On Independence and Sovereignty

The recent Scottish referendum has brought back my own memories of living through the 1995 referendum on Quebec independence. While I was too young at the time to understand the actual nuances of issues, I do vividly remember the emotions and tensions that were running through the Anglo Montreal community in which I was situated. Looking at the Scottish referendum results, I see parallels to the results of the 1980 Quebec referendum results. The results are clear but still close, and I wonder where things will move from here. Contrasting Lévesque's "concession" speech ("Si j'ai bien compris, vous êtes en train de dire, à la prochaine fois.") to Parizeau's "concession" speech ("On va parler de nous : à 60 pour cent, on a voté pour. [...] C'est vrai, c'est vrai qu'on a été battus, au fond, par quoi? Par l'argent puis des votes ethniques, essentiellement.") the intervening years were tough and ultimately pushed people further apart. I sincerely hope Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom can work though their differences without leading to the animosity I felt in 1995.