Book Review: The Candidate by Noah Richler

Good stories about politics are disappointingly rare. Good stories about politics set in Canada are even rarer. When I first got wind of Noah Richler's The Candidate: Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail I hesitated to pick it up for a variety of reasons, but having finished reading it I am very glad I did.

In 2015 I was a very active member of the New Democratic Party. After four years of a Harper majority I was ready to put my shoulder to the wheel and push to replace the Conservative government with the first New Democratic government in history. It was a heady time, but my closest political friends and I knew that it was going to be a difficult fight and nothing could be taken for granted. However, there was also a whiff of hope and ambition - that we could pull it off and make history. Little did I know Noah Richler and I were on a similar journey.

I bring up my personal narrative here because so much of my experience fed into my enjoyment of the book. I don't believe you have to have been engaged in politics or a New Democrat to enjoy this book, but I think it adds something tremendously to have that little smirk and nod knowing precisely the sort of experience Richler is describing. It is wonderful to have those experiences reflected.

Noah Richler was the NDP candidate for Toronto-St. Paul's in 2015 challenging the incumbent MP Carolyn Bennett. The book follows the journey from his decision to run to working with the party to find a seat to challenge and then the campaign.

Richler describes the bizarre and informal world of politics with great human and a certain wry look. One of the things that I like best is that Richler is motivated by genuine issues of concerns. He has topics that he is opinionated and passionate on and struggles how to square that passion with the realities of running a real campaign. Richler is also flawed, like everyone. He has to find a way to deal with the fact that he expressed his opinions in public and therefore gets in trouble for how his words on social media from the past are interpreted.

There's a bunch of aspects that I appreciate in the story. For example the way the riding executive is described. The unglamorous and unassuming people who dedicate themselves to the political process. The awkwardness of politics, mainly approaching strangers and trying to convince them of a point of view out of nowhere. How the NDP volunteers was described also made me smile because it fit my experience for the most part.

What Noah Richler expresses about the party itself and the frustration about the campaign in 2015 mirrors my own. Four years on that disappointment still clouds some of my political thinking. People made mistakes during that campaign, I have no doubt. One of my favourite scenes is when Richler describes an event in Toronto and the well-heeled audience is full of Liberals and Conservatives back-slapping each other, the true powers behind the country and the NDP feel excluded and unwanted. Perhaps that shapes elections more than we'd like to think.

Overall, I have to very much recommend this book to people curious about how elections work and the more human side of things. It is a great read for people thinking about running, certainly. I'd also add that it would be fun for veterans of the political process.

Book Review: Frontier City by Shawn Micallef

Frontier City very much captures a moment in time in a city that that could use more attention, and in particular to the quiet neighbourhoods that many of the residents call home. Shawn Micallef explored various neighbourhoods and wards of Toronto during the 2014 election period to try to gain an understanding of the city. I think Micallef very much succeeded in his ambition and paints a portrait of parts of the city that don't often appear in the news.

The impetus for the book is pretty clear. 2010 saw the election of Rob Ford, a figure that one half the city never truly understood and another portion of it viewed as their champion. While electoral politics may distort the number of supporters and detractors Ford had it is clear that he spoke to some part of the city that felt underrepresented. Micallef sought to explore that side of Toronto.

Micallef does this by visiting wards all over the city of Toronto and meeting with challengers for the city council seats primarily. His survey goes from  the Downtown, to Etobicoke, Scarborough, and places in between. Issues raised range from transit, housing, social housing, education, support for culture, parks and waterways, and on and on. It provides fascinating insights into the issues that were percolating at ground level in 2014, and no doubt have many parallels to issues that continue to fester or evolve to this day.

I think this book is valuable in gaining some insight into the "suburb vs. downtown" debate and how it is often more nuanced that it may appear on the surface. As Toronto continues to grow and expand the various neighbourhoods are adapting differently, which in some cases means not as well.

Does a book like this have value years after it is written? Well, as I wrote above I believe it speaks to ongoing issues in the city of Toronto between its diverse neighbourhoods and how it functions (or doesn't) as a city. Afterwards I think it'll act as an important time capsule to understand Toronto as it was in 2014 at a more granular, neighbourhood level. I think the book speaks to issues that are going on in big cities struggling to be big and that likely reflects issues in places like Brampton, Mississauga, Ottawa, Calgary, and so on.

I enjoyed this examination of political life and civic life in Toronto and would recommend it to local political watchers.

Book Review: The War that Ended Peace by Margaret MacMillan

The best history I have read in recent years has got to be this book. The basic premise of the book is fairly simple. MacMillan seeks to overturn the classic question "what caused the start of the war?" and invert it to "what caused the peace to end?" This subtle reframing does a great deal to reshape the thinking about the world leading up to June 1914.

It is important to recall that the First World War was in no way inevitable. During MacMillan's thorough description of the events that transpired until the irrevocable outbreak of hostilities there were many points in which the Great Powers (or minor ones) could act to save the peace. What the author does so well is provide the oppressive evidence that made peace a less and less appealing option for various factions and countries around Europe.

Much of the answers to what caused the end of the peace was sewn in the decades of peace during the nineteenth century. The conservative Concert of Europe that tried to manage affairs peaceably struggled to address the various changes and political shifts that rocked Europe, whether that is the Industrial Revolution, decay of the old empires, or nationalism's unpredictable currents.

I think it is more than fair to say that MacMillan does not have a sympathetic view of Kaiser Wilhelm II and lays a lot of the blame for the gradual slide into war on him. The Germans were a disruptive force in Europe for its rapid appearance and significant power. Overnight a great power, the strongest nation in continent arguably, was born overnight. Only careful diplomacy prevented a coalition, led by France, from forming to stop Germany.

Kaiser Wilhelm II was not a diplomatic man, seemingly by every metric. The descriptions of his desperate attempts to keep personal connection with the fellow royals of Europe and his belief that strength would earn the respect, or demand the respect of others in Europe certainly failed to avoid a conflict, and played a part in causing it. Many countries still operated like their diplomacy could be settled through interactions between the heads of state, ignoring economic, political and social forces. This error would cause millions to die.

While the century between 1815 and 1914 can be viewed as a mostly peaceful, punctuated by uprisings, unifications and the Crimean War, this disguises some of the forces working underneath the surface. The absence of major wars meant that major issues were festering. The fact that war had been avoided so many times actually made war more likely the longer it was postponed. For example, Russia could not sit idly by again as a conflict touched off in the Balkans without intervening if it was going to preserve its prestige and diplomatic initiative to be the protector of Slavs.

Growing tensions between major powers, but mostly Germany and France, Britain, and Russia resulted in historic grievances being resolved and leading the doors open to alliances and deeper cooperation. It's important to remember that for most of the 19th century France and Russia were the British Empire's principle rivals.

MacMillan's exhaustive survey of the decades leading up to the First World War paints a picture of leaders making small choices and each one slowly narrowing the options available until war seems the only path. The text is beautifully written and presents a fascinating picture of a wide swath of modern history. I highly recommend this book to lovers of modern history, the First World War, and diplomatic history.

I think this book serves somewhat as a cautionary tale. The First World War is often held up as an example of humanity must never fail again to preserve peace. However, by 1914 it was too late in so many ways. Leaders must adopt a long-term vision and collaborate to avoid the sort of devastation the war unleashed, and small, reasonable decisions can have horrendous consequences down the road.

Podcast Review: Canadaland's Thunder Bay

A few months ago I subscribed and began to listen to the newest podcast created by Canadaland, a Canadian-based media company. The podcast had been in development for at least two years as far as I can tell. The name is simple and instructive. Canadaland's audio documentary seeks to explore the culture, criminality, social tensions, politics, and racism in Thunder Bay.

The show is led by Ryan McMahon, an Anishinaabe comedian, writer, and activist. Given the sensitive material he takes a deft and careful hand at exploring the lives of indigenous Canadians living in Thunder Bay or their experiences with Thunder Bay. He spent months building relationships with the subjects and gaining background information to share the story.

It's possible to summarize Thunder Bay as a true crime podcast, but I think that quite misses the mark. True crime, generally, focuses on a single case or a single criminal. Thunder Bay is about systemic failures and crises. While time is spent to look at the corruption and cronyism that has pervaded local politics it is not simply about that. I feel the time spent looking at a mayor charged with extortion, or a police chief facing obstruction of justice is to demonstrate that radical failure is taking place in the community and it is going largely unchallenged.

The racism faced by indigenous people in Thunder Bay is not hidden or obscured. It is often visible right on the surface for all to see in public postings, statements, public leaders, and widely-held opinions. Many First Nations people have to come to Thunder Bay for schooling. Many of the smaller communities do not have high schools so the children are brought to Thunder Bay for their education. These generally leaves them poorly supervised, lonely, isolated, and in a high-risk area. There is a chilling and recurring fear stated by many that they will be "thrown in the river." Indigenous people in Thunder Bay seem to drown in icy rivers with startling regularity, and some indications exist that there are killers who stalk native people for just this purpose.

The tone of Thunder Bay is not what I would call emotional, but it is definitely sensitive. McMahon in his narration and interviews clearly is speaking in a revelatory manner, and also expresses deep regret and sympathy for victims. Another powerful element is simple disbelief, that there is a city in Canada that can flagrantly flaunt was many assume to be our norms and get away with it.

There is a question that McMahon and Thunder Bay leaves the audience with, one that is deeply chilling - what if Thunder Bay is working exactly as it is intended? Pointing to the litany of stories Canadaland has collected and calling them "isolated incidents" begs incredulity. If you don't believe me, give it a listen for yourself, but be prepared to see a darker side of our country that some are intimately familiar with and others have had the privilege to be shielded from.

To check out Thunder Bay you can use this link, or subscribe using your favourite podcast app.