A kindlier look at the ugliness of politics

Adam Daifallah

National Post

Saturday, January 03, 2004

THE DARK SIDE: THE PERSONAL PRICE OF A POLITICAL LIFE

By Steve Paikin Viking Canada 299pp., $36

It's tough to think of a Canadian politician whose career has seen more ups and downs than Joe Clark's. Coming from nowhere to win the leadership of the federal Conservatives in 1979, "Joe Who" became the youngest prime minister in Canadian history in 1979, only to lose his government a few months later. His party subsequently turfed him as leader. He went on to become an accomplished Cabinet minister in the Mulroney government, left politics, then returned, winning the leadership of the Tories a second time in 1998 only to quit five years later, leaving his party in arguably worse shape then when he took over.

Yet Clark's turbulent ride on the Canadian political roller coaster pales in comparison to the hardships suffered by some of the other public figures profiled by Steve Paikin in The Dark Side: The Personal Price of a Political Life. This collection of short biographical vignettes is a follow-up to Paikin's first book, The Life: The Seductive Call of Politics (2001). Whereas the first told mainly heart-warming stories of political success, this book, as its title suggests, looks at the negative aspects of the game of politics -- the backstabbing, the strains on family life and the painful defeats.

Paikin, the long-serving host of TV Ontario's public affairs programs Studio 2 and Diplomatic Immunity, doesn't project the type of holier-than-thou elitism often seen in books about politics written by journalists (names like Jeffrey Simpson and Allan Fotheringham come to mind.) His prose, which is simple and clear, doesn't radiate with cynicism, and he appears to actually like the people he writes about, which makes the book more enjoyable.

Several of the politicians Paikin profiles will be well-known to readers. He interviews and writes about a host of former provincial premiers: Bill Vander Zalm of B.C.; David Peterson and Bob Rae of Ontario, and Roy Romanow and Allan Blakeney of Saskatchewan. Yet other, less recognizable figures profiled in the book are just as interesting. Early on, we learn of the topsy-turvy career of John Munro, the former Trudeau Cabinet minister who fought for years to restore his reputation after being accused of financial funny business as minister of Indian affairs. Munro tried for years to make a political comeback but was stonewalled by members of his own party. (Sadly, he died in August, before this book's publication.)

Another story is that of Tim Murphy, who was elected to the Ontario legislature in a 1993 by-election. He lost his seat in the provincial election two years later but has persevered. He now serves as one of the closest advisors to Prime Minister Paul Martin.

Paikin also spends time shining the spotlight on a series of women who overcame the unique obstacles females face to win party leaderships. Three former provincial Liberal leaders are profiled: Alberta Conservative Cabinet minister-turned-Liberal leader Nancy MacBeth; Ontario's Lyn McLeod and Saskatchewan's Lynda Haverstock. The latter's personal and political tale is the most fascinating. Haverstock came out of nowhere to win the leadership of the Saskatchewan Liberals in 1989, but was never accepted by the establishment of her party. She was unceremoniously dumped after taking her party out of the doldrums: from zero to one seat in 1991 to 11 in 1995. Haverstock has been vindicated, however, and currently serves as Saskatchewan's Lieutenant-Governor.

Sequels to successful movies are almost always letdowns. Though not quite as good as The Life, The Dark Side comes close. The only downside is its relatively short shelf-life. Some parts are already outdated.

But this short book is a fun, light read, full of interesting quotes, anecdotes and political trivia. More than anything, it shows us the human side of politicians. Contrary to popular belief, they are real people. They have families, mortgages, and their salaries aren't great. The Dark Side shows us that for the most part, politicians are no different from the rest of us.