greenpolitics.ca » book review

Losing Confidence In Elizabeth May

Stuart Hertzog — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 19:50:47 +0000

Book Review Canadian Green Party leader Elizabeth May has written an interesting but politically disappointing book on the dysfunctional state of Canada’s parliamentary democracy. Although it could be used as a lay-person’s guide to Canada’s Westminster-style politics, May provides no real insight as to how this inauthentic, fractious, and ethically corrupt mess can be cleaned up and genuine democracy attained. She knows the score, but fails to understand the nature of the game.

Transforming democracy

Stuart Hertzog — Mon, 11 May 2009 18:28:14 +0000

Book Review Political activist Judy Rebick has written a visionary and inspiring book that shows how applied people-power can transform politics from being élitist, secretive, and corrupt, into genuinely open, grassroots, and democratic systems. Her writing is highly-charged and visionary, but her focus on South American politics glosses over the fact that Canadian political culture is very different. Can western democracy be transformed, or are we just too affluent to organise for change?

In Search of Canadian Political Culture

Stuart Hertzog — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 18:51:33 +0000

Book Review University of Toronto associate professor of political science Nelson Wiseman retraces the well-worn historical path In Search of Canadian Political Culture. It’s an erudite, insightful, and sweeping analysis of Canadian political history, but in the opinion of our reviewer it misses the mark in that it fails to provide guidance to those struggling for social and ecological justice on this planet at at time when the dominant human culture is out of control.

Canadian democracy, past and future?

Stuart Hertzog — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 18:43:03 +0000

Introduction Will Canadian politics be simply a continuation of the feudal class struggles of the past, or have globalisation and the Internet brought about a political sea change that will result in a radically transformed and more polarised political landscape? Here are two books that each represent radically different visions of the past and future of Canadian democracy.

Climate Change Pollyannas

Stuart Hertzog — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 02:56:51 +0000

Reading Global Warming For Dummies can raise a person’s general level of knowledge about climate change and offers solutions from an individualist, “what you can do” perspective. But Green Party of Canada leader Elizabeth May has chosen to play the Pollyanna role of promoting optimism in fighting climate change, at a time in which government and corporate climate change initiatives are at best token greenwash, explains David Orton in this in-depth review.

The divine right of Prime Ministers

Stuart Hertzog — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 18:06:48 +0000

Book Review If you’re wondering why all recent prime ministers start behaving like autocrats once in office, it’s because Canada and the UK have moved to a Court system of government, explains University of Moncton public administration professor Donald Savoie. Not light reading, but an invaluable book if you want to understand Canadian federal politics.