Uncategorized

Michael Ignatieff’s tale proves that losing is the worst

The big news: The former Liberal leader’s new book comes two years after his devastating defeat

Adrian Wyld/CP

“All it took was one bad career move, and here he was, a middle-aged depressive taking lessons on buying pet food from a woman a third his age.”—the National Post‘s Jonathan Kay, on former Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff

Michael Ignatieff was so excoriated by his political opposition, and to such devastating effect, that the former Liberal leader took two years after a supremely embarrassing loss in the last federal election before he attempted any sort of rejoinder. Now, after a long pause to ponder, Ignatieff’s releasing a new book, Fire and Ashes: Success and Failure in Politics, that’s meant to explain some things and reflect on some things.

We’re posting Aaron Wherry’s Q&A with Ignatieff shortly. Stay tuned.

Of the excerpts so far published, and the commentary so far expressed, Ignatieff lays bare just how bad things got for him, personally, after he led his party to its worst electoral defeat in its history. This morning, the National Post‘s Jonathan Kay recalls bearing witness to a particularly weak moment during Ignatieff’s post-election haze. There’s more to the story than Iggy’s profound defeat. He writes about his discomfort with the proposed opposition coalition in 2008, a severed friendship with long-time pal Bob Rae, and credit to the prime minister’s team for so masterfully executing a cynical electoral strategy of negativity.

How Ignatieff will go down in history makes for a curious guessing game. His most ardent critics will remain so forever; they’ll always say he’s pro-torture, never forgive him for initially supporting an invasion of Iraq, and perpetually claim he’s “just visiting” Canada, no matter how long he stays. Surely, remaining fans of Bob Rae and Stephane Dion won’t find many reasons to feel for Ignatieff.

But now, out of the ashes and apart from partisan judgment, Ignatieff’s reflections are giving rise to some sort of empathy. Kay’s writing today reminds us that if Ignatieff is a failure, “so are the rest of us.” The reaction to a Toronto Star excerpt of Fire and Ashes, first on Twitter and eventually—surprisingly—on the comments beneath the story, was altogether sympathetic. Here was a man who not only failed so spectacularly with the country watching, but was now dissecting that failure in his own words. A very public loss followed by a very public accounting.

Out of all of this, what can anyone learn? Probably, thousands of little things and a few big ones. Here’s an important lesson:  Losing sucks.

 

What’s above the fold

The Globe and Mail  The Westgate mall attack will likely hurt Kenya’s tourism industry.
National Post  Prem Watsa’s investment group hopes to save BlackBerry.
Toronto Star  Hamid Ghassemi-Shall was released from an Iranian prison.
Ottawa Citizen  Kenyan forces struggled to fully defeat the mall terrorists.
CBC News  Al-Shabaab militants claims to still hold some hostages.
CTV News  The fight for hostages in Westgate mall isn’t over yet.
National Newswatch  The feds are fighting big telcos for Canadian public opinion.

What you might have missed

THE NATIONAL Quebec values. Supporters of Quebec’s proposed charter of values claim former Supreme Court justice Claire L’Heureux-Dubé as an ally. L’Heureux-Dubé, who retired from the top court in 2002, has claimed sexual equality trumps other forms of accommodation. She has also criticized the British approach to social integration.
THE GLOBAL Bangladesh. Garment workers in Dhaka who protested for higher wages faced the wrath of police, who fired rubber bullets and tear gas into the thousands-strong crowds. The workers managed to shut down 400 factories that serve brand-name labels in North America. The country depends on garments for about 80 per cent of its export revenue.
THE QUIRKY Drunken singer. Robert Wilkinson, an Alberta man most famous for a YouTube video that features him belting out Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody as he sat in the back of a police cruiser, is running for mayor of the town of Edson, Alta. All it took for the internet star was five signatures from residents and properly completed nomination forms.

Looking for more?

Get the Best of Maclean's sent straight to your inbox. Sign up for news, commentary and analysis.
  • By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.