A Glaswegian's world tour of Toronto

Winston Churchill described Canada as the linchpin of the English-speaking world: The master link in Anglo-American unity. From the view here in Toronto it is easy to see why.

A grid-iron city, its absurdly wide streets and endlessly long avenues are like rivers separating mountainous islands of towering glass and steel. The people are fascinated by hockey, baseball, basketball and that strange form of football which somehow mutated to include crash helmets and body armour. They have a ubiquitous politeness where everyone minds their ‘have a nice day now’-s and ‘thank you so much’-es. It is unmistakably North American: Yet the Victorian civic buildings, the liberal ideology, the union-jacks in the corner of the flags and the Queen on the money all make it simultaneously British. It is a strange view to the eye of a Brit, but one incredibly reassuring.

The experience of this Glaswegian in Toronto suggests there is substance to the claim that the British Empire’s greatest achievement was making itself redundant. The tragedy was our taking so long to realise it, causing some of the English speaking peoples to seek their nations’ freedom through force of arms. The transformation from empire to a commonwealth of free peoples and equal nations came too late for the organisation to include the United States or Ireland, but recent history has largely mended the acrimonies that led to their breaking away. The formal structures and symbols - monarchy, flags and anthems: They count for almost nothing. The bonds of a common language, shared outlook and culture are what truly link the peoples. Those links comfortably overcome any differences between the nations.

All English-speakers should be lucky enough to share the company of a single group of Canadians, Americans, Aussies, Kiwis, Irish and Brits. The people at our table were all from different countries, but not foreign ones.

Our cultures are based in a common ideology, one rooted in mutual respect for freedom of conscience and expression. It is a morality requiring the toleration of opposition and difference, the protection of the minority, the belief in equal status and value of all individuals regardless of social classifications. Not to mention an understanding that governments derive validity only by being comprised of the people they govern, elected by the people governed, and governing for those people’s benefit.

Humanity may be fortunate to have such a group of fraternal peoples in every region of the globe. The English speaking peoples certainly are.

To rip of Mr Kennedy: Mastering global travel has made us neighbours. History has made us friends. Economics has made us partners. Necessity has made us allies. Our shared experiences, development and journey has made us family. Those whom nature hath so joined together, let no man put asunder.