Blok "Own People First" slogan and instead uses the neutral sounding Mensen — the Dutch word for human beings in its messages. Domestic policies The Vlaams Belang supports returning Brussels to the full control of Flemish region as opposed to its current state as a bilingual capital region. It also wants Dutch to be the sole official language of Flanders. The party also favours abolishing the Belgian Senate. Although the party almost exclusively stands in the Flemish region of Belgium, it ran a list of candidates in the Walloon Brabant electoral district in 2007 as a protest against the lack of splitting between Flemish and Francophone communities in Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde. Immigration and minorities The Vlaams Belang official immigration policy has been slightly