I enjoyed the Gerry Hopson review of Judi Tyabji's new book about Glen Clark and the last provincial election [BCBW Winter]. Ms. Tyabji is a shrewd, intelligent observer but the value of her book is necessarily effected by her personal and political loyalties - and by her lack of academic expertise. It prompts me to wonder about the silence of political scientists at UBC, SFU and community colleges on these subjects. As far as I can discover, there haven't been any books, learned articles or analyses of the Gordon Campbell revolution by the 30 or more political scientists at UBC and SFU. Why not? Professor Norman Ruff, of UVIC, presented a paper at the recent Learned Societies meeting in Toronto but it was an academic discussion of the validity of Campbell's mandate. Intriguing, no doubt, to his fellow political scientists and some politicians, but of limited appeal to those people trying to understand our politics.

Surely an election which saw the destruction of a party supported by a substantial number of voters for 60 years, and which limited the Opposition to two, was worthy of some study by the people trained to analyze and measure political behaviour.

Now UBC has a school of journalism. How about a joint project on the passivity of the media - particularly in the suburbs and Interior? And there's still time for a Vancouver Institute lecture. Perhaps some of these projects are completed or underway and we haven't been told about them. Until then we will have to rely on Ms. Tyabji's book. Good for her! But those who have been trained to provide in-depth analysis are silent. Where are the books about contemporary B.C. that are hard to write?

Geoffrey
Molyneux
Langley (2003)

[Spring 2003 BCBW]