L'heure du Monde

I thought that my last post would be pretty much all I had to say on the EU-Referendum. I vote, we move on with life. However, I was slightly mistaken.

Turns out all the media attention that the IndyRef got over here, and the fact I was willing to go on record to talk about it means there are some journalists out there who have our details. To that end I was contacted my a rather desperate CBC journalist, looking for Brits who were willing to talk to her about the referendum. I did say to her that I don't think I had anything much to say of interest in the matter, but she convinced me to talk. She came over one evening and spoke to K and I, and the resulting interview can be heard here. Click on the link in red just under the story to hear our part of the show.

Still not sure I have much of interest or depth to say on the matter, but it's nice to be asked!

CBC Radio, Daybreak Interview

The second, and last radio interview I have been invited to do here in Montreal was this morning, this time in English, on the CBC Daybreak show. This was an 8 minute segment, with just two of us in the studio, so there was a lot more back and forth to be had than the previous show with more people having their say. Also, as the discussion was in English, I had less fears over expressing myself, which helped too. The interview was well done, and the presenter skillfully managed to get the points they must have found interesting from the pre-interviews across in the time.


I'm not sure if it's geographically locked for listeners outside Canada. Apparently I sound more Scottish than normal in the interview. I can't say it was intentional, but it is extremely likely.

So that's that then. All awaiting the Thursday vote now, and back to obscurity for me. Unless there are any last minute interviews, maybe for TV? No-one has contacted me for a TV interview yet! Anyone?

Faut pas croire tout ce qu'on dit!

As the campaigning for the referendum enters it's last week, the journalists here in Montreal are looking for Scots on both sides of the debate to pull into their newspaper articles and onto their radio shows to speak up on what they think. Fully with the  slant of how it reflects on the situation here of course, as that's what their audience rightly wants to know.

To this end, I was contacted by a researcher for a show on Radio Canada Premiere, the French language station for Radio Canada here in Montreal, to see if I would like to speak with them. They contacted and asked K first, but she politely declined and gave them my name. Media whore that I seem to have become, I said yes.

The show was this afternoon. It was really very interesting being  in the radio studio. I was nervous about it for sure, all morning, but once there, I was put at ease by the broadcasters and other guests, and had no issues during the show. The full audio of the show can be found here. It's 50 minutes long, and I think I say about 3 sentences in that whole time. The show is set up as a forum for debate, but I think they invited at least one too many speakers on the show, (the last guy in Sweden could have easily been cut with no detriment to the show IMHO). Maybe they overbooked as they weren't sure they would get everyone on the day. So, as a debate on Independence, not great, as a life experience, going on the radio in French, way cool!

I have another invite for Monday morning (at 6.40am), but this one in in English, if but for only 20 minutes, maybe less, debating with another Scot in Montreal from the no side. I have not met this gentleman yet, so don't know what to expect. James, the Scot who was on the show today speaking for the No, is of course a friend, and we interviewed together for the La Presse article, so I knew his thoughts on the matter before going on.