From: Brian Phillips (deepbluehalo@earthlink.net)
Date: Tue Sep 04 2001 - 16:46:58 MDT
Evening all,
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to
return home this holiday weekend to visit
family and friends and get a much need respite
from the Beltway. While at home I had dinner
with some old friends of mine who are rather
rabid regionalists. Jeff and Becky are Southern
Leaguers and SCV, DCV respectively.
I can usually count on excellent food and fine
conversation when visiting, however this visit was
especially interesting as the conversation turned
(naturally given J&B) to politics, particularly Bush's
present immigration proposals.
One of the points Jefferson brought into the discussion
was the issue of third parties and the future that could
arise if something were to set off the powderkeg J&B
see arising from the deep divide between rural and
Christian Conservative politics on one hand and the
urban "Beltway Bandit"/bicoastal civilization on the other.
(Keep in mind these are gross stereotypes..I am just try
to tell a good story here).
I countered that essentially southern seccession hasn't
an ice cubes chance in hell of working (again) despite the
fond dreams of my sin-hating, gun-loving relations and friends.
Jeff's responses were as follows and I would like commentary
from the West Coast, Canadian and British members of the list.
1. The Scottish National Party will likely grow from being the
Official Opposition in the (new) Scottish Parliament to
making a fair go at Scottish independance.
2. The Plaid Cymru (welsh nationalist) is agitating and also
growing in voice. They don't seem to love Westminster much
either.
Both of these are left-leaning nationalist parties (which seems
incredibly odd to my provincial southern mind).
3. The quebecois can go at any time. Jeff seems to think it's
a when and not if . (comments?) (the quebecois are also
left-leaning correct?)
4. If this happens Canada will look dramatically different.
5. Western Canada and Ottowa have deep differences,
left vs. right in a very general sense. Jeff suggests English
speaking Canada will likely not survive as a single state.
6. Alaska will likely be facing a different set of options
in this scenario. The Alaskan Independance Party
(which is neither left nor right as I understand it) presently
tallies 25% of the registered voters in some precints. They
have excellent grounds for an independance attempt. (Much
better in a realistic sense than the American South in my view.)
Note none of these scenarios have the slightest trace of
"hate-mongering" or "archaic fantasy" to them. Which is
why J&B got me pondering.
The crucial "if's" here are..what sort of Quebec independance
is likely..and is WestCanada likely to stick around if the
Quebecois go? If WestCan went what would Washington State
and Oregon's populace think? Is a series of seccessions by
left-leaning regions Jeff's wishful thinking or a reasonable possibility?
I have always thought of regionalism as a "right" leaning conservative
phenomena...Aztlan and Dixie ...not Alaska, Quebec and Scotland.
comments welcomed please.
Brian
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