Читать книгу Blue Thunder: The Truth About Conservatives from Macdonald to Harper - Bob Plamondon - Страница 4

Although the tory party has produced some of this country’s most colourful leaders and prime ministers, their contributions to Canada are rarely recognized, let alone understood. It’s time Canadians learned the truth about its Conservative political history.

Blue Thunder explores 141 years of Canadian Conservative leadership revealing what has worked for Tories and what has not. Along the way it gets to the truth by correcting the distortions perpetuated by a cunning opponent, a willing media, and an academic community that is loath to embrace anything Conservative.

Of course, it’s been tough being a Conservative in Canada. For every three years Liberals have been in power, Conservatives have held office for two. Not counting the Macdonald years, Liberals hold a two-to-one margin. If Conservatives have an inferiority complex, the same cannot be said for Liberals, the nation’s so-called “natural governing party.” Liberals tell us that Tory times are hard times and that Conservative leaders do not represent Canadian values. To the same end, historians have consistently underplayed the Tory contribution to the development of Canada. Books about Conservative political history, if you can find them, come with such catchy subtitles as “syndrome ... renegade ... rogue ... blues ... interlude ... decline.” Except for Macdonald, there is little praise for Tory leaders. Even then, the national poll for the CBC program The Greatest Canadians absurdly ranked both Pierre Trudeau and Lester B. Pearson ahead of Sir John A. Macdonald.

True, the Conservative electoral record is appalling. But more important than raw statistics, Conservatives have made fundamental and far-reaching contributions to Canada while in and out of office. Tories led the country through some of its more tumultuous times and initiated many of the transformative changes that define the nation today. Conservatives did much of the tough sledding by implementing necessary and often unpopular measures that improved our quality of life and enhanced our political and economic sovereignty, often to their short-term political detriment. They would do more for Canada, however, if they learned from their political blunders.

BlueThunder chronicles Tory history by examining the careers of its nineteen leaders; from Sir John A Macdonald to Stephen Harper (in Harper’s case to the beginning of 2009). Surprisingly, this is the first book that covers the life of the Tory party, or any Canadian political party for that matter.

Blue Thunder explores winning and losing strategies, the scandals, the best quotes, leadership transitions, and the stories that amuse and entertain. The story is not told with speculative psychological profile, but through the deeds and the words of the leaders themselves. Along the way myths are exposed, blame is assessed, and heroes are chosen.

What emerges from this longitudinal and critical assessment of 141 years of Tory politics are seven determinants of success and failure; a frame work that helps us judge the careers of Conservative leaders past, present, and future.

1.Are they nation builders who are relevant in all parts of Canada?

2.Do they offer a vision that inspires the nation?

3.Is the party united behind them?

4.Do they build broad and sustainable coalitions?

5.Are they tough, but not authoritarian?

6.Do they divide and conquer their opponents?

7.Are they absolutely committed to winning?

Regardless of the leader or circumstances, Conservative leaders who have answered affirmatively to these questions have achieved electoral success. Those who have fallen short in several categories have undermined their ability to govern effectively or even govern at all.

Any assessment of political performance is bound to launch a vibrant dialogue and debate, one that I am pleased to host. I invite interested Canadians to share their perspectives about Tory success and failure (past and present) over the Internet at www.bluethundertalk.com. This site also provides the footnotes to Blue Thunder.

So, from the pre-confederation genius of Sir John A. Macdonald, to the narrow escape of Stephen Harper’s minority government from a coalition of three opposition parties in December 2008, here is the bold, blue, thundering truth of Canadian Conservative leadership.