Journal de bord

“The problem here is we don’t have anything to say to each other anymore. There is a kind of contract of mutual indifference, which is very striking for someone of my generation. I can’t think of this country without Quebec. Je parle français. And when I think about being a Canadian, speaking French is part of it.”

BBC News Scotland: “Michael Ignatieff: Everyone is watching Scotland.”

P.S.

Love, we are told, is a mix of intimacy, passion and commitment. It seems to me there is no great love for Canada in Quebec — and, judging by the rising demands for autonomy in Alberta, the thrill has gone for many in the West.

Michael Ignatieff, the former Liberal leader, made comments about Quebec in an interview with BBC Scotland, where he suggested independence for Quebec (and Scotland) is the logical outcome of the current “contract of mutual indifference.”

The response was damning, not least from Mr. Ignatieff’s old friend, interim Liberal leader Bob Rae, who called the analysis “factually incorrect” and “completely wrong.

Mr. Ignatieff claims his comments were taken out of context and he is right. It’s doubtful if many of the people who were quick to anger actually watched his 10-minute interview in full. I did — and as a Canadian and Scotsman, the process he described is self-evident.

National Post, John Ivison : “Michael Ignatieff has a point about Quebec separation”.

La simplicité du scrutin français accroît le sex appeal de leur politique pour nos cerveaux francophones. Là où l’enjeu belge se perd dans les compromis, les négociations sans fin et les partis sans identité tranchée, le jeu français offre un ring, des bons et des méchants, des duels, un gagnant et un perdant. Le tout accompagné d’une rhétorique éblouissante, de débatteurs de talents, de grandes envolées et parfois aussi de grandes idées. Donnez-nous du Mélenchon qui flingue, du Sarkozy qui rentre dedans, du Mitterrand qui philosophe !

Le Soir, Béatrice Delvaux : “Merci la France !”.