Maybe one man. He is a minister of state and a highly respected politician in the north and south of the country. Like Elio Di Rupo, he belongs to the socialist family. But being Flemish and having asked for a thorough state reform on many occasions, he is sensitive to Flemish demands. He is an expert on state reform, being both a professor in institutional law and a politician who has negotiated earlier state reforms. As a member of the opposition under the government of Yves Leterme, he has not been tainted by the conflicts of recent years.

This man is good at numbers: he was budget minister under Guy Verhofstadt, which has left him with an extended network of experts at institutions such as the National Bank. With no deadline to be met, he has plenty of time to restore the confidence between N-VA and PS.

How unlike this other man - someone the king appointed to do the same task, without consulting N-VA, by far the largest party in Flanders. A Trojan Horse sent out by PS to shape a government without N-VA - so by de␣nition an anti-Flemish government. Someone who belongs to the socialist SP.A, which is not only the ideological opposite of N-VA but also the party of Frank Vandenbroucke, who claims the figures set out in the De Wever document are false. Wallonia does not stand to lose €92 million under De Wever's plan, Vandenbroucke says, but nearly €500 million.

That is not the only reason this man is not be trusted. He is backed by two anti-N-VA campaigns - one by the socialist trade union, which is close to his party, and one by a number of writers and artists. All of this, plus the length of time he will no doubt take to complete his task, will help to create an anti-N-VA climate in Flanders.

What is especially worrying is that these two men, the well- respected minister of state and the man with the hidden agenda, are one and the same: Johan Vande Lanotte (SP.A), who has been appointed by the king to mediate yet again. These different perceptions of the same person show the depth of mistrust between the negotiating parties and the near impossibility of the task he was appointed to achieve.