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| Lisée and De Courcy an attempt to "sauver les meubles" |
The reality is that the letter sent and published to the Anglo community in the Montreal Gazette, is nothing more than an effort to co-opt resistance to Bill 14 and it has about as much credibility as a heartfelt request by a Nigerian Prince in seeking your financial aid in helping him liberate his fortune.
It probably goes to the political acumen of Jean-François Lisée who alone in cabinet has the English language skills and the sense of the Anglo community to understand that resistance to Bill 14 is building to a dangerous point, where the political fight is poised to spill over Quebec's borders, into the United States and the rest of Canada, an unfriendly arena where Quebec can only be the loser and where the penalty attached to being perceived as anti-English and discriminatory can be considerable.
It must have taken some discussion to get De Courcy to agree to the letter, Lisée explaining the dire consequeneces of letting the issue spiral out of control.
Most separatists like De Courcy who have had little or no contact outside the French milieu, disdain and ignore Anglos, considering them pests, like ants at a picnic.
For Jean-François Lisée, someone who has dealt with the community and has been exposed to a world outside Quebec, the danger of riling up the rest of the English continent, is a danger he recognizes as real and perhaps his more cautious approach convinced De Courcy, that something had to be done to diffuse the building situation.
The letter wasn't sent in order to offer concessions (none were offered) it was simply meant to mollify and co-opt, to somehow put a damper on protest.
The realization that the anti-Bill 14 lobby groups, led by CRITIQ, (the largest,) but also including The Unity Group, Put Canadian Flag Back In Quebec Assembly and others, are continuing to grow and gather strength, is a frightening scenario to the PQ, especially if these groups take the logical next step and re-locate the fight internationally.
This is the danger that the PQ faces, if ever the Americans become convinced that Quebec is anti-English and by logical extension, Anti-American, the economic impact to the province will be devastating.
Quebec has already thrown the first rock across the border, telling American retailing giants that their names must be altered to operate in Quebec.
If lobby groups take their fight across the border, they will receive an attentive audience, as French is the language and the people that Americans love to hate.
Sorry if the truth hurts.....
It doesn't take much to set the Americans off on an anti-French crusade, as we saw it 2003, when France's opposition to the invasion of Iraq led to a boycott of French products and the silly creation of the 'Freedom Fries' meant to erase the very word 'French' from the common American lexicon.
"The calls for a boycott did raise some concerns among businesses. For instance, it prompted French's Mustard to make a press release stating "the only thing French about French's Mustard is the name." LinkAs for the letter itself, I recognize Mr. Lisee's slick hand and the 'Golly gee, Aw shucks!" writing style of a country slicker.
Nowhere in the letter do the writers offer anything new, except to promise that at a later date the PQ 'might' entertain changes and so entreat Anglos to 'lay off' in the meantime.
When discussing the proposed prohibition for French military families to receive an exemption for English school, the letter assures us that it will no longer be part of the legislation.
"Children of the military: The section of Bill 14 that deals with the children of French-speaking military parents will be examined and discussed at a later date, with the introduction of a new and apposite bill" The LetterBut De Courcy is already on record as saying that she'd take the military clause out of Bill 14 only as a compromise to assure its passage, BUT, foolishly admits she would re-introduce the restriction at a later date.
"De Courcy says she's ready to drop the section on military exemptions in Bill 14. Though, she says she'll re-introduce it in a different bill." LinkTalk about rank dishonesty!
De Courcy and Lisée must really take us for idiots, do they really think we can't read and that we can't recognize a cheap trick when we see it?
The truth is that their promises of 'future considerations' plus 25¢ won't buy a call in a phone booth!"
Cloyingly patronizing, the letter reminds me of a used car salesman who puts his arm around your shoulder and swears up and down that you're getting a great deal. "Trust me, would I cheat you?"
It's nothing short of sickening and I hope nobody in the Anglo and Ethnic community falls for the phony concern!
Quebec's best political journalist, Jean Lapierre, confronted Lisée over the letter asking him why it had not been published in the French media. He pointedly asked the minister if it was a case of saying different things to the different communites, to which Lisee was ill at ease answering.
Later in the day, I caught Lisée giving an interview to one of the French language television news stations where an interviewer asked if the letter represented a change in direction.
Lisée responded that it was nothing of the sort and that the PQ remained firmly committed to the basic platform of Bill 14.
So much for rapprochement and an honest attempt at compromise,
If anything, the letter shows weakness and fear, something most commentators haven't picked up on. Now is the time for anti-Bill 14 forces to put the metal to the pedal and go full speed ahead in relation to protest.
Lobby groups need to expand their efforts to the United States and the rest of Canada in order to force the PQ into meaningful compromise, it is the logical next step.
Marching on Quebec City and militating here in the Quebec serves no more useful purpose, it is a battleground where no satisfaction is to be had.
Although those protest did indeed serve to put the PQ and language hawks on notice, it is time to move on strategically.
An attentive audience awaits anti-Bill 14 activists south of the border, where conservatives are occupied with the 'Spanish' invasion which they fear will lead to a two-language state and the attendant language mess like in Canada.
It is the hook that will enable our story to be heard.
When Marois or her finance minister next go grovelling to New York City to placate nervous bankers, or give a speech entreating Americans to invest in Quebec, they should be met by placard weilding anti-Bill 14 protesters, where just five such activists would have more impact than 200 in Quebec City.
This is the type of protest that will hit home with the large unspoken pool of Quebec francophones who remain generally opposed to PQ language policies but are uninterested in active opposition because they perceive themselves as having 'no dog in the fight.'
Having Quebec's reputation attacked abroad is something that will draw them into the debate and the possible repercussions, the attendant economic risk, is something that will definitely get their interest.
In Quebec we often talk about linguistic peace, if not harmony.
It is comparable to warring parties agreeing to a ceasefire where battle lines are frozen in place and where nobody advances or retreats.
The PQs Bill 14 initiative is a breech of that ceasefire and a invitation to renewed hostilities.
It is our reaction to that provocation that is the measure of our resolve.
It is incumbent upon us to show the PQ and indeed the rest of the province that Bill 14 is a ticket to renewed hostilities, a new language war where the cost of the conflagration is not worth the price.
Think about it, that is why it's time to take the fight to the next level.
Macpherson: A major omission and half-truths in piece by Lisée
ReplyDeleteBY DON MACPHERSON, THE GAZETTE MAY 17, 2013
MONTREAL - To combat “institutional bilingualism” — that is, in Parti Québécois newspeak, to make it harder to get public services in English, including health-care services. That’s one of the objectives of the PQ government’s anti-English Bill 14. Section 3 of the proposed legislation would require the government to “play an exemplary role in language matters ... by making French the normal and everyday language in which (it addresses) others and (is) addressed.”
Diane De Courcy, the minister responsible for the Charter of the French Language, was quite clear about her intentions concerning services in English when she introduced Bill 14 in December. “The government,” she said, “also notes with concern the slippage toward an institutional bilingualism in the municipalities, the hospitals (emphasis mine), government corporations and government departments and bodies. “Our institutions must set the example and return to French as the normal and habitual language.” She promised to “fulfill our obligations to our anglophone fellow citizens.” But the government must send “newcomers” a “coherent” message that “in Quebec, the language of integration and the common language is French.”
De Courcy has never explained how service in English to “newcomers” could be cut off with such surgical precision that “our anglophone fellow citizens” would not be affected as well. It’s clear, however, that De Courcy wants to make service in English less available.
Maybe it’s because this aspect of Bill 14 has received less public attention than others that De Courcy and co-author Jean-François Lisée, the PQ government’s “liaison” with the anglophone community, ignored it in their commentary on The Gazette’s Opinion page Friday. That is, the article was co-signed by De Courcy, but it was presumably written by Lisée, since De Courcy has resisted assimilation so well that she can’t speak English, let alone write it.
So, in the past year, Lisée has progressed from producing sophisticated anti-anglo literature for L’actualité magazine to — and this is no mean feat — getting a lengthy piece of pro-PQ propaganda published in The Gazette.
I spotted no outright lies in his 1,600 carefully-chosen words. But in addition to the omission I’ve mentioned, the article contained several half-truths. For example, it said the bill’s proposal to allow the government to withdraw the official bilingual status of a municipality “in no way endangered the possibility (again, emphasis mine) of obtaining services in English.” What it did not mention is that the proposal would make some services in English harder to get, and others no longer available at all.
Another example: The article said “some people” have portrayed a proposed amendment in Bill 14 to the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms as discriminatory. And it implied those people are legislative illiterates who don’t know how to read a bill. What the article neglected to mention is that these “some people” in question are the Quebec human-rights commission and the province’s bar association.
The article concluded with a plea for “reciprocal empathy” between anglophones and francophones. Some might say that anglos have already shown enough empathy by learning French, speaking it in public and teaching it to our children. But now, the article said, we must accept cuts in services in English to the sick and elderly to help “sustain the critical mass of the French-speaking majority, especially in Montreal,”
What Lisée meant by that, as he has made clear in the past, is that there aren’t enough people speaking French in the privacy of their own homes. But not even Lisée had the nerve to come out and ask anglos in The Gazette to “empathize” with the PQ’s opinion that there are too many of us.
dmacpherson@montrealgazette.com
Twitter: MacphersonGaz
© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette
And another thing (or two) about Lisée and De Courcy on Bill 14
DeleteBY DON MACPHERSON, THE GAZETTE MAY 17, 2013
Further to my column in The Gazette, here’s another of the half-truths in the article by Jean-François Lisée and Diane De Courcy on the opinion page of Friday’s Gazette:
In admissions to English-language CEGEPs, Bill 14 would favour graduates of English-language high schools over applicants from French-language ones. That, the two Parti Québécois ministers said, is to help anglo kids [ED: they are NOT kids but rather young adults] whose education is “cut short” because they’re squeezed out of college by graduates of French schools with better marks. “Is it not the principal mission of English-speaking educational institutions to ensure the success of as many anglo students as possible?” they asked. “On this issue, we will side with anglo kids: they should have priority access to English CEGEPs.”
Lisée and De Courcy didn’t explain, however, why the number of places in English colleges can’t be increased so that every qualified applicant can be admitted. Here’s why: They want to prevent non-anglophones from going to English CEGEPs. Political considerations, however, prevented the government from keeping the PQ’s promise to anti-English hawks to apply Bill 101′s restrictions on admission to English schools to the colleges.
They also neglected to mention that Bill 14 would require would-be graduates of English high schools and colleges to pass more difficult French tests. This could prevent some students from graduating, and discourage others from going on to CEGEP.
And here’s yet another half-truth in the article, also concerning English-language education:
Lisée and De Courcy promised that abolishing an exemption that allows children of French-speaking Canadian Forces personnel to attend English school “would not result in the closing of any English schools anywhere in Quebec.” They did not, however, acknowledge the other concerns of the English school board most affected by the proposal. The vast territory of the Central Quebec School Board includes the Forces bases at Valcartier and Bagotville. Quebec public schools are funded on the basis of enrollment. The board has said that without the military exemption, it would lose so many pupils that the quality of education and services in its schools would suffer even if they remained open.
dmacpherson@montrealgazette.com
Twitter: MacphersonGaz
© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette
FROM THE FRENCH PRESS:
DeleteAnglophones are not reassured
The Journal de Montréal – regarding the letter from Lisée and De Courcy
By: GIUSEPPE VALIANTE Published on Saturday, May 18, 2013
http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2013/05/18/les-anglophones-ne-sont-pas-rassures
The Quebec government has failed to reassure Quebec Anglophones by sending an open letter explaining Bill 14, say two Montreal activists who defend the rights of anglophones. Lawyer Brent Tyler and Dan Lamoureux, president of the Quebec Community Groups Network, told the QMI Agency on Saturday that the Marois government must trash Bill 14 if genuinely wants to convince the English community that is respected.
The minister responsible for the Charter of the French Language, Diane de Courcy, and the Minister responsible for the Montreal Region, Jean-François Lisée, published a letter in the English-language daily The Gazette on Friday to convince Anglophones that the new language bill would not compromise their rights.
According to the two ministers, the new measures are both "prudent" and needed to "preserve the linguistic security and vitality of the French majority, of the English community and the First Nations."
Mr. Tyler said in an interview that "to claim that Bill 14 serves the Anglophone community is the worst hypocrisy." For his part, Dan Lamoureux said the letter from the two ministers would have had more impact had it also been published in French newspapers. "Politicians say one thing in English and another in English," said Lamoureux.
Mrs. De Courcy and Mr. Lisée stated in their letter that amendments would be made to the most controversial sections of the bill. For example, the measure that would abolish the right of local municipal councils to provide services in English to their citizens will be modified. In addition, articles giving greater power to the Quebec Office of the French Language (OQLF) will be revised. “We were listening to all of our fellow Quebecers — including anglo Quebecers", wrote the two pequistes.
According to Mr. Tyler, Jean-François Lisée is a great communicator, but also a "skillful manipulator." The lawyer believes that the purpose of Bill 14 is to restrict the use of the English language in all sorts of ways. "To describe the measures of Bill 14 as prudent is just wacky," he said. “They say the opposite of what they think and believe the opposite of what they say.”
The strengthening of Bill 101 is a no go, despite the open letter by the PQ
DeleteBY: HUGO PILON-LAROSE, La Presse, May 18, 2013
Representatives of the Anglophone community remain opposed to any strengthening of Bill 101, even though they welcome the publishing of an open letter by ministers Jean-François Lisée and Diane De Courcy in The Gazette. "Personally, when I read the letter, I was happy. It shows the level of commitment that the two ministers have on behalf of anglophones’ fears regarding Bill 14. To have written what they wrote was courageous," says the Executive Director of the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN), Sylvia Martin Laforge. "However, I am not certain that they will be able to go any further. They claim to want to seek the support of the CAQ, but I don’t believe that they are addressing the CAQ’s demands," she said.
The letter in question, entitled "We Have Listened", was published yesterday in The Gazette. Lisée, responsible for relations with the Anglophone community, and De Courcy, who handles the Bill 14 dossier, say that they are willing to amend their bill. They discuss several topics, including the status of bilingual cities, coercive powers given to the OQLF and the enforcement of Bill 101 for small and medium businesses.
"We must distinguish between the approach and the content," says Geoffrey Kelley, the Liberal MP for the Jacques Cartier riding. "I welcome the approach of [the government toward] the anglophone community. It is desirable. But as far as firm commitments regarding Bill 14 are concerned, there is not much in this letter. They say they are committed to modifying it, but without saying how," he said. As with the QCGN, Kelley does not see how the CAQ could support Bill 14. "François Legault’s political party is demanding changes to about 70% of the bill. I don’t see how the PQ will manage that," says the Liberal MP. The CAQ had not responded to interview requests from La Presse by yesterday.
According to Jack Jedwab, Executive Director of the Association of Canadian Studies at the University of Montreal, the thorny question of language in Quebec cannot be resolved by political means. A citizens' initiative is preferable. "The Minister may surely help to organize this meeting between anglophone and francophone leaders. We should sit together to talk, to find some common ground," says Mr. Jedwab. "It is ironic that with Bill 14, we now see Anglophones saying "Don’t touch Bill 101," which was originally a PQ slogan. But this doesn’t mean Anglos are in favour of Bill 101, nor of coercive measures. It just means they find Bill 14 even worse," he said. This analysis is shared by Sylvia Martin Laforge of the QCGN. She believes that Anglophones will always be against laws that establish new coercive enforcement measures, regardless of the number of open letters.
"Affirmative actions are necessary and we should not wait for the anglophone community to do it for us," complains the president of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society of Montreal, Mario Beaulieu. His organization wishes to strengthen Bill 101 by even more than what is already proposed by Bill 14. "With the anglophone community, it is very difficult. There are varying points of view, often extremist [ED: Pot, meet kettle!]. There is a lot of vilification and intimidation, especially when you hear anglophone columnists saying that Bill 101 is xenophobic or racist," says Beaulieu.
So is it possible to bring both sides closer together then? The answer, believes Jack Jedwab, lies not in the positions of the QCGN or SSJB, nor of the National Assembly. "On campus, I see young Francophones and Anglophones living together without any problem. Maybe these people have the solution through dialogue. We have to get out of this debate in the political arena in order to reach a consensus. If it’s possible.”
R.S,
DeleteBravo Zulu for posting the articles, and also for your effort to provide translation for those in French.
"According to Mr. Tyler, Jean-François Lisée is a great communicator, but also a "skillful manipulator." The lawyer believes that the purpose of Bill 14 is to restrict the use of the English language in all sorts of ways."
Delete".....Jean-François Lisée is a great communicator, but also a "skillful manipulator" (✓)
".....the purpose of Bill 14 is to restrict the use of the English language in all sorts of ways." (✓)
yep...all basis covered !
Thanks, Yannick and Seaman Troy. I’m glad to hear that you appreciate them; I figure that not everyone here always reads the local papers and besides, articles tend to disappear from the Internet eventually. There were a couple typos; of course, I meant to write that “Politicians say one thing in French and another in English” in the La Presse article but I’m sure that you figured that out for yourselves already.
DeleteFor greater contrast, here’s one more article, from the separatist Le Devoir. I suppose that they too, like Lisée with his article, didn’t see the need to publish their open letter in both the English and French press.
Bill 14 – A plea for the strengthening of the Charter
14 Quebec personalities urge the government to act
May 13 2013 | Claude Lévesque | Quebec City
A group of 14 prominent Quebecers today came to the defense of Bill 14, which seeks to strengthen the Charter of the French Language (Bill 101), by publishing an open letter in Le Devoir.
The signatories reaffirm the necessity to protect the language of the majority of Quebecers and seek to refute the arguments of those who see in the bill an infringement upon the rights of anglophones.
Tabled earlier this year, the draft legislation is currently being debated in the National Assembly. The CAQ, whose support is essential for the government in this dossier, has said that it would vote in its favour, subject to certain amendments, and QS did the same, proposing other changes, while the Liberals will likely reject it, since they are opposed to its main provisions.
"Over the years, there has been a disturbing linguistic relaxation. The Quebec State must take the initiative," write the Quebec personalities, among whom are the former president of Mouvement Desjardins Claude Béland, sociologists Gérard Bouchard, Mathieu Bock-Côté and Guy Rocher, the former president of the CSN labour union Gérald Larose and comedian Louise Marleau.
According to the signatories of the text published on page A7, Bill 14 in effect breaks with the "let’s wait and see" and recognizes "the urgency for a redress."
With regard to the language of work, according to them, the marginalization of French is coming back "in a more subtle way, in the name of a globalization that has a broad back in this area."
Bill 14 plans to extend the requirements of the Charter of the French language to companies with 26 to 49 employees with respect to the right to work in French, and to companies with 10 or more employees with respect to the obligation to provide services in French.
The signatories argue that the economy is not globalizing “in all sectors and especially not in all workplaces."
As for public institutions, the 14 personalities bemoan that "the Quebec State communicates very regularly with immigrants in English" because "it is in their relationship with the State that immigrants should be convinced of the need for the mastery of French in our society."
[ED: A woman bravely posted the following comment in response (that CUTIE is sure to love!), followed by the next response.]
DeleteRenée Houde - 13 mai 2013 04 h 08
These signatories are completely disconnected
These signatories are doing great harm to Quebec and are totally disconnected from the reality of the modern world. When 94.4% of Quebecers can converse in French ... where is the problem? http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011
Montreal must separate from the Province of Quebec and form a special alliance with Canada to become a fully bilingual state, something which 69% of citizens want. We have had enough of these people who live in another world. We want to get rid of these deadweights that keep Quebec in ignorance and in an imaginary linguistic fear which is ridiculous. To attack Anglos WITH THE HATEFUL AND INDECENT BILL 14, to preserve French... NO THANKS!
rene poirier - 13 mai 2013 15 h 34
Thank you Madam for your great solidarity with the Quebec people. Reading your text is really uplifting, wanting to separate Montreal from Quebec, what refreshing idea. Partition is the solution (see Northern Ireland).
R.S,
DeleteWhat you wrote:
"...write the Quebec personalities, among whom are...and comedian Louise Marleau."
Immediately the statement loses its credibility if the translation is right. However, the correct translation for comédienne is actress since comédien(ne) in French does not necessarily mean an entertainer whose main job is to make the audience laughs (humorist). They are false friends, I suppose.
Please do not take this as an offense, I am just being my pedant self. My BZ to you still stands.
Bill14 is dead as a dodo. Aside from the usual hard liners, there is no support generally for tightening up language restrictions in Quebec, if anything I sense that most people.just want to get on with their lives.
ReplyDeleteJP, if you believe your perceptions are true, why aren't Francophones doing more than giving the whole thing lip service? I don't see those people more than saying how they want to live peacefully with their neighbours. As Irwin Rapoport stated in his address to the government committee a couple of months ago, 99% of Francophones are indifferent as to how language legislation applies and just plain exists, i.e., 99% aren't against such legislation, or are at best indifferent.
DeleteAnd if they are concerned about oppression against the minorities, why aren't they protesting against the government.
Maybe it's high time some of these language police get their heads knocked in when they try to bully little guys. Maybe a vigilante group is needed. It's a distasteful solution, but the law's proposals itself are distasteful. It would certainly bring attention, and fast, throughout the continent, and that's not all bad. It may be fodder for a more rational solution.
Speaking of solutions, what really is De Courcy's FINAL solution?
It's shocking how many francophones I speak with are unaware that Bill 14 even exists and how many more are unaware of its contents.
DeleteWhat can be done to have more coverage of it in the French media?
Why aren't the other papers interested in publishing a translation of "We have listened"?
I agree - I have spoken to some francophone friends and they too do not know of Bill 14 - where is the french media in all this? It always amazes me that the francophone population are so unaware of what goes on around them.
DeleteCutie and anon: As I wrote above, and as eloquently stated by Mr. Rapoport, 99% of the Francophone population are indifferent to French language legislation; besides, nothing here is new at all about communicating one way in English and a completely different way in French.
DeleteConsider the following:
Delete1) PQ seeks to tighten English language restrictions, at educational institutions, at work, give the language police significantly increased powers to impose their interpretation of Bill 101 on everyone in Quebec. In addition, Bill 101 imposes restrictions on Quebec francophones, to significantly limit/restrict their access to English speaking educational institutions (CEGEPS now, universities later?) and to water down English education at French speaking schools. This will have the effect of discouragement francophones to connect with anglophones, and vice versa, particularly when they are young - reinforcing a perception of linguistic and cultural apartheid in Quebec, and perhaps more importantly for francophones, limiting their ability to connect with the English speaking world, in the rest of Canada, and the US, and beyond.
2) Within Quebec, through Bill 101 and the proposed Bill 14, the PQ seeks to impose/reinforce a two class society based along linguist lines, with only francophones being first class, and all others being second class - this is a response to a perception that francophones were second class in the pre-tranquil revolution days, and that the answer since the 1960s-70s was to reverse this rather than have a bilingual society based on equality. Its equivalent to reversing an apartheid type system rather than resolving it.
3) The PQ is a minority government, and needs support from one or more of the PLQ or CAQ to enact new legislation. Bill 14 certainly has no PLQ support whatsoever, quite the opposite, and the CAQ may only support 30% or less of the bill - ie only a gutted Bill 14 has a possibility of being voted through. It seems the language restrictions under Bill 101 are maxed out, that the people do not seek more restrictions.
4) If the PQ press forward with Bill 14 as proposed, they will lose - big time - and it won't be blamed on the money and the ethnics, but on the francophone majority who are simply not interested - especially as it resticts the ability of their children to learn English and thereby benefit from this. The PQ will lose their desire to govern as they cannot achieve their prime objective, and will simply fall apart.
5. If the PQ gut Bill 14, it will be a major volte-face, big embarracement, and may not even achieve hardly anything, plus again the prime objective is lost.
6. If the PQ drop Bill 14 and go back to the drawing board, this would likely be the most face-saving option for the PQ, but nonetheless will be viewed as a major climb down. A As above, under this option the PQ can remain in power, but in reality the separation project is dead for the moment, and perhaps for ever - akin to the proverbial Norwegian Blue Parrot.
7. When walking the streets and visitign stores, bars, cafes etc in Montreal, as I did this weekend, I sense no linguistic tensions, it was a wonderful day. In fact at Berri Metro, the staff were extremely helpful, and spoke English even when I spoke in my less than fluent French. It was the same everywhere.
In the meantime, the PQ is washed up, at least for the rest of this mandate. Its time for new thinking, a new way and positive way forward based on respecting the fundamental rights of all Quebec citizens.
Great - but we definitely need a federalist party running for the NA - do hope people give a real close look to the Equality Party 2.0 and let's get some representation at the provincial level for once.
Delete“In reality the separation project is dead for the moment, and perhaps forever - akin to the proverbial Norwegian Blue Parrot.”
DeleteI do love m’self some good ol’Monty Python and The Parrot Sketch is perhaps the nec plus ultra of their oeuvre. Now I find out that the:
Norwegian Blue parrot really DID exist - but now they are all 'stiff, bereft of life and ex-parrots'
By ANDREW LEVY, 16 May 2008
As we know, it has shuffled off its mortal coil and joined the choir invisible. Its metabolic processes are history. It is demised.
But while the parrot in the celebrated Monty Python sketch is well and truly dead, those hilarious exchanges between John Cleese and Michael Palin have winged their way into comedy immortality.
Cleese complained that the Norwegian Blue sold to him by pet shop owner Palin was lifeless - and kept upright by being nailed to its perch. Adding to the absurdity was the fact that parrots - being tropical birds - don't come from Scandinavia.
Or do they? For now, in a development putting the sketch in a completely different light, it turns out that the Norwegian Blue did exist. Dr David Waterhouse, a fossil expert and Python fan, has found that parrots not only lived in Scandinavia 55 million years ago, but probably evolved there before spreading into the southern hemisphere. His discovery was based on a preserved wing bone of a previously unknown species, given the scientific name Mopsitta Tanta - and now nicknamed the Norwegian Blue.
The dead parrot script, voted Britain's favourite alternative comedy sketch by Radio Times readers in 2004, was written by Cleese and Graham Chapman and first broadcast in 1969.
As he returns the ex-parrot to Palin's pet shop, Cleese is assured it is just resting or stunned, being "tired following a prolonged squawk" and "pining for the fjords". Cleese bangs it on the counter, trying to wake it up, screaming: "Hello, Mister Polly Parrot! I've got a lovely fresh cuttlefish for you!" But it is definitely expired.
Dr Waterhouse, 29, said of Mopsitta Tanta: "Obviously, we were dealing with a bird that is bereft of life, but the tricky bit was establishing it was a parrot." […]
However, the Pythons were wrong about one thing...the Blue could hardly have pined for the fjords. "This parrot shuffled off its mortal coil around 55 million years ago, but the fjords in Norway were formed during the last Ice Age and are less than a million years old," said Dr Waterhouse.
Told yesterday about the Blue's discovery, Michael Palin chuckled, saying: "It just shows that nothing is original."
PQ better watch who's feet they are stepping on because we as a democratic society within Quebec WILL NOT and SHOULD NOT put up with their racists policys and if they continue they will face not only the people of Quebec but also the hardliners of our community..PQ think they are facing no resistance that we will just throw up our arms and do nothing-THINK AGAIN PQ before you are shamed worldwide for the gutless racists cowards that you are!!!
ReplyDeleteI don't think any federalists in the province have fallen for the BS of Lisee and his letter to the anglophone community. It says nothing about changing anything in Bill 14, the most hateful, racist bill to date put forward by these miscreants. If Lisee thinks that our communities have not seen through him and his whole party's objective of driving out even more "No" votes, he must think we are all stupid or in a coma. Pretty words will not gain him any support for this terrible bill and I hope Anonymous is right; that the people of our community will rise up in full force against these militants! We have to rid ourselves of these people so our province and move forward in the real world and bilingualism is something that should be treasured and not a dread disease! How sad that these people cannot recognize a good thing when it hits them in the face. Stupid, stupid lot. Out with the separatists!
DeleteBut Cutie, these miscreants will NOT go away, unless we convert Anticosti Island into a colony and exile those miscreant lepers thereto. If they want to separate Anticosti Island and annex same to St-Pierre and Miquelon (if the latter two will have them), go for it!
DeleteOf all things, why turn Anticosti Island into a penal colony?
DeleteSeems like quite a waste to me, for so many reasons.
No longer care how we do it Mr. Sauga - just want them to hell away from our civilized society. They hang around like vultures picking at every bone they can and never give thought to their next meal. I actually think they are crazed and no longer belong with the rest of us. There definitely is a cult mentality about 90% of them and some of what we see on this blog proves just that. They are totally unreasonable and therefore do not deserve to live within a peace loving civilization. Partition is the only way to save some of us from this on-going push/pull existence.
Delete"Of all things, why turn Anticosti Island into a penal colony?"
DeleteI agree, why should we punish Anticosti Island? I say stick'em in a rocket and propel them into outer space...hopefully to be heard of...no more. And that's the ideal solution for garbage.
I don't think anybody lives on Anticosti Island, so it's the perfect place to rid mainstream society of these parasites. Sending them into outer space is too expensive...unless it's directly towards the sun where they could burn up...the motherf---kers!
DeleteIf they want to separate Anticosti Island and annex same to St-Pierre and Miquelon (if the latter two will have them), go for it!
DeleteHey! I have family living in St. Pierre et Miquelon and I resemble that remark! They have better taste that.
In 1895, when the French millionaire chocolate maker Henri Menier bought Anticosti Island, he expelled all of the English speaking residents (who were originally from Newfoundland). It's reminiscent of the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Anglophones from Quebec today.
DeleteLD
ReplyDeleteStart writing letters to the Editor of all the big US news media (New York Times, WSJ, CNN, Time...). Let them know what is brewing on their doorstep. This charade of trying to "protect" the French language spoken by 7,000,000 people is merely a guise to depopulate Quebec of English speaking citizens and to score a win in any future referendum on succession. That Time.com piece last month really ruffled the Separatist's feathers. International attention works. Spread the word, share this blog, use the power of the Internet to expose the PQ for what they really are.
I'm doing as much as I can LD and I hope others reading this blog will do the same. We must embarrass these crazy people with their anti-English laws!
DeleteI agree...
DeleteWatch the clips, pass on the clips...expose these anti-English language “franco-phony” bigots all over the world…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhPcV0gtFR0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abOWJkf-Vh8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2NTwFP7g0M
"Like most Americans, one of the few things I know about Canada is that it’s supposed to be better than us. It’s an almost unbearably functional place, what with its non-collapsed banking system and strongly growing economy and harmonious, cosmopolitan society (Quebec excepted)."
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-17/the-almost-good-reasons-toronto-elected-rob-ford.html
Embarrassing again for Quebec - keep it going guys - suits me just fine. If this is what it takes to back these crazies off, I'm all for it. International condemnation is exactly what we need and makes the world aware of these fascists. Way to go!
Delete"Quebec's best political journalist, Jean Lapierre..."
ReplyDeleteJe ne crois vraiment pas mais certainement un des plus populistes.
Bonne journée des Patriotes à tous!
"Bonne journée des Patriotes à tous!"
DeleteI knew this was inevitable and that's why today, I am playing the role of The Conquest.
"Journée des Patriotes? Oh you mean those dudes that got totally CONQUERED by British forces, bro...and who's survivors were hung like curtains while everyone else partied with firecrackers and beer?"
Only in the Qc do people celebrate the losing team and that coming in last is something to be proud of.
"Only in the Qc do people celebrate the losing team..."
DeletePas assez pour en faire la reconstitution sur les plaines d'Abraham :)
Oups!
Posing as The Conquest:
Delete"I know what you mean, bro. Why remind people that the British army wore red coats to conceal their injuries while the French army wore brown pants to conceal their fear."
Oups!
Et vous portez un masque de diable pour cacher la couleur de votre peau?
DeleteIshhh!
Must be another one of those upstart immigrants hiding behind the mask right SR? Just another insight into the real personalities of these separatists.
DeleteImaginez si tous les immigrants étaient des "haters" comme M.Résidu.Heureusement ce n'est pas le cas :)
DeleteMerci d'avoir pensé à moi, S.R ;-)
DeleteLet me get this straight - aren't all of the non pur laine francophones in this province considered "immigrants"? After all, English is a "foreign language" and anyone that votes "No" is considered ethnic or rich? Parizeau thinking alive and well in quebec; dirty, selfish old man that he is. Doesn't give a whit about the trouble he causes because he just flies off to France to his villa to ride it out with his many millions of dollars. Ones that vote "yes" I guess, are not considered "ethnic" any longer. Typical bunch of fools and hypocrites.
Delete"Imaginez si tous les immigrants étaient des "haters" comme M.Résidu.Heureusement ce n'est pas le cas :)"
DeleteOr 'haters' like YOU no less??? We'd be soooooooooo much more ahead...right? LOL...
I love how R.E has gotten so under your skin...every other one of your posts is about him....lolol.....you got a crush or somethin'? hahahahahahaha... R.E....RUN FOR YOUR LIFEEEEEEE...hahahhahahahah lololololololololol
Any second now - that Chardonnay comment is on it's way.
Delete"Any second now - that Chardonnay comment is on it's way"
DeleteLOL...u kill me...LOL...!!!
I suppose that for the sake of history, I should point out that until 10 years ago, when then-PQ leader Bernard Landry had today’s Victoria Day holiday name renamed to the National Patriot’s Day in Quebec, the day had been known in French since the 1920s as the “Fête de Dollard”.
DeleteIn 1660, the governor of Montreal, Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve, gave permission to the 25-year-old Adam Dollard des Ormeaux (who may be of interest to today’s citizens of the West Island suburb of D.D.O.) to lead 16 volunteers (including Hurons) from Ville-Marie (that had 600 colonists) on a 10-day canoe trip up the Ottawa River to today’s Carillon, in order to ambush Iroquois warriors. Instead, they were all killed or captured and massacred in what became known as the Battle of Long-Sault.
Obviously, separatists rejoice in commemorating all of their failures in order to highlight why they have always failed.
Resident Evil, as Troy says, Bravo Zulu and gratitude forever for having stepped into the breach during my temporary absence.
DeleteThank you for providing information that even *I* hadn’t know about regarding their brown pants:
http://www.fuckfrance.com/topic/328392/1/Discussions/Why-French-Army-Officers-Wear-Brown-Pants.html&replies=7
But even better are these humourous reminders about why no one had even noticed that France decided to rejoin NATO four years ago (just kidding! We love you, France!! Yes, we do!!!):
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1161642/As-France-rejoins-NATO-humorous-reminder-missed-them.html
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up?
The army.
How can you recognise a French veteran?
Sunburned armpits.
Why are there so many tree-lined boulevards in France?
Germans like to march in the shade.
Why did it take Germany three days to conquer France in World War II?
Because it was raining.
Why did the French give America the Statue of Liberty?
Because she has only one arm raised.
Why do the French get more votes in the U.N.?
They vote with both hands.
Why is the French fighter plane called the Mirage?
It doesn't exist.
Why don't they have fireworks at Euro Disney?
Because every time they shoot them off, the French try to surrender.
What does 'Maginot' mean in German?
Welcome!
Why is the French Foreign Legion the only decent fighting force in the whole French Army?
Because it's made up of foreigners
What does the new French flag look like?
A white cross emblazoned on a white background.
What's the shortest book ever written?
French War Heroes.
What is the first thing the French Army teaches at basic training?
How to surrender in at least ten languages.
What is the most useful thing in the French Army?
A rear-view mirror, so they can see the war.
Why does Nike like the French Army?
Because in wartime they are the biggest buyers of running shoes.
Why did the French celebrate their World Cup in 1998 so wildly?
It was their first time they won anything without outside help.
Why do the French have glass bottom boats in their Navy?
To see all their other ships.
What did the mayor of Paris say to the German army as they entered the city in World War II?
'Table for 100,000, monsieur?'
Why are the French afraid of war?
You would be, too, if you had never won one.
How do you stop a French army on horseback?
Turn off the carousel.
Did you hear about the French admiral who wanted to be buried at sea when he died?
Five sailors died digging his grave.
What's the best thing about being French?
You can surrender at the beginning of the war and somebody else will win it for you.
'I would rather have a German division in front of me than a French one behind me.'
General George S. Patton.
How do the French advertise surplus World War II rifles for sale?
'Never fired, only dropped once.'
And for the humour-impaired, just to prove that this is all in good fun, I swear that I too would have my arms raised were I ever faced with one of these hot, hunky, bad-ass French soldiers.
DeleteI think we on both sides english and french in Quebec need this kind of humour to see our similarities rather than our differences which will make us understand that deep down inside ,we are all the same,in order to avoid history repeating itself by our ugly fear/hate complexes leading to violence and then war,which never ,ever proved, who deserved better to dominate/control any other culture/race/ nor the new and only place in the planet which now has the rebellious government satanic controlled,pride-filled,causing divisions of the masses through false prophecies,fear of being dominated by majority of world,s language of communication in order to stupify to ignorance the future generations in Quebec of any spiritual hope ,to get along with others of different customs,communicational expessions.Woe to these leaders who care only for their own profits and gains! And as in all history ,we the sheep shall suffer these war pigs ,power trips,hateful of all those under their control!
DeleteYep - Happy Victoria Day to all federalists - Cloudy and rainy here for their newly proclaimed "Parrot Day" for all the seppies - whoops.
ReplyDeleteFurther proof that English Canadians can be just as "patriotically" hare brained as their French Canadian counterparts:
DeletePetition looks to rename Victoria Day
'Victoria and First Peoples Day' would share holiday with Aboriginal Peoples
Not that I particularly love Queen Victoria, but as the article point out, we already have National Aboriginal Day on June 21 and Canada Day on July 1. This renaming push seems to me to be just as redundant as the Quebec Nationalists commandeering an extra day to create "Patriot's Day" for a theme that both was (Patriot's Day was formerly in November and not a public holiday in Quebec) and is already observed elsewhere (Saint Jean Baptiste/"Fête Nationale" on June 24) on the calendar.
Smells to me like a self-serving gambit by self-appointed "intellectual" anglo lefties.
As one commenter on a related article in the Journal de Montréal put it so well: encore du maudit niaisage...
".......encore du maudit niaisage"
DeleteIt is what seppies are best at after all...isn't it? Now that is something they SHOULD brag about! LOL
Editor,
ReplyDeleteThink about it, that is why it's time to take the fight to the next level.
I would like to, but how? Maybe this question is not only for the Editor but to the Forum. What can we done outside of Quebec border? Specifically for me, what can I do from here, in Toronto?
As of now, what I can do is just inform my colleagues, friends and coworkers about what is happening in Quebec. It is rather fascinating that the level of awareness of what is happening in Montreal is very low here. Many people think that Montreal is just like Miami, with French in lieu of Spanish.
"what can I do from here, in Toronto?"
DeleteCommencez par conseiller votre maire d'arrêter de fumer du crack.
"Many people think that Montreal is just like Miami"
Oups,pas juste votre maire qui fume du crack :)
Troy - why don't you pass along a few paragraphs from this blog or one of the proposals contained in Bill 14. You won't get much interest if you share too much but people getting a clue might follow up for more info. Pick a really nasty posting or portion of the Bill (that shouldn't be much of a problem) and just send it along on your e-mails to your friends and fellow workers. Might tweak enough interest for follow up. They can help spread the word about what a disgrace quebec society is turning into in a modern world.
DeleteLe reste du monde n'est pas constitué d'angryphones peggy :)
DeleteCombien d'angryphones dans les rues de Montréal aujourd'hui?Une vingtaine?Sur un +/- million?
Si vous êtes incapables de vous organiser,que voulez-vous que "The World" fasse pour vous?
Again, not that I give a shit about Rob Ford, but wasn't it Andre Boisclair that did cocaine the whole time he was in the National Assembly pursuing his goal of independence? Pot calling kettle again.
ReplyDeleteSpot on.
DeleteI notice that S.R. has made at least two references to Rob Ford's alleged crack usage, and each reference was a way to change the subject from language/Bill 14/general separatist foolishness. I get the impression S.R. thinks that we, as anglophones, are supposed to feel shame and guilt at what's going on in Toronto. S.R. hasn't realized that Rob Ford has nothing to do with Quebec anglos ... but I guess S.R. figures, "Rob Ford speaks English, many opponents to Bill 14 speak English, so they must know each other."
DeleteThat has been the first, last and only time I will respond to anything posted here by one of the resident trolls.
Whaddaya talk? Clearly you don't understand what sovereignty is all about.
DeleteThe most virulent and chauvinist French Canadian nationalism is justified because WASPish Toronto mayor Rob Ford has demonstrably smoked crack, even though the video hasn't been released yet. Not seeing how this all makes perfect sense is proof that you are a hateful angryphone and we need to separate as soon as possible to be free of your ilk.
(Too) simple.
(sarcasm off)
R.S. is not a troll - he makes it possible to get good translations from french media and I, for one, appreciate his efforts.
DeleteI agree, Cutie, but please read my post again: I was giving grief to SR(whom I consider a troll), not to our friend RS.
DeleteI think he is one.
DeleteSorry ExMTL - Must have had a dyslexia attack yesterday - lol - of course SR is a huge troll.
DeleteLD
ReplyDeleteThe funny (or sad) thing is, that even though Toronto has a Clown as a Mayor, that city still attracts more skilled immigrants, investors and companies than Montreal ever has. Toronto is now the third largest city in North America and has no plans of slowing down.
Well, few people care about municipal politics. Only 25% people actually voted, if I remember correctly.
DeleteWell we had better start paying more attention to these municipal politics. They are going to become more and more important in our battles with the stinking separatists and a way to partition. Start my making, as sure as you can, that you are not electing separatists even at the counselor levels. Look what's happened in Gatineau and we didn't even realize it was going on. Sneaky bunch these separatists and we must start looking at the backgrounds of those we elect to public office.
DeleteSorry to bust your bubble Cutie, but for the past few decades, Montreal municipal politics has been characterized by an unspoken tug of war between nationalists and federalists, with the nationalists often winning out.
DeleteMuch has been made about Applebaum being Montreal's first "anglo" mayor in over a century. It bears mentioning why: The annexation by Montreal of more and more francophone-majority towns over the course of the twentieth century was what made this possible. This, combined with the gathering storm both leading up to and following the Quiet Revolution, gave us a slew of nationalist mayors of varying stripes. Take a look as far back as the Liberal(!) Médéric Martin (who in the twenties campaigned on the slogan "no more English Mayors"), or even afterward with the likes of Houde, Drapeau, Doré, and Bourque. I've written here before about the incestuous relationship that characterizes various levels of government and para-governmental organizations (think school boards and trade unions). For a long time, everybody pretty much knew where everybody stood, but it wasn't with the city mergers of 2001 that Gérald Tremblay's Union Montreal broke through, ushering something of a shake-up at City Hall. And while for many, Tremblay's party represented little more than a bad Liberal masquerade (with all the corruption overtones we've come to know too well), I doubt the shenanigans began with his administration. It did take us three decades to pay off our stadium, after all. And Montreal has been this country's sleaze capital since long before any of us was born. None of this is new.
Now, the separatist blogosphere has been abuzz recently, bemoaning the specter of a Coderre-Couillard-Trudeau trifecta being installed, potentially very soon. And while I'm a federalist and a Liberal through and through, I'm not such a partisan hack as to believe that such a wall-to-wall red-colored motif, however long it might hypothetically last, would fully bring about the wind of change our political landscape sorely needs. Unfortunately, I don't like the alternatives any better, if you could call what we have "alternatives".
Be that as it may, a Denis/Philippe/Justin nexus is particularly worrisome for the Vigilantes (pardon the pun), especially since it would come on the heels of the recent leftist-nationalist-media push to oust federalist public officials and particularly Liberal-friendly (provincial or federal) businesspeople, many of whom are the subject of much investigation.
Still, I don't expect it to be all bad. I think as a society we're in for a decade-long period of introspection over the events of the past 50 years or so. And given our fatigue and apathy over corruption and yes, even nationalism, I'm optimistic that a sober and mature populace will come out of it.
FROM ED
ReplyDeleteVictoria day and Patriotes day do go together. It was Queen Victoria who decreed the French could keep their language and religion. Ed
Wow, the seppies changed the name from Dollars-des-Ormeaux Day. Haha! No but seriously, in no way whatsoever should terrorist be honoured. Heck, that radical Khadir will rename the celebration Paul Rose Day.
DeleteGod Ed - they are not doing it for that reason - it's simply a way to slight the British yet again. You know their motives are to erase anything to do with English and British ties.
DeleteSorry Ed, they can call it whatever they want till the cows comes home...It is and remains...VICTORIA DAY...that's why I got a day off today...Thank you Queen Victoria !!!....
Deleteps:...But I really liked Cutie's version of the re-name...Parrots Day !!!...hahahhahahahhahahahah...
FROM ED
DeleteMy God, I see I must be careful when I'm being facetious. Sorry if I got anyone in a tizzie. Ed
"...that's why I got a day off today..."
DeleteLa ville ne ramasse pas les poubelles les jours fériés?
"La ville ne ramasse pas les poubelles les jours fériés?"
DeleteI guess not since you hung out here all day !! LOL
Anyway, editor, the only way to change things in Quebec is to boycott french companies headquarted in Quebec. Writing in foreign media will not cut it. This province is dead and it shows.
ReplyDeleteWho brought up Mayor Ford? What a pathetic way to shift the conversation from Montreal to Toronto. Probably a separatist, who can't have an argument without resorting to half-truth or outright lies and even worst, switching the blame toward someone else. Montreal has crappy road, overloaded hospital, patient forced to go to Ontario, incompetent municipal politician.
Heck, I would take Mr. Ford over Gerald "sleeping on the switch" Tremblay and Marc " Separatist" Bureau.
Sorry, Editor. I don't believe Americans would care about Quebec's anti-English laws. If anything, they would support them. They are for the most part not very read up on Quebec's history (as the average Canadian is not read up on the history of any given state in the USA), and I would say that in the current day, most Americans don't realise that Quebec has a long-established English minority, let alone care about that minority's rights. They probably think of the idea of English people in Quebec the same way they think of Spanish-speaking "illegal aliens" in their country. They probably even support the separatists efforts to make us "adapt". I've read a couple of articles on American websites and the comments by Americans seem mostly in the separatists favour.
ReplyDeleteAnyone care to weigh in?
"I've read a couple of articles on American websites and the comments by Americans seem mostly in the separatists favour."
DeleteI really doubt they are on the separatist favour because of principle or because they support "The Cause"...for the sake of the cause. If they support it...it is because they see it as an advantage for them...a weaker Canada and a shmucky little territory north of the 49th parallel means they are more in control of North America then ever. It just means they'd have more power than ever before in calling the shots...AND THAT'S ALL...it's hardly cause they are touchy-feely about the seppies...it is all abut what benefits them.
TOTO les Américains aiment Victoria's secret mais détestent le "victoria day".
Delete"TOTO les Américains aiment Victoria's secret mais détestent le "victoria day"."
Deleteyeah AND?? (oh brother)
I agree with you AnecTOTE, America will do what's in America's best interest that particular day.
DeleteWhether that means propping up hateful dictators to keep a nation together in the name of Pax Americana or partaking in a game of divide-and-conquer with a collapsing country's territory and resources, I also share your view that what it comes down to is a cold political calculation.
That the American people are themselves inclined toward Quebec separatism or Canadian federalism is immaterial. What's fairly certain to me, given past observation, is that the very separatists who today claim to "assert" themselves in an epic battle against English Canadian "imperialistic onslaught" are the very ones who would -- and will -- whore themselves out to English-speaking Americans (citing common ideals).
And on the topic of some apprehended ideological kinship between separatists and Americans, I couldn't possibly have come up with a more eloquent an example than the comment above about Victoria's Secret and Victoria Day that just fell into my lap. Consider American fascination with both gaudy glamor and royalty (both of the British and Hollywood variety) nearly two and a half centuries since the Revolutionary War... and despite being staunchly republican in composition!
Buyer's remorse, perhaps?
"What's fairly certain to me, given past observation, is that the very separatists who today claim to "assert" themselves in an epic battle against English Canadian "imperialistic onslaught" are the very ones who would -- and will -- whore themselves out to English-speaking Americans"
DeletePondering the lack of denunciation of "human right violations" in Quebec by the US, despite ample instances of such violations that the American propaganda machine could use, I came to the same conclusion as Apparatchik. Given the fact the America divided the world into "allies" and "enemies", where neutrals and "third railers" always fall under the potential "enemy" bracket, and given the fact that the "enemies" are put under the microscope while "friends" skate on even the most egregious human rights violations, and given the fact that American propaganda is relentless against those who do not cooperate, and it is swift and merciless (the Halabja massacre of 1988 was covered by the US for 2 years since it was perpetrated by our guy Saddam, but when Saddam crossed the US in August 1990 and was no longer our guy, the images of the massacre inundated the air waves within a day) the total silence on Quebec in America means that Quebec "plays ball". And by that I don't mean being a respectable neutral, but a subservient and a complacent stooge.
So despite a tough public stance on the French language, and despite overt belligerence towards the blackmailed neighbor to the West and East, there is a covert groveling in the "couloirs" to the neighbor to the south. Given that this neighbor is English-speaking and a potent "angliciser" of the world, the hypocrisy of pandering to the biggest purveyor of anglicisation in the world while fighting the "war against anglicisation" is explained away by "diplomatic necessity". In fact, the Metro paper last week ran a short article by a UQAM professor (which by definition means a pequiste policy wonk) who warned the Quebec population against being critical of the PQ for its ouvertures towards the US. The good professor wrote that diplomatic relations are one thing (I guess the "ideals" are another), and that cooperation would be justified even with the Republicans.
OMG - how many times have I seen these same PQs run America down to the lowest and yet Miss Piggy is over there with her office kissing their asses and saying "In a separate Quebec, Americans will be treated with the utmost respect" - of course, meaning if they pay enough money to operate in quebec, she will exempt them from any of the laws the rest of us have to live with. Witch, bitch - these slimes would sell their mothers for a nickel. I just have to hope that some of these Americans have some principles and don't play along. I know most people don't care about principle, but there are still some really honest people out there that won't do everything for a buck especially if the feds step in and support the minorities here. They can lean on some of these companies to keep their money out of here. Let's hope this is going on behind the scenes.
Deleteadski,
DeleteThat is what I touched on my previous post some days back. When dealing with officials from the U.S., PQ officials speak English willingly. When dealing with anyone from Canada, they insist in speaking French, even when knowing that their counterparts do not speak French. What kind of hypocrisy is that?
"What kind of hypocrisy is that?"
DeleteTotal hypocrisy which makes it impossible to take pequistes seriously on this issue.
If all it takes for them to drop the pretense of being warriors against "anglicisation" and "linguistic plurality" is power arrangement, then they come off more like bullies than idealists that they pretend to be. Remember that bullies are not just those who pick on the weaker, bullies also show a strong tendency to be servile to the stronger.
Pequistes are vain bullies who use nationalism for self-exultation and self-elevation.
Perhaps we should be going after the feds on Bill 14. The following was pulled from a Gazette site - won't mention author's name as I'm not sure if he would approve. Anyway here it is:
ReplyDeleteOttawa can veto Bill 14. under Section 90 of the constitution, the federal cabinet, with the authority of the governor general, can disallow any provincial legislation it sees as unjust. No vote in parliament is required.
90. The following Provisions of this Act respecting the Parliament of Canada, namely, — the Provisions relating to Appropriation and Tax Bills, the Recommendation of Money Votes, the Assent to Bills, the Disallowance of Acts, and the Signification of Pleasure on Bills reserved, — shall extend and apply to the Legislatures of the several Provinces as if those Provisions were here re-enacted and made applicable in Terms to the respective Provinces and the Legislatures thereof, with the Substitution of the Lieutenant Governor of the Province for the Governor General, of the Governor General for the Queen and for a Secretary of State, of One Year for Two Years, and of the Province for Canada.
Not sure if there's any meat on them there bones but worthwhile looking into.
FROM ED
ReplyDeleteWithout the author's name, it's hard to judge the validity of the statement. Ed
Ed - guess we have to look it up - I'm not going to use the guy's name on the blog because I don't know him and cannot ask permission but why would he make it up? Why would it be more valid if we don't know him? One of our lawyers on here can look up Section 90 and see if it's real quote.
Delete@cutie003
Deleteyeah you have to understand that ed can't evaluate a statement for what it is. without a way to enact his preconceptions he can't form an opinion. please adapt to his handicap and fork a name.
Totally off topic but here is a great 1 min youtube video with Leonard Nimoy preaching the scary future of "global cooling" and the next coming "ice age".
ReplyDeleteFunny how nobody remebers that the media and environmentalists tried so hard for 10 years to push this nonsense.
Eventually they gave up and decided to go with "global warming". How many more years before we switch back to worrying about global cooling?
Good thing nobody listens to all the polisci environmentalists.
Imagine re-engineering society for an idea that is totally wrong... It's happening again. The funny things are the solutions to global cooling are the same "solutions to global warming. No cars.. Ha.. One might think the real agenda is nothing to do with the environment at all!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1kGB5MMIAVA#!
We've had electric cars for over 100 years. Do you really buy into all the rubbish the oil companies are saying?
Delete"Good thing nobody listens to all the polisci environmentalists."
DeleteWrong forum, pal. This one is about the PQ and Quebec.
You might have been trying to get here: http://www.teaparty.org/
Temperature on planet earth is controlled by the *SUN* not capitalists.
DeleteSocialists are willing to believe any reason to re-engineer society to their own benefit. Same people following Leaonard Nimoy back then are following Al Gore today. Imagine doing a complete reversal on reasoning yet being abolutely adamant you are still 100% right.
Do some actual reading of science not journalism and you will understand that "global warming" is nothing but a political cause and noting to do with science.
Yea, our puny little cars and people are effecting temperature change. Forget that for millions of years temeperature change has been going on driven by massive nuclear explosions and radiation from the sun.
Yea, that's right. Me starting my car is the real cause of temperature on this planet.
If you believe that you should just pack up and vote separatist right now!
It's SO hard. Who do I believe Leanard Nimoy or Madonna! Don;t figure it out for yourself, listen to your favorite celebrity.
EDMTuesday, May 21, 2013 at 1:18:00 PM EDT
DeleteWe've had electric cars for over 100 years. Do you really buy into all the rubbish the oil companies are saying?
We have had fire for thousands of years how is that relevant?
Cars can be electric once we get the batteries worked out. That will unlikely to happen in North America. The only way to improve batteries is with Research and Development with new materials and processes.
No new mines in Quebec, so you know we arn;t looking for the solution here. People don;t understand how things like resources are actually used in society.
Quebec seem to think ever resource is extracted by some evil company only looking to create pollution.
All the heavy metals that will likely become the source of new battery capacity are being done in China and Australia. Quebec might have some heavy metals also, but we are afraid of digging and "export" jobs.
Again the oil companies arn;t responsable for global warming. The sun controls our temperature not oil.
If you want to say you don;t want to breath dirty air then we have something to discuss. Temperature of the dirty air? Totally fucking irrelevant to us on planet earth unless you are silly enough to think humans can match the power and energy coming from the sun every second.
It's the pompous scientific community (which, contrary to its reputation, is not perfect and has been wrong before) vs. pompous apparatchiks from right wing think tanks defending capitalism from potential limits imposed on production due to environmental concerns.
DeleteOf the two groups, I trust the scientific community more. Way more.
The scientific community not on the UN payroll says global warming is bunk.
DeleteYou are way hung up about capitalists. Are all problems the fault of capitalists, or just the ones not the fault of anglophones?
Another crazy person in Quebec that thinks capitalists and oil pipelines are the cause of all society problems.
You have to wonder were Quebecers think their natural gaz comes from.
Pipelines from Alberta baby!
Everyone is on someone's payroll. Someone bankrolls the "research" that "disproves" the overwhelming consensus too.
DeleteRemember the scientists who used to tell us that smoking was not harmful, and that governments should not get involved, that the government should "respect" the population making a free choice? (that the choice was addiction-fueled was not mentioned, because tobacco was not "addictive" supposedly). This was as recent as mid-1990's. They were on tobacco industry's payroll, not the UN.
Of scientists on the UN payroll vs. corporate payroll, I trust the UN ones more. Way more.
Tout à fait daccord avec adski.
DeleteTypical Quebecer. Defer to authority figures instead of figure it out for yourself.
DeleteYou don;t inspire much hope in the future of Quebec. It's that kind of deference to authority that has gotten Quebec into the PQ mess it's in today.
Back in the day even "everyone" agreed just like today.
Deletehttp://stevengoddard.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/screenhunter_165-feb-10-06-30.jpg
"Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it"
Witness people repeating history.
We must change the world to survive before big oil kills us all!
You defer to the most powerful authority on the planet today: the private power, with all its money, think tanks, lobbyists, politicians on their payroll.
DeleteI don't agree with all the state has to say, on the contrary, I'm here everyday bashing the state. State is a system of oppression, however, on the horizon today there is another system of oppression: the corporate power. So things are not so clear cut, and I do support the state in some of its efforts in curbing the private power. Given that corporate power is clearly winning, the government must do something to restore the semblance of balance.
I don't know about global warming, I'm an agnostic on this issue but leaning towards believing it, but even if it is not true, there is still massive environmental degradation going on that is dismissed as "externality" by business. If we let capitalism loose, it will destroy us all.
"If we let capitalism loose, it will destroy us all."
DeleteAmen.
@cebeuq
Deletein your humble opinion, is your grasp on quebec affairs more, less or as sagacious as your grasp on environmental affairs?
Gee, Cebeuq, that's a tough one to tackle, given your presumably sagacious grasp and all. Perhaps you could explain to the lad (once again) that Quebec cannot continue to impignorate its future.
DeleteYou don't have to be macrosmatic to see what's going on...however, even if he can see it himself, Student insists on giving us pauciloquent answers that offer no explanations.
You could of course just write him off as valetudinarian and move on to a more formidable opponent (say like one that uses English words people actually put to use in regular conversation).
Adski: "I'm here everyday bashing the state. State is a system of oppression, however, on the horizon today there is another system of oppression: the corporate power."
ReplyDeleteSometimes I feel we're (the non-separatist camp) just as divided among each other as the seppies are among themselves.
Cash-only capitalism = ridiculous
Conscious capitalism = ultimately necessary
Sorry, but anyone who outright condemns the entire "system" of capitalism as "rank" and "corrupt" needs a reality check. Adski, you've told us you're a white collar worker...so what's your problem with corporate Canada/America if you're working in its upper levels?
Sorry, I just don't get it.
Capitalism is necessary because it stimulates action and supports (originally, anyways) microcosms.
Don't get me wrong - I have no love for the likes of Monsanto and McDonald's, but to lump all capitalists into the same category is socially irresponsible.
Take a look at these two examples of society-centric models:
http://sweetriot.com/
http://www.toms.ca
Despite your insistence on looking at business owners as greedy win-at-all-costs plunderers, you might consider that capitalism built both Quebec and Canada alike.
Good news is, now that we're in a radically different age thanks to the Internet, the conscious capitalist movement is gaining ground...but make no mistake of it - without capitalists (good or bad), you'll have nothing going on.
While I engage in barter here and there, I somehow don't think an independent Quebec could function effectively on barter alone. Sorry.
Unfortunately for all of us that is exactly what the seppies are selling to their followers - don't need no damn business! They don't specify barter and trade but that's exactly what these idealists are selling and there is no way that we could possibly go back to that former lifestyle of thousands of years ago. Somehow or other quebec is stuck in a time-warp in more ways than one. Reliving history over and over is only one manifestation of this movement. Living without digging resources out of the ground and possibly even the sea is frowned upon but we all need resource development to move forward.
Delete"Somehow or other quebec is stuck in a time-warp"
DeleteEt vous à Gatineau :)
The way our economy is doing Yannick, I would have to agree. Just imagine how well we could do if we didn't have this on-going shit disturbing from our friendly separatists. The world would be our oyster if they would just go to hell away! They don't know a good thing when they see it even though the TV news contains trouble from all over the world with war and tornadoes and such these idiots still think they live in isolation in North America.
DeleteMais peggy a le feu aux fesses...
Delete@s.r
Deleteshe's making even less sense than usual. pushing absurdity so far as to suggest a link between tornados and quebec separatists. please cutie003 stop. for the sake of canadian federalism.
I'm not upper level.
DeleteAll capitalism is cash only. I don't believe in "conscious capitalism", if by "conscious" you meant conscientious. Conscientious capitalism is an oxymoron to me, a contradiction of terms.
I could totally live with small c capitalism, people small businesses competing to establish plurality of services. But that doesn't exist. Instead, big guys do hostile takeovers on small guys, take over the market, and engineer demand. Demand is totally engineered through advertising, there is no such thing as consumer choice driven market. Companies spend much more money on advertizing and marketing than on market research. The incentive to push what we make is much stronger than the incentive to measure what people want. Because what do most people really want? They mostly want freedom, time to themselves, family, etc...i.e. intangible things. Capitalism replaces intangible desires by material ones.
You say: "I have no love for the likes of Monsanto and McDonald's, but to lump all capitalists into the same category is socially irresponsible." Well, Monstanto and McDonald's IS capitalism. You can't downplay these two so easily.
I have arrived at a certain level of consciousness about capitalism. I do understand that you may not share it. Let's agree to disagree on this. Editor has put out a new piece, so let's move on.
Had to put this up for our resident seppies:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Daniel+Ratth%C3%A9+asked+leave+Coalition+Avenir+Qu%C3%A9bec+caucus/8414636/story.html
No dirt in the PQ Party - Right guys? Slugs. The lot of them
And on the same note:
Deletehttp://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Former+minister+Chevrette+granted+participant+status/8415787/story.html
essh = lol - Liberals, liberals, ring the bell, PQ, PQ go to hell = hahahahahahaha
"Tensions nearly boiled over Monday when two men wearing Canada T-shirts [to the Patriots Day march] infiltrated the the largely Quebec flag-waving crowd to make a statement. Police asked the men to leave, which they did shortly after interrupting the proceedings. Some on Monday wore the colonial garb of Patriotes soldiers and one man even carried a dart board with an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II on it."
ReplyDeleteSo they don't even want us celebrating the Patriots with them. Tsk-tsk.
What a bunch of uncivilized savages we conquered...
@The Conquest.
DeleteLove ya dude - you are the Ric Flair of political common sense.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Slapping the figure-four leg-lock on the seppies.
Jet plane flyin'...Rolex-wearin'...Kiss all the girls and break their hearts...NATURE BOY!
@resident evil
Delete"...you are the Ric Flair of political common sense."
exactly. a phoney douchebag. good one resident evil.
En parlant de "douchebags" :
Deletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb9A_3z_Pi0
Le O canada m'a presque fait pleurer...De rire.
Au Québec "the conquest" n'a pas le choix d'apprendre la langue officielle du peuple qu'il a jadis conquis...Le plus amusant est que les conquis ne sont pas obligés d'apprendre la langue du conquérant.
ReplyDeleteNous sommes vraiment une société distincte,n'est-ce-pas?
:)
P.s M.Résidu vous aimez les "black pimps" ? Mdr
Ah ouin, les petits sépa-tatas...
DeleteUn peut bizarre d'être aussi peureux et pitoyable? :-)
"Nous sommes vraiment une société distincte,n'est-ce-pa
DeleteMais oui, Parasites as you are very distinct. What's the bill for your daycare and social programs now-About 10 Billion per year on other peoples backs. Mon pauvre petit homme du Quebec.
;)
One of those unpleasant little peasant folk we conquered appears to be acting up in that ghastly jibber-jabber of theirs again. No idea what he’s prattling on about… but it does sound rather much like the high-pitched whine of a mosquito that’s about to get smacked.
ReplyDeleteOh well, time for a nice cuppa tea to soothe the memory of that nasty little man, if I do say so myself…
Worth showing a quote:
ReplyDeleteAnyone who believes DeCourcy and Lisée have suddenly developed a concern for the anglo community should not be walking our streets unattended.
How true.