A Matter of Confidence: The Inside Story of the Political Battle for BC

by Robert Shaw, Richard Zussman

A breathtaking behind-the-scenes look at the dramatic rise and fall of Christy Clark s BC Liberals, the return to power of the NDP, and what it means for British Columbia s volatile political climate going forward. British Columbia s political arena has always been the site of dramatic rises and falls, infighting, scandal, and come-from-behind victories. However, no one was prepared for the historic events of spring 2017, when the Liberal government of Christy Clark, one of the most polarizing premiers in recent history, was toppled. A Matter of Confidence gives readers an insider s look at the overconfidence that fuelled the rise and fall of Clark s premiership and the historic non-confidence vote that defeated her government and ended her political career. Beginning with this pivotal moment, the book goes back and chronicles the downfall of Clark s predecessor, Gordon Campbell, which led to her unlikely victory in 2013, and traces the events leading up to her defeat at the hands of her NDP and Green opponents. Told by reporters Rob Shaw and Richard Zussman, who covered every moment of the election cycle, and illustrated by candid and extensive interviews with political insiders from both sides of the aisle including Christy Clark and John Horgan this book is a must read for anyone who cares about BC politics and the future of the province.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Canada, History

352 pages, Paperback

First published March 19, 2018

Reviews

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of those great books that comes along once in a decade plus

I consider this book one of the greatest books of BC Politics, right up there with "Barbarians in the Garden City" and "Everyone but the People". The holistic and humanizing writing herein makes one sympathetic for all the politicians, no two dimensional thinking allowed.

I also like how the book may have been conceived to address the historic events of the spring & summer of 2017, but had the wisdom to start back in 2009 with Gordon Campbell and why the Harmonised Sales Tax or HST came about, setting a long chain of events in motion. The cooperation of so many politicians and political staffers is much appreciated in making this history come alive.

Many, like i, only will put down this book when we have to!

[Sam Kaser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a very engaging read (I finished it the day I bought it), but I thought that the authors went out of their way to make Christy Clark more sympathetic (often urging the reader to realize that negative perceptions of her as a result of a policy or scandal were "not who she really was") while not doing so for Andrew Weaver or John Horgan. I also found that it skated over the events and impacts of the 2014 teachers' strike, although I think that's just a personal issue for me since I was entering Grade 12 at the time. Putting aside my own biases, though, this was overall a detailed, colourful review of the characters, issues, and events that shaped BC's recent political history.

[Mark Landmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed it and it was very fast paced and easy to read, which I don't often find in non-fiction. I guess I expected to love it more than I did. I was a bit impatient that it didn't get to the actual election until more than halfway through, but that's not its fault that it wasn't what I'd expected. The writing was good but you do notice a difference in quality when you're used to reading literary fiction, just in terms of the constant cliches that grated. I think some of the best bits may have been spoiled by the news media when the book was released, as I found I was familiar with them already.

I don't know if this is fair, and my partner didn't agree, but I sometimes felt it was overly fawning/unquestioning towards the politicians and their motives, especially towards Christy Clark. I simply didn't believe a lot of what I read about the politicians' motivations, and especially Ms Clark's. I know it's not possible to disprove what one claims is one's motivations, but neither to we just have to accept them without pointing out when one's actions don't correspond in the slightest to one's supposed motivations.

[Doug Dosdall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book full of detail about the political process and personalities. It has made the politicians and their decisions and their foibles seem much more human. We all know how the story ends but there's much here that was completely new to me even though I pay a fair amount of attention to day to day news coverage.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book appeals to me so many levels, it's ridiculous.
As someone who worked on a couple of the elections, this felt like a blast from the past. I just kept thinking, "oh yeah, I forgot about that." The book does an excellent job of humanizing the cast of characters and I'm impressed by the amount of work that went into it, pushing back against political narratives.
The book was informative, interesting, and nostalgic.
There were a few sentences that could have be rewriten to be clearer, and it read like a political thriller, which may not resonate with some people, but I absolutely loved it.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book! Best political book I have ever read! Well written and neutral! Amazing story but told without opinion or drama!! Totally easy read and worth the time!

[Geoffrey Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a political junkie. This book is the equivalent of crack cocaine! Enjoy this trip through BC politics!

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man oh man, what a terrific book this is. While it may not gain much audience outside of British Columbia or Canada in general, I couldn't put it down. Even though I knew how it ended, I found the drama at times heart-pounding, as the characters debated choices and actions that would have profound ramifications down the road.
My husband and I are political junkies, from international elections to local government referendums, and this is a story that we followed avidly from Day 1. I loved all the backroom information, all the insider talk. I remember being glued to the TV on the night the Liberals tabled their plagiarized budget plan in a desperate attempt to stave off defeat. Days later, we sat with baited breath watching Christy Clark walk up the driveway to meet LG Judith Guichon and try to hold onto power. We watched John Horgan arrive to be told it was his turn. What a wild year for British Columbia. What a ride for the NDP. I could get really boring going on much longer, but suffice to say, this is a province in which politics is never, ever boring, and even now with the smoke cleared from last year's election, it's still fascinating every day.
One more point about the book. It was a great decision to provide so much background by going back to 2009 and dealing with the Gordon Campbell story. It explained a lot about the next 8 years.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

British Columbia is known for its whacky politics and the general election of 2017 did not disappoint. When the ruling Liberals won 43 seats and the opposition NDP won 41, the upstart Greens with 3 seats found themselves being wooed for the balance of power. Veteran legislative reporters Rob Shaw and Richard Zussman tell the inside story of those frenzied weeks post election with both Liberal premier Christy Clark and NDP leader John Horgan trying to convince the Greens to side with their respective teams. Writing the book over the summer following the May election the authors had unfettered access to all the main players and the lively, candid but balanced reporting offers a fascinating look at the character testing process of power broking and reveals that true influence doesn't always lie with the obvious players. A Matter of Confidence is a must-read for political junkies and for anyone with an interest in an entertaining behind the scenes look at government.

[Stef · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast, exciting read. I learned about how recounts are done, the lieutenant governor's responsibilities, and that John Horgan is a nice man. I was at once impressed by Christy Clark's ambition and political acumen and surprised at how favourably she was portrayed given how unpopular she became after the Liberals' 2013 reelection. Having recently read half of Roxane Gay's collection Not That Bad, I was sad to read about the misogyny and sexism Clark faced as a woman in politics in her time as premier of BC.

Some structural issues that no doubt were a result of how quickly the book was written and published: a few repetitive passages across chapters, and a typos in a couple of quotes. Outside of these two things, an impressive feat writing a book in a month and publishing it shortly after.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars despite a few oversights of editing. Recommended for anyone for whom recent political battles in BC have been an exciting roller coaster ride. If you're not into politics, don't read it, obviously.

The writing focuses on the personalities involved, and their alliances, betrayals and turns of fortune. I wished for more detail on the actual policies at stake, but this would have slowed down the surprisingly dramatic narrative.

For those for whom the BC NDP and Green alliance is a dream team of social and ecological forces working together, the latter part also reads a bit like a romance novel. "They characters think it could never be, but we know they'll get together in the end!"

Anyhow, I loved it.

[spike marlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting book about the election of John Horgan’s NDP government in 2017. I don’t usually read books like this as I find them biased to one side or the other. However, I found this book to be basically neutral in its opinion and provided a look at birth sides of the debate in an unbiased way. A very good read.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book on the recommendation of a colleague as I wasn't living in BC at the time and hadn't paid attention to the 2017 BC election. Engaging account of the 2017 election, defeat of the Clark Liberal government, and rise of the NDP-Green coalition government that followed. Shaw and Zussman will have to write a follow up with all that's been going on in the lead up to the 2024 election.

[Misha Handman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenally in-depth and exceptionally researched, with amazing access to all of the players. If you're interested in seeing how regional politics can unfold, this is the book for it.

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably closer to a 4.5.

[Howard Y · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic read for both political nerds and proceduralists alike!

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating and fast paced read.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fascinating account of the life of a government. Perfect for any political nerd. I remember when the BC election happened but pieced everything together (more or less) through news articles here and there. A Matter of Confidence: The Inside Story of the Political Battle for BC does such a great job of stitching it all together into a riveting, nonpartisan, flavourful story full of characters and schemes and all that good stuff you like out of a thriller. The amount of research and interviews that the authors put into the book is clear but you almost forget the work needed because the narrative is just so smooth. What a great record of history.

[Bryce Campbell · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was good, but not as good as all the hype would had made you believe. The timeline of the events is pretty close, but some details are different then they actually happened.

[Aldous Sperl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great review of BC politics leading up to and including the aftermath of the 2017 election.

[Gavin Esdale]

Well-sourced, engaging, insightful.

Can't wait for the sequel.

[Juliette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't think I would finish this 300+ page book, but I did and learned lots along the way. It was very well written and moved at a fast pace that kept my interest.

[Lyndsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Netflix should pick this up: like Borgen with better scenery

[Seamus · Rating 3 out of 5]

readable and informative, but books like this do have a hard ceiling for how good they are able to be.

[Alyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Not what I was expecting, and loved it! Learned so much.

[Toby Snelgrove · Rating 5 out of 5]

powerful read

A well written inside reporting of BC’s transition from Christ Clark liberal domination in B.C. politics to the John Horgan’s reign.

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long and heavy, but very informative.

[Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a political junkie like me, you'll absolutely love this book. BC has often been referred to as the wild west of politics, and the story of the last couple of decades surely reinforces that.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read. It has some interesting insights, from the right guys to bring you these insights, but most of all it serves to open your eyes to the truly "Wild West" nature of BC politics.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Politic is a messy business.