What do you think?
Rate this book
A Long Way to Paradise: A New History of British Columbia Politics
A close look at how British Columbia came to be Canada’s most politically fractious province.
Politics in British Columbia have been uniquely divisive since Confederation—dominated by radicals, reactionaries, and larger-than-life personalities such as Amor De Cosmos and WAC Bennett. A Long Way to Paradise traces British Columbia’s political development from 1871 to 1972, revealing both how and why British Columbia became Canada’s most fractious province. Robert McDonald uncovers the origins of the region’s entrenched left-right divide and tackles key questions such as why the Liberal and Conservative parties were obliterated in the 1950s, what accounts for Bennett’s decades-long reign, and why parties as diametrically opposed as Social Credit and the NDP succeeded. This lively overview provides fresh insight into the fascinating story of provincial politics in Canada’s lotus land.
Politics in British Columbia have been uniquely divisive since Confederation—dominated by radicals, reactionaries, and larger-than-life personalities such as Amor De Cosmos and WAC Bennett. A Long Way to Paradise traces British Columbia’s political development from 1871 to 1972, revealing both how and why British Columbia became Canada’s most fractious province. Robert McDonald uncovers the origins of the region’s entrenched left-right divide and tackles key questions such as why the Liberal and Conservative parties were obliterated in the 1950s, what accounts for Bennett’s decades-long reign, and why parties as diametrically opposed as Social Credit and the NDP succeeded. This lively overview provides fresh insight into the fascinating story of provincial politics in Canada’s lotus land.
424 pages, Hardcover
Published November 24, 2021
22 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 3, 2022
I took a long time to read this book because I never wanted it to end. An immensely well-crafted history of BC for a 102-year slice that creates a continual thread between Sir James Douglas and Dave Barrett. It has been many decades since there has been a holistic political history of BC. Quite rightly, social history has been to the fore for the past 30 years, as there are many overlooked voices that need to be told. However, discussing the men in suits calling the shots is also necessary given their outsized role in determining the economic history of the province, not to mention the public policies that social history pushes and pulls against.
Bob McDonald was a gifted historian - the incredible amount of quality citations show how well read and comprehensive in his research he was. His untimely passing is also testament to his friends and colleagues who helped bring this volume to publication.
Unfortunately, there are a number typos that really should have been caught. Most are not damaging to what Bob was trying to say. There is also one mathematical error about voters per MLA that is off by a factor of ten. I did the calculation and I see where it went wrong. It’s a shame these errors were not caught by a good proofreader. I hope they are corrected for paperback release. Also, I was yearning for a complete bibliography, instead of needing to pick through endnotes to find sources.
In all, a top shelf political history of a dynamic and challenging province. The inclusion of Indigenous and minority settler views and actions is welcome, since in most earlier political histories, non-white experiences are either a trope, a token, or erased. An extremely high recommend for all British Columbians to learn more about their province.
Bob McDonald was a gifted historian - the incredible amount of quality citations show how well read and comprehensive in his research he was. His untimely passing is also testament to his friends and colleagues who helped bring this volume to publication.
Unfortunately, there are a number typos that really should have been caught. Most are not damaging to what Bob was trying to say. There is also one mathematical error about voters per MLA that is off by a factor of ten. I did the calculation and I see where it went wrong. It’s a shame these errors were not caught by a good proofreader. I hope they are corrected for paperback release. Also, I was yearning for a complete bibliography, instead of needing to pick through endnotes to find sources.
In all, a top shelf political history of a dynamic and challenging province. The inclusion of Indigenous and minority settler views and actions is welcome, since in most earlier political histories, non-white experiences are either a trope, a token, or erased. An extremely high recommend for all British Columbians to learn more about their province.
Displaying 1 of 1 review