I keep hearing that nearly half of the population in Quebec wanted to separate in '95....
Since only 41% of those of age to vote did in fact vote.....
The politically correct;-) way to term it would be that that nearly half of those who went to vote did....cause I have little doubt that the "Separatists" voted en masse while on the other side there were a few more who didn't because they were simply complacent and didn't bother...
I'm sure they wouldn't be so complacent to-day.
Where do you get your numbers?
The participation rate of the 1995 referendum was 93,52%.
Quebec independence referendum, 1995 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Well, the definition of whine is to complain in a childish fashion. NDP, Liberal, Conservatives, they don't threaten to leave and never come back if the rest in the sand box don't play as they wish.
Separatists don't ''threaten'' to leave. They WANT to leave. But they want to do it democratically. And as long as they are a part of Canada, they'll be vocal about what they want, as all other Canadian citizens.
Yes, that was my point. You're affirming that separatism is based in cultural distinctions. Which we all have, intra-country, intra-province, intra-region even...
I agree cultural differences are everywhere at every level. But the difference between PEI and Nova Scotia is irrelevant in this debate if the citizens of both provinces don't question their Canadian identity. What I'm saying is that a good portion of Quebecers don't identify to Canada and that is a good part of the explanation as to why there is a separatist movement.
Clearly there are cultural differences between Texas and the state of New York. But so long as Texans and New Yorkers feel ''American'' (in the US meaning of the word), there differences are relatively irrelevant if we're going to discuss national unity.
In Quebec's case, the problem is that the cultural difference goes as far as feeling a different sense of national identity. It's not about believing you're different or not. It's just how it is. You can't convince a Scott to be British. Or a Catalan to be Spanish. Despite the official state of geopolitical affairs.
No, they're nutbars because of the things they write. Go have a look at their website, read what they have published.
I'll have a look when I have a bit more time. Despite them being separatists, what would you say is your biggest issue with let's say the PQ?
The Bloc hand doesn't move far from the big red button on the console.
Yet the Bloc is extremely respectful of Canadian democracy. It has followed all the rules since its beginning.
As I think I've made clear, I'm not calling them whiners because they are a Nationalist movement. It's the manner in which they choose to operate that to me makes them worthy of the moniker.
I can see your point. But I think you're doing yourself a disfavour in putting all separatists in the same basket. It's a complex political issue, and you'll be lucky if you can find two separatists who can agree on how to achieve separation or even agree on basic political issues. The PQ is known in Quebec to be extremely hard to manage (for its leadership) because it is a mix of people from all parts of the political spectrum. What they all have in common is the desire for Quebec to be an independent country, but beyond that is a heck of a lot of quarrelling and disagreement.