Wednesday Night #2310

Quebec and 24 June
Le Québec, ma patrie
June 24 is currently known as the Fête nationale, although we prefer, and continue to use, Fête de St-Jean.
With perfect timing, the PQ released the 524-page Parti Québécois blueprint document for an independent Quebec, Le Livre bleu sur l’indépendance.
Andrew Caddell responds to the call for Quebec independence: “By next St. Jean Baptiste Day, Quebec will have a new government, likely led by the Parti Québécois’ Paul St-Piere Plamondon. Plamondon was in France last week, drumming up support, encouraging the French to embrace an independent Quebec like a new colony.
In an interview on French television, Plamondon called Prime Minister Mark Carney his “adversary,” and described the Canadian “regime” as “sabotaging” Quebec’s interests. This is part of a litany of Plamondon’s insults, of Canada as a “colonial power,” threatening Quebec. If the PQ wins the election in October, there will be more of this invective. So much for cooperative federalism.
I have been accused by nationalists of “Quebec bashing” in this column. I disagree: my task is to explain the concerns of Quebecers, but I have the right to criticize Quebec’s flaws, as does any pure laine Québécois columnist, whose loyalty would never be questioned.
In my mind, the true patriot is one who is unafraid of criticizing those in authority or examining the attitudes of a society. As a Quebecer with deep roots and a deep sense of belonging, I am critical because I believe profoundly Quebec can be better. Bonne fête nationale à tout le monde.

Canada finishes 2nd in Group B after 2-1 loss to Switzerland
Sadly Canada’s World Cup Team illustrated the reality of “You can’t win them all” on Wednesday afternoon. Fans may console themselves on Sunday when Canada faces off n Los Angeles against the second-place team in Group A, predicted to be Korea.

Britain, Brexit and the EU
23 June was the 10th anniversary of the UK referendum on European Union membership… the anniversary has been  the subject of many thoughtful -and often passionate- analyses, along with  mass protests from pro-EU campaigners calling for the UK to renew ties. What will happen?  What role will the new PM play?
Yes, there will be a new PM as Monday saw  the resignation of the sixth Prime Minister in 10 years. Andy Burnham prepares for power as emotional Keir Starmer bows out – New Makerfield MP could get keys to No 10 unopposed after British prime minister’s resignation paves way for successor Check out Larry The Cat’s viewpoint in Long reads

Presidents Line Up for Obama’s Long-Awaited Center in Chicago
Thursday’s opening drew four former presidents, as well as Bruce Springsteen, Bono and Jennifer Hudson. Chicago has seen years of planning and legal fights. But what a glorious event celebrating an impressive, well thought-out project. We confess that we did not follow the court battle and other problems. Presumably someone will write a book.
(NYT) It took more than a decade of planning, a messy court battle with preservationists and years of plodding construction, but the Obama Presidential Center was finally unveiled on the South Side of Chicago on Thursday [18 June].
The opening itself was a star-studded party, concert and celebration, the rare event that drew four former presidents standing together onstage — George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Joseph R. Biden Jr., along with Barack Obama himself. (An invitation was not extended to President Trump, who recently compared the center to a trash heap.) … hundreds of invited guests gathered at the museum next to the 225-foot granite-covered tower that is sometimes called the Obamalisk. Yes, Justin was there. (See Celebrities spotted at star-studded Obama Presidential Center grand opening in Chicago)

NB Among the celebrities was Rahm Emanuel, former White House chief of staff to President Obama, an advisor to President Bill Clinton and former Mayor of Chicago The Chicago mayor who said ‘no’ to the World Cup. Not often mentioned these days is his relationship (brother) to Ari Emanuel CEO of TKO Group Holdings which owns the U.F.C (Ultimate Fighting Championship) of recent White House and Ellipse fame. Family gatherings must be fun.

G7 Summit
Dinner at Versailles, alpine air and an Iran agreement: How Trump made it through another G7
(CNN) For the first time in his two presidencies, Donald Trump attended a Group of 7 summit this week without blowing it up.
… Perhaps it was the alpine air. Perhaps it was the lingering sense of triumph at having brokered a preliminary deal with Iran, which received undiluted praise from his fellow leaders despite their lingering questions about how it will all be implemented.
Or maybe it was the anticipation of dinner at Versailles, tacked onto the schedule by Macron to ensure Trump remained in France for the summit’s conclusion.
The G7 Must Remain United Kyle Matthews argues in Policy “The greatest threat facing the G7 today, however, is not a disagreement over tariffs, burden-sharing, or even the latest diplomatic dispute between Washington and its allies. It is the growing challenge posed by authoritarian powers seeking to reshape the international order to their advantage. At a moment marked by war in Europe, instability in the Middle East, economic uncertainty, and weakening global institutions, democratic unity remains a strategic imperative. Nowhere is this more evident than in the challenge posed by China.”

U.S.-Iran
If you have time to read only one Opinion piece, make it Heather Cox Richardson: Letters from an American June 22, 2026
It appears to be more and more clear that the Trump administration is mired in its own mistakes.
Did Trump have any notion of what the Hall of Mirrors represents to students of history? Would he or his minions see the irony when the Treaty of Versailles is mentioned in the same paragraph as the signature of his vaunted MOU??
Whatever … We almost feel pity for JD Vance – As Vance Leads Iran Negotiations, Trump Creates Disruptions in His Path
Meanwhile, as we have predicted for some time, Israel (or, more accurately Bibi) seems determined to be the spoiler
Israel says IDF is staying in southern Lebanon, undermining Iran peace talks
Defence minister says troops not withdrawing though Tehran sees end to war in Lebanon as part of deal with US

C Uday Bhaskar offers an informed view from India
A tenuous ceasefire between US and Iran dilutes economic pressure on India
Washington and Tehran may not say it out loud: an uneasy modus vivendi exists. It helps but the risk of renewed conflict remains high
” For now, an uneasy calm prevails in the Persian Gulf and the Hormuz but a storm (shamal) could swirl in the most unexpected manner.
Keep the lifejackets in sight. ”
Informed opinion appears unanimous that Trump’s MOU is far from the victory he claims.
Nicholas Kristof: Trump Was Right. The War Ended With a Surrender.
President Trump declared in March that a deal to end his war with Iran would require “unconditional surrender,” but that wasn’t quite right. The preliminary agreement he just reached with the Iranian regime was more like a conditional surrender — by the United States.

U.S. economy and newly-appointed Fed chair Kevin Warsh
Brett House is quoted in Forbes Daily: The Fed Signals It Could Hike Interest Rates This Year ” ‘I think in the end, Chair Warsh is going to see his legacy judged on the extent to which he maintained the independence of the Fed, delivered on the 2% inflation target and maintained stability in financial markets, rather than his capacity to provide the White House with the rate cuts that it’s looking for’ ”

AI
There are a number of other topics we should be examining, but in view of the holiday(s), we will defer discussion of increasing distrust of AI among those who deal with it for the more mundane aspects of life. Some of us yearn for real humans even if they are not as intelligent or polite as we might like.

There are also domestic policy initiatives we should discuss including accelerated approval of projects of national interest (Carney government names first three infrastructure projects as candidates for fast-tracked approvals)
Finally, though we can do nothing about it, Trump’s desecration of Washington.

Varia
Celebrities spotted at star-studded Obama Presidential Center grand opening in Chicago
Celebrities, political figures, dignitaries and more were seen on Chicago’s South Side, in the stands and on the stage.
U.K. will get its seventh prime minister in a decade. Here’s how they fell.
Looking back over the past decade, it’s hard not to wonder whether Larry the Cat has been the most stabilizing presence in British politics.
Larry the Cat, Downing Street’s chief mouser, has lived at No. 10 since 2011. He has outlasted six prime ministers, countless advisers, several political scandals and one national act of self-reinvention. “If it carries on like this,” read a post on Monday from Larry’s famously mischievous social media account, “I’m going to stop making the effort to learn their names.”
Fired Navy Admiral Wins Democratic Runoff in South Carolina’s 1st District
Nancy Lacore, a former Navy admiral who was fired by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, won the Democratic nomination for the First Congressional District of South Carolina, according to The Associated Press.
Ms. Lacore defeated Mac Deford, a Coast Guard veteran who was previously the general counsel for the town of Hilton Head Island.
Democrats expect Nancy Lacore to run a competitive general election despite the district’s Republican leaning.
Tucker Carlson says he’ll no longer support the Republican Party
Carlson, who has amassed a large following on his own podcast since being fired from Fox News in 2023, has more recently diverged from the party, a disillusionment supercharged by President Donald Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran in February. Carlson supported Trump in 2024. After the war began, he apologized for supporting the then-presidential candidate and “misleading people,” saying it wasn’t intentional.
The Unquiet American: Charles Kushner Brings Trump Diplomacy to France
The U.S. envoy to Paris has emerged as the embodiment of combative diplomacy in the age of President Trump, riling the French establishment notably with his accusations of antisemitism.
He is not merely an in-law given a plum job but also a faithful messenger of Mr. Trump’s hostility toward Europe, whether that means pushing the fight against antisemitism or meeting with far-right political leaders. Mr. Kushner is among the best connected of a corps of ambassadors who have cast aside diplomatic niceties to channel a disdainful president.

Long reads/videos
Meet Larry the cat, British sensation
Adopted in 2011, Larry the cat has become a fixture at 10 Downing Street
The List – 7 Times Larry the Cat Caused Mischief</strong>
From photobombing presidents to Westminster turf wars: Larry’s most mischievous moments.

10 Years After Brexit, the Dismal Verdict Is In

Heather Cox Richardson Letters from an American June 22, 2026 —Trump administration is mired in its own mistakes

RIP Alan Greenspan, Who’s Just Coming Back into Style
The longtime Fed Chair was known for his cryptic pronouncements and penchant for vagaries. It’s a legacy being revived today