Right Side Up: The Fall of Paul Martin and the Rise of Stephen Harper's New Conservatism

by Paul Wells

The Fall of Paul Martin and the Rise of Stephen Harper’s New Conservatism.

Shakespeare isn’t around to write it — so we have Paul Wells!

Think of it. Two men on an opposite yet parallel trajectory. In the space of only three years, one man, a huge success as the Minister of Finance, goes from his new role as the leader of an all-powerful party with a huge majority all the way down to a retired also-ran. The other one reluctantly steps in to salvage a dying party, links it to another dying party, “unites the right,” becomes its leader, goes through trying times, and inside three years rises to become prime minister, against all odds.

It’s an amazing drama, told here in three acts. First, Paul Wells takes us through all of the events (from Martin’s assassination of Chrétien onward) that led up to the election campaign of January 2006.

The second act deals with the campaign itself, where the Harper armies conquered, with the assistance of an RCMP cavalry raid, and less-than-brilliant opposing “We’re not allowed to make this stuff up.” Full of new, amazing inside details.

The final part answers the What now? that so many Canadians are asking about Stephen Harper’s "new conservatism." Nobody can answer that question better than Paul Wells. Witty, irreverent, opinionated, personal, and very, very funny, this book launches Wells’s career as an author.


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, History, Canada

344 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Jonathan Barry]

Wells bucks the trend of dry political writing with this book. This is one of the few books that I've actually laughed out loud at while reading it. That he manages to do this while combining an interesting and thoughtful look at Harper's rise is truly impressive. This is a must-read if you want to understand the current political scene in Canada.

[Jeff]

I've always enjoyed Paul Wells' columns, and his book did not disappoint. I find him to be the most fair and even-handed of Canadian journalists. His critiques of Harper are based on policies and actions rather than ideologies. He gives credit where due and criticizes where warranted, on both sides. And his insider status provides some great insight into the political process and the events leading up to the Conservative rise to power. Would look forward to a follow up book about the last four years!

[Nadine Lumley]

Smells like a stolen election to me…

Harper’s party and its fundraising arm, the Conservative Fund, pleaded guilty to Elections Act charges of filing election records that didn't set out all expenses AND incurring election expenses exceeding the maximum allowable…

suit pic
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbi...


http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story...

[Jacob Kojfman]

A great insight into the fall of the Liberals under Paul Martin and the rise of the Conservatives under Stephen Harper. Paul Wells tells a fantastic tale of two campaigns and how they converged to eventually deliver a government to Stephen Harper. Valuable lessons for any politicos who have dreams of running a campaign.

[rabbitprincess]

I really wanted to like this book. However, I did not get past the first chapter, because it jumped all over the place in terms of chronology and felt somewhat incoherent. At least that's how it struck me. The subject matter is really interesting, though, so perhaps I'll try again someday.

[Gary Maunder]

An interesting account of the fall of Paul Martin and the rise of Stephen Harper and the Conservative party in Canada. One can't escape the notion that Paul Wells is especially critical of Martin because of a rejection by the Martin camp which Wells confesses.

[Byron Wright]

At the time Paul Martin was finance minister, I though he was competent and well suited to be Prime Minister. Turns out he wasn't and this book makes a convincing argument why his time as Prime Minister was disappointing. In fact, from the sounds of it, we're probably lucky it's as short as it was.

[Anna Mehler]

Paul Wells is an amazing writer, and definitely the only thing Maclean's still has going for it, unfortunately.

[Adrian Angus]

A concise and well written review of the Canadian elections of 04 and 06 and what happened in between.

[Kailey]

I really enjoyed reading this. I chuckled at several points. You have to take it for what it is, but I would recommend it to anyone interested in Canadian politics.

[Monica Percivale]

Did not like it.

[Arash Narchi]

Witty, extremely funny, and well researched inside view of the Canadian political landscape leading up to Stephen Harper's rise to office in 2006. Highly recommend this enjoyable read.