The Liberal Party of Canada has governed for 78 of the last 110 years, making it the most successful political party in the world. How has one party been able to dominate the polls during such a tumultuous sweep of history? Will it continue to win? In The Big Red Machine, astute Liberal observer Stephen Clarkson tells the story of the Liberal Party?s performance in the last nine elections, providing essential historical context for each and offering incisive, behind-the-scenes detail about how the party has planned, changed, and executed its successful electoral strategies. Arguing that the Liberal Party has opportunistically straddled the political centre since Sir John A. Macdonald -- leaning left or moving right and as circumstances required -- Clarkson also shows that the party?s grip on power is becoming increasingly uncertain, having lost its appeal not just in the West, but now in Qu?bec. Its campaigns now reflect the splintering of the party system and the integration of Canada into the global economy. An ideal political primer, deftly written and filled with a wealth of fact and analysis, The Big Red Machine is a fascinating history of Liberal pragmatism, communication tactics, and dramatic changes in leadership style. "Even if the last century did not belong to Canada, Canada turns out to have belonged to the Liberal Party," Clarkson concludes. Although he foresees considerably less rosy prospects for Grits in the years ahead, the "big red machine" remains a formidable political force.
Authors
- Bibliography, etc. Note
- Includes bibliographical references: p. [316]-324
- Control Number Identifier
- CaOOCEL
- Dewey Decimal Classification Number
- 324.27106
- Dewey Decimal Edition Number
- 22
- General Note
- Issued as part of the desLibris books collection
- Geographic Area Code
- n-cn---
- ISBN
- 9780774811965 9780774851657
- LCCN
- JL197.L5
- LCCN Item number
- C52 2005eb
- Modifying agency
- CaBNVSL
- Original cataloging agency
- CaBNVSL
- Physical Description | Extent
- 1 electronic text (xii, 335 p.)
- Published in
- Canada
- Publisher or Distributor Number
- CaOOCEL
- Rights
- Access restricted to authorized users and institutions
- System Control Number
- (CaBNVSL)gtp00521778 (OCoLC)180703915 (CaOOCEL)404050
- System Details Note
- Mode of access: World Wide Web
- Transcribing agency
- CaBNVSL
Table of Contents
- Contents 8
- Preface: The Joy of Winning 10
- Acknowledgments 14
- Introduction: Party Systems and Liberal Leaders 18
- Victory, Fall, and Recovery 44
- 1974: The Liberal Party and Pierre Trudeau: The Jockey and the Horse 46
- 1979: The Government’s Defeat, the Party’s Decline, and the Leader’s (Temporary) Fall 66
- 1980: Hiding the Charisma: Low-Bridging the Saviour 102
- From Disappointment to Despair 122
- 1984: The Dauphin and the Doomed: John Turner’s Debacle 124
- 1988: Election or Referendum? Disoriented in Defeat 152
- Power without Purpose 174
- 1993: Yesterday’s Man and His Blue Grits: Backwards into Jean Chrétien’s Future 176
- 1997: Securing Their Future Together 195
- 2000: The Liberal Threepeat: The Multi-System Party in the Multi-Party System 221
- Saved By the Far Right 250
- 2004: Disaster and Recovery: Paul Martin As Political Lazarus 252
- Conclusion 278
- The Liberal Party As Hegemon: Straddling Canadian History 280
- Appendix 300
- Notes 306
- Bibliography 331
- Index 340
- A 340
- B 340
- C 341
- D 342
- E 342
- F 343
- G 343
- H 344
- I 344
- J 344
- K 344
- L 345
- M 345
- N 346
- O 347
- P 347
- Q 348
- R 348
- S 348
- T 349
- U 349
- V 349
- W 350
- Y 350
- Z 350
