OUT OF THE BLUE: THE FALL OF THE TORY DYNASTY IN ONTARIO.
Speirs, Rosemary.
Toronto. Macmillan. c1986. 246pp, cloth, $24.95, ISBN 0-7715-9897-1, CIP
Volume 15 Number 2
Rosemary Speirs is a knowledgeable columnist with the Toronto Star, and her beat is the Ontario government. She has been in a position to observe and record the events and personalities that led to the fall of the provincial Progressive Conservative party in Ontario. This extraordinary turn of events look place in 198S after the defeat of a Tory dynasty that had lasted for forty-two years. A sequence of events took place shortly after William Davis announced that he was stepping down as premier and was leaving public office. A new leader. Frank Miller, was chosen to succeed Davis. but his brief term was unsuccessful, and his government was defeated after the Liberals and New Democrats decided to form an uneasy accord. Speirs goes into fascinating detail about the reasons for Miller's failure, and also delves into the events and personalities that brought about the rise of Liberal David Peterson, the present premier, as a new force in Canadian politics. Although this political tale will be of particular interest to Ontario students, there are nonetheless aspects of Out of the Blue that have relevance for all Canadians. The account of the efforts made by Davis to succeed to the leadership of the Progressive Conservative party of Canada, at a time when Joe Clark was losing that leadership, has national implications. Also, the discussion of the machinations of life in politics makes fascinating reading, particularly as described by such a competent journalist as Speirs. Recommended for secondary school libraries, as well as libraries in post-secondary educational institutions.
Joan Kerrigan, Toronto Board of Education, Toronto, Ont. |
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