The saying goes that politics makes strange bedfellows, and sampling the bumper crop of books on politics that have been released in the past few years will certainly demonstrate different characters, ideologies and tones of voice.
Bob Rae writes that after retiring from partisan politics “for the second time,” the former Ontario NDP Premier and interim leader of the federal Liberals found himself pondering why there is such a pervasive negative view of politics and politicians today. In What’s Happened to Politics?, he explores issues of leadership, policy, democracy and Canada’s place in the world.
Rae lays the blame for much of our current cynicism on the crude ideology and simplistic slogans of the never-ending campaign cycle, government by polling rather than principle, the centralization of power in the prime minister’s office and our abandonment of genuine diplomatic engagement with the world.
Some useful data for a discussion about political disenchantment is provided by Tragedy in the Commons: Former Members of Parliament Speak out about Canada’s Failing Democracy by Alison Loat and Michael MacMillan. The pair are the founders of Samara, a Canadian non-profit, non-partisan group that advocates for citizen engagement and participation. While the book exhibits a little of the hyperbole demonstrated in the title, this summary of detailed interviews with former members of Parliament points out a number of apparently systemic problems with our House of Commons. The issues range from lack of orientation and support for rookie MPs to the issue of balancing one’s personal convictions with the expectations of constituents and the demands of the party. Loat and MacMillan note that the huge range of how their subjects saw the members’ role in the political system suggests a real need for a formal “job description” for MPs.
Any election worth its salt will generate a number of candidate autobiographies, sometimes referred to as “campaign memoirs.” One standout was Justin Trudeau’s Common Ground. It is not completely devoid of overt campaign rhetoric but the book is largely well written and readable; Trudeau and his editors do an excellent job of presenting Trudeau the man, as well as Trudeau the candidate. He knows that in addition to the political junkies, this book will be read by those wanting to know more about his family and he is candid in discussing his parent’s very public breakup, his mother’s battle with mental illness and his brother’s tragic death at a young age. Trudeau is also careful to outline the influences of both his mother and his father on his personality and his conception of leadership.
You can snuggle up with these and more strange bedfellows at your local library.
--A Good Read is a column by Tri-City librarians that is published on Wednesdays. Michael DeKoven is deputy director of Port Moody Public Library.
