What I learned about politics: inside the rise--and collapse--of Nova Scotia's NDP government

Description

Copyright; Epigraph; Table of Contents; Foreword; Preface; 1. The Election of 2013: "The Arse is Right Out Of 'Er"; 2. Learning to be a Politician; Getting to Know Nova Scotia; Learning the Ropes at Province House; Helen MacDonald and the By-election of 2001; 3. What Does an MLA Actually Do?; Legislative Work; MLAs' Background and Experience Do Not Equip Them for Legislative Work; All Substantial Decisions on Bills and Budgets are Made Elsewhere; Party Discipline Drives All Real Debate Behind Closed Doors; Summing Up the Legislative work; Constituency Work; Losing My Secret Strength; Endnotes.;On October 8, 2013, Nova Scotia's NDP government went down to a devastating election defeat. Premier Darrell Dexter lost his own seat, and the party held the dubious distinction of being the first one-term majority government in over 100 years. In this new memoir, former NDP finance minister and MLA Graham Steele tries to make sense of the election result and shares what he's learned from a fifteen-year career in provincial politics. In his trademark candid style, Steele pulls no punches in assessing what's right-and what's often wrong-with our current political system. Includes an insert.