The author and Vancouver City Councillor Geoff Meggs discusses the book he’s co-authored with Rod Mickleburgh, The Art of the Impossible: Dave Barrett and the NDP in Power 1972-1975 (Harbour Publishing, 2012), with Joseph Planta.

The Art of the Impossible: Dave Barrett and the NDP in Power 1972-1975 by Geoff Meggs and Rod Mickleburgh (Harbour Publishing, 2012). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Art of the Impossible

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

A terrific read is the new book by Geoff Meggs and Rod Mickleburgh, The Art of the Impossible: Dave Barrett and the NDP in Power 1972-1975. Geoff Meggs joins me now. We’ll talk about the Barrett government, and the times that are chronicled in this book. The beginning of the book is a wonderful overview of what the province was like before 1972, what the W.A.C. Bennett years were like, as well the authors do a good job at contextualising what was happening outside of British Columbia. Often the contrasts were striking. The personalities in and around government are fascinating, and of course the record kept in the book of the landmark pieces of legislation is informative and useful. Geoff Meggs is city councillor in Vancouver, elected in 2008 and re-elected last year. He was communications director to Glen Clark when he was premier, and Larry Campbell during his time as mayor of Vancouver. He’s written two previous books Salmon: The Decline of the West Coast Fishery, which won the Lieutenant-Governor’s Medal for Historical Writing, and Cork Lines and Canning Lines. He edited The Fisherman, another book, as well. This new book is published by Harbour. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Geoff Meggs; Councillor Meggs, good morning.

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