Losing Confidence I

I devoured Elizabeth May's latest book, Losing Confidence: Power, Politics, and the Crisis in Canadian Democracy, over the course of two days. However quickly I read it, I feel that I need a longer time to respond to it. There's a lot of information in there, and as such I'll be posting a few blog entries over the next little while, each of which takes up a different aspect of the book.

The first thing I want to look at is the mere fact that this book exists. I think it's very important to a democracy to have political figures publishing books in which they examine the ins and outs of the country. The party system leads to the creation of party platforms that are delivered soon before an election, and that tend to remain dormant in the interim. We sometimes get mail from our local MPs that outline what they or the party have been up to, but these pamphlets tend to be about the length of the "How I See It" quotes on the side of a Starbucks coffee cup.

Books, on the other hand, give us a unique chance to really get into the head of our politicians, to have an extended conversation with them. I feel that over the course of Losing Confidence's 241 pages, I've gotten to know Elizabeth May in a way that I never have before. Here I see the Elizabeth May that I only barely got a chance to glimpse in the leadership debates: smart, well-informed, articulate, quick thinking. Because of their length, books force authors to go into great detail on the topic at hand. This is a great boon in the TV dominated political culture of Canada, as politicians can no longer hide behind snappy sound bites: ill-thought out ideas tend to feel bloated and often unravel over the course of a book.

It is no surprise then, to see the numbers of books each party leader has to his or her name: Losing Confidence is Elizabeth May's seventh book; Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff has published a small library; the NDP's Jack Layton has penned at least four volumes; and Stephen Harper, prime minister and leader of the Conservative party, appears to have written not one book. These books seem consistent with each respective party's image: Layton and May have published a number of books that urge community involvement and grass-roots activism; Ignatieff, a professor, has published countless books that explore the history and philosophical implications of a number of major world conflicts; and Harper's lack of books speaks to his iron grip on the flow of information. The only surprise amongst the party leaders is Gilles Duceppe, who has published only one book. I find this so surprising because francophone culture is the foundation of the Bloc Québécois, and as such it seems odd that that party's leader would have contributed so little to the discussion surrounding that culture.

Ultimately, Losing Confidence is a strong addition to the library of anyone interested in Canadian politics. May manages to write a book that deals with the failings of our modern political climate without resorting to partisan politics. At the same time, May's book elaborates on the Green party's platform and May's own politics, revealing a set of noble and nuanced goals, of which the preservation of the environment is but one. Canadians would all benefit if politicians were to follow May's example and write thoughtful analyses of the system with which they are so familiar.