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In Praise of Small Countries: Difference between revisions
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<br>— René Lévesque in Edinburgh, June 1975. | <br>— René Lévesque in Edinburgh, June 1975. | ||
[...] Every time [[Wikipedia:René Lévesque|René Lévesque]] finds the occasion to speak in praise of small countries the size of Quebec, such as [[Wikipedia:Switzerland|Switzerland]], [[Wikipedia:Sweden|Sweden]] or [[Wikipedia:Denmark|Denmark]], with an equivalent income per capita, he does not refrain from underlining their successes. The [[Wikipedia:sovereigntist|sovereigntist]] pedagogue then seeks to prove that a country of Quebec would do better than a simple province dependent on another people in majority whose interests and aspirations do not always match its own. | [...] Every time [[Wikipedia:René Lévesque|René Lévesque]] finds the occasion to speak in praise of small countries the size of [[Wikipedia:Quebec|Quebec]], such as [[Wikipedia:Switzerland|Switzerland]], [[Wikipedia:Sweden|Sweden]] or [[Wikipedia:Denmark|Denmark]], with an equivalent income per capita, he does not refrain from underlining their successes. The [[Wikipedia:sovereigntist|sovereigntist]] pedagogue then seeks to prove that a country of Quebec would do better than a simple province dependent on another people in majority whose interests and aspirations do not always match its own. | ||
[[Image:Rene Levesque.jpg|thumb|right|René Lévesque, Premier of Quebec from 1976 to 1985.]] | [[Image:Rene Levesque.jpg|thumb|right|René Lévesque, Premier of Quebec from 1976 to 1985.]] | ||
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Preparing the text of his speech, René Lévesque takes inspiration from the book ''Scotland Today'' to draw up a parallel between the provincial annex of England that became Scotland and the French annex of Canada that became Quebec. Same population (5.2 million and 6 million). Same massive emigration to the United States at the turn of the 20th century due to unemployment. Same persistence of specific traditions (law, religion, school system) and national identity, in spite of the wounds of vassalage and assimilation. Same desire also of secession, the [[Wikipedia:Scottish National Party|Scottish National Party]] (SNP), favorable to the independence of Scotland, obtained 30 percent of popular votes and a minority of seats at the last elections, like the [[Wikipedia:Parti Québécois|Parti Québécois]]. | Preparing the text of his speech, René Lévesque takes inspiration from the book ''Scotland Today'' to draw up a parallel between the provincial annex of England that became Scotland and the French annex of Canada that became Quebec. Same population (5.2 million and 6 million). Same massive emigration to the United States at the turn of the 20th century due to unemployment. Same persistence of specific traditions (law, religion, school system) and national identity, in spite of the wounds of vassalage and assimilation. Same desire also of secession, the [[Wikipedia:Scottish National Party|Scottish National Party]] (SNP), favorable to the independence of Scotland, obtained 30 percent of popular votes and a minority of seats at the last elections, like the [[Wikipedia:Parti Québécois|Parti Québécois]]. | ||
Scots also share the social and economic frustrations of Quebecers: social status inferior to the English, industrial development of Scotland lagging behind compared to England, unemployment rate always higher than in England ''"for some mysterious reason"'',* notes René Lévesque, thinking of unemployment always being lower in Ontario than in Quebec and of the relative underdevelopment of Quebec compared to its rich neighbour. | Scots also share the social and economic frustrations of Quebecers: social status inferior to the English, industrial development of Scotland lagging behind compared to England, unemployment rate always higher than in England ''"for some mysterious reason"'',* notes René Lévesque, thinking of unemployment always being lower in [[Wikipedia:Ontario|Ontario]] than in Quebec and of the relative underdevelopment of Quebec compared to its rich neighbour. | ||
In Edinburgh, the Scottish find the pugnacious small man ''"intensely French"'',* even if he comes from North America. He starts out as an introduction by referring to the first Scots who populated the north of Great Britain before the English: "Coming here, I could not keep myself from drawing analogies between Scotland and Quebec. Your nation has traditions and a long history similar to ours. It is the French of Quebec who were the first white colonizers in North America, preceding by five years the American Pilgrim Fathers of the ''May Flower''." | In Edinburgh, the Scottish find the pugnacious small man ''"intensely French"'',* even if he comes from North America. He starts out as an introduction by referring to the first Scots who populated the north of Great Britain before the English: "Coming here, I could not keep myself from drawing analogies between Scotland and Quebec. Your nation has traditions and a long history similar to ours. It is the French of Quebec who were the first white colonizers in North America, preceding by five years the American Pilgrim Fathers of the ''May Flower''." | ||