Chapter 5 The Limits of Good Governance

Abstract

Authoritarian reform in the police services, in food supply and in local governments fundamentally impacted the ability of the mayoralty to provide what was perceived as ‘good governance’ to their populations. Focal points of repressive collaboration with the occupier could rapidly shift. At the same time however, ‘good governance’ was also a legitimizing tool for collaborationist parties and their mayors. This backfired, and collaborationist parties succeeded in de-legitimizing local government and public authority as a whole. The gap between propagandist rhetoric and local realities meant deep political crisis for each collaborationist party, and even a severe identity crisis for the Flemish National Union.