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Graham Steele - The Effective Citizen: How to Make Politicians Work for You

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Book:
The Effective Citizen: How to Make Politicians Work for You
Author:
Graham Steele
Publisher:
Nimbus Publishing
Genre:
Science / Politics
Year:
2017
City:
Halifax
Rating:
5 / 5
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Effective citizens--engaged, knowledgeable, and persistent, and united in common cause--are the most powerful force that ever was, or ever will be. I hope this book will help citizens to be more effective.

In his uniquely straightforward and accessible style, Political insider Graham Steele pulls back the curtain on our political system and gives readers a look inside. A lawyer, analyst, former Nova Scotia cabinet minister, and author of the Globe & Mail bestselling memoir What I Learned About Politics, Steele answers the burning questions of Canadians: Who really runs the parties? What does a backbencher do? How does a citizen effectively navigate the system, and achieve change through a politician? What is truthiness?

A primer for anyone who wants to become a politician or influence one, The Effective Citizen explains how politicians think and what factors influence that thinking; how to interpret the non-answer in political speech; and acknowledges that in politics, bland is safe. Ideal for political neophytes and junkees all the same, Steeles newest book will have the whole country talking.

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Praise for What I Learned About Politics:

Globe and Mail bestseller

Finalist for the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing

Finalist for the Evelyn Richardson Award for Non-fiction

What I Learned about Politics is one part Politics for Dummies and the other a very long exit interview, in which Mr. Steele, the former NDP finance minister from Nova Scotia who famously resigned his post to sit on the backbench, provides a brutally candid assessment of what it is like to serve in a Canadian legislature.

The Globe and Mail

His book transcends partisan politics in the Maritimes and could be set in any political chamber in the country. Earnest and nave at first, Steele quickly learned the ropes and didnt like what he saw: Politics is a low, dirty business, he wrote. But his book is never that What I Learned about Politics is surprisingly optimistic, highly entertaining, and prescriptive as to how politicians can do better.

Jury Citation, Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing

Its a terrific book. Required reading, I would say, for anyone remotely considering getting involved in politics. Im sure it is flying off the bookshelves and will become course material for political science courses in this province.

Halifax Chronicle Herald

What I Learned About Politics: Inside the Riseand Collapseof Nova Scotias NDP Government by former Nova Scotia Finance Minister Graham Steele is blunt, briskly written and relentlessly unsettlingFor anyone interested in Nova Scotia politics, it is absolutely required reading.

Ron Foley Macdonald

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission from the publisher, or, in the case of photocopying or other reprographic copying, permission from Access Copyright, 1 Yonge Street, Suite 1900, Toronto, Ontario M5E 1E5.

Nimbus Publishing Limited

3731 Mackintosh St, Halifax, NS, B3K 5A5

(902) 455-4286 nimbus.ca

Printed and bound in Canada

NB1236

Cover & interior design: John van der Woude, jvdw Designs

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Steele, Graham, author

The effective citizen : how to make politicians work for you

/ Graham Steele.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-77108-531-1 (hardcover)

1. Political participationCanada. 2. CanadaPolitics and

government. I. Title.

JL186.5.S73 2017 323.0420971 C2017-904112-6

Nimbus Publishing acknowledges the financial support for its publishing activities from the Government of Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts, and from the Province of Nova Scotia. We are pleased to work in partnership with the Province of Nova Scotia to develop and promote our creative industries for the benefit of all Nova Scotians.

To John W. Steele.

Because I am my fathers son.

My father, a university professor,

used to say there are two jobs

that require no professional training:

professor and politician.

I find this funny now,

because I was a politician,

and now Im a professor.

Chapter

Introduction

The Meeting

Y ou are the executive director of a small non-profit in Nova Scotia. You do good work, but its hard. You have plenty of ideas but theres never enough money, and government policy gets in the way. You could use some help from the provincial government.

Today you are finally getting a meeting with your mla the elected member of the legislative assembly. It was hard to find a mutually convenient time, and then the mla cancelled a couple of times because of her schedule.

Youve been asked to come down to the mla s constituency office. Its inconvenient, but you go. Youve emailed a briefing document along with your organizations last annual report.

When you get there, the mla s assistant sighs and says, Bobbys running late, as usual. About forty-five minutes after the scheduled meeting time, the mla blows into the office with a couple of young people behind her. Theyre busy scrolling on their smart phones and tapping messages.

Your mla invites you into a meeting room. The others join you. How can I help you? says the mla sweetly. Your heart sinks. You had spent hours preparing the briefing document, which had detailed ideas about how government policy could change to help your sector. It sounds like the mla hasnt read it. Youre starting from scratch.

Things get better as you give your presentation, although you do notice the mla stealing a glance at her watch; she nods attentively and asks some questions about how many people you serve and where they live. The assistants is that what they are? are still tapping on their phones. They barely look up.

When youre done, the mla stands up and smiles. This is all so interesting, she says. I want you to know that Im on your side. Ill talk to the minister about it. Lets see what we can do.

This sounds promising. It will be good to have someone going to bat for you inside the government. Thats great to hear, you say. When do you think we might have an answer?

The mla pauses to think. The wheels of government turn slowly, she says with a wink, but well do what we can. The budget comes down in April and thats the most likely time for something to get done. Would you mind if we took a picture?

Of course not, you say, and one of the assistants takes a grip-and-grin shot of you and the mla .

Keep in touch, says the mla , as she ushers you to the front door. Thanks for coming.

You leave the office with a spring in your step. You hadnt expected the meeting to go so well.

A few weeks pass. Nothing happens. The wheels of government turn slowly, right? You call the mla s office, but shes busy down at the legislature so you talk to her assistant.

Theres a lot going on, he says, Bobbys on it. That was a good picture of you in the constituency newsletter.

A few months pass. Still nothing happens. You call the mla s office. After a couple of days, you get a call back. It sounds like the mla is calling from her car. Were working on it, she says. Theres a lot going on I cant tell you about. If only you knew! Just dont rock the boat, okay? Were almost there.

A couple of months after that, an election is called. Bobby the mla retires. The government changes. Youre no further ahead than the day you walked through the mla s door, but now many months have passed.

You thought you did everything right, but nothing changed. What went wrong?

Why I Wrote This Book

You were a victim of political bullshit. I wrote this book so you might better understand how to recognize political bullshit, and what to do about it.

I know how politicians think because I used to be one. For fifteen years I was involved in Nova Scotia provincial politics, first as a staff person, then for twelve years as an elected member. I rose to the highest level of government, short of being premier. During that time, Ive talked to politicians across the country and around the world.

For three years I was Nova Scotias finance minister. I delivered four annual budgets, so I oversaw nearly $ billion of revenue and spending. Naturally there were lots of people who wanted to visit me to ask for something that involved the public purse. What surprised me was how ineffective most of my visitors were.

Most visitors had a limited understanding of how their government works. Im not talking about the Constitution, or how many seats are in the House of Commons, or that sort of technical detail that can be studied and memorized. Im talking about how government decision making works whos making the decisions, how theyre made, and especially whats going on in politicians heads.

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