The journalist, author, and senior political writer at the Toronto Star Susan Delacourt discusses her new book Shopping for Votes: How Politicians Choose Us and We Choose Them (Douglas & McIntyre, 2013), with Joseph Planta.

Shopping for Votes: How Politicians Choose Us and We Choose Them by Susan Delacourt (Douglas & McIntyre, 2013). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Shopping for Votes

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

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

One of the more fascinating, thought provoking and insightful books of the season is the latest from the journalist Susan Delacourt. In Shopping for Votes: How Politicians Choose Us and We Choose Them, we’re given a thorough look at marketing in Canadian politics. What we see is how marketers have pervaded the political arena creating an industry for themselves, how politicians utilise their handiwork, and how the population generally reacts to them. In the last 50 years or so, more and more, public service has turned into products, citizens into mere voters and taxpayers, while ideas seem to mean nothing more than policy proposals whittled down to mere talking points. I’ll get Ms. Delacourt, who joins me now to talk about this book, her findings, what prompted this study, as well as the latest from Ottawa, what with the Senate troubles and more. Susan Delacourt is an award winning journalist, and a senior political writer at the Toronto Star, formerly with the Globe and Mail and the National Post. She’s written three other books, United We Fall, Shaughnessy, and Juggernaut, which was a great book. This book, which is just remarkable, is published by Douglas & McIntyre. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, in Ottawa this day, Susan Delacourt; Ms. Delacourt, good morning.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (24.4MB)

Subscribe: RSS