John Crosbie became famous in Canada as a politician unlike the others, someone with a sharp tongue who has always spoken his mind. Now that he is out of politics, he has given us a book that will have many politicians and public figures running for cover- and many readers chuckling and cheering him on.
This memoir takes us from Crosbie's younger days as a medal-winning student to municipal politics in St. John's and then the crucible of Joey Smallwood's corrupt dictatorship. (And if that phrase seems too strong, the proof is in these pages.) The stories of those Newfoundland days seem almost incredible now, and affected Crosbie's attitude towards greater provincial powers.
We tend to forget that John Crosbie came close to succeeding Joe Clark as Tory leader. Typically, it was his testy response ("I can't speak Chinese either") to a question about his French that crippled his campaign and gave Brian Mulroney a narrow win. But he served at the very highest levels as minister of finance, transport, justice, international trade, and fisheries and oceans. He was arguably Mulroney's most effective cabinet minister, and it is instructive to see just how progressive his legislative record- which included promotion of gay rights and divorce reform- was.
He was not, however, the most reticent of ministers, and this book is studded with unrepentant "Crosbie-isms." Never one to worry about political correctness, he delivers powerful broadsides on such topics as patronage, feminism, and the "lazy" and "uninformed" media.
In No Holds Barred, Crosbie offers trenchant opinions on issues ranging from Atlantic Canada's prospects after Quebec separation and thedesirability of fostering a closer relationship with Castro's Cuba. At the same time, he shrewdly and unflinchingly assesses the politicians he has known. He describes the baseness of Smallwood, the laidback style of Frank Moores, the vacillation of Joe Clark, and the crass opportunism of the "brothel-creeping" Liberals. He evaluates Kim Campbell's disastrous leadership of the Conservative Party and discusses his epic feud with "Tequila" Sheila Copps. Nothing is withheld in this entertaining (and sometimes outrageous) memoir by one of the dominant politicians of his generation.
Categories:
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Leaders & Notable People
- Political
- Leaders & Notable People
Publisher : McClelland & Stewart
Author : Crosbie, John C.
Language : English
Edition : First Edition
Published :1997-10-25
Number Of Pages : 512
Binding : hardcover
ISBN-10 : 0771024274
ISBN-13 : 9780771024276
Item weight : 1.7 lb
Dimensions : 1.2 in x 6.1 in x 9.2 in
Returns Policy
You may return most new, unopened items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. We'll also pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.).
You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).
If you need to return an item, simply login to your account, view the order using the 'Complete Orders' link under the My Account menu and click the Return Item(s) button. We'll notify you via e-mail of your refund once we've received and processed the returned item.
Shipping
We can ship to virtually any address in the world. Note that there are restrictions on some products, and some products cannot be shipped to international destinations.
When you place an order, we will estimate shipping and delivery dates for you based on the availability of your items and the shipping options you choose. Depending on the shipping provider you choose, shipping date estimates may appear on the shipping quotes page.
Please also note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are weight-based. The weight of any such item can be found on its detail page. To reflect the policies of the shipping companies we use, all weights will be rounded up to the next full pound.