BY JOHN TWIGG: Despotic hypocrite Harper triggered election in desperate bid to gain powers of a majority | Harper claimed he was forced into the election call but instead he could have softened his draconian Bills | The non-confidence vote was over his apparent abuses of Parliament and had little to do with the new budget’s array of vote-buying goodies.

The author and chef Cory Parsons discusses his new cookbook Cooking with Cory: Inspirational Recipes for the Fearless Cook (Whitecap, 2010), food, as well as the diving accident that left him a quadriplegic, with Joseph Planta.

The Savvy Insider’s George Froehlich, veteran journalist and television executive, discusses Vancouver restaurant reviews online, the local television news business, and more, with Joseph Planta.

The political strategist, author, and former vice president of the National Citizens Coalition Gerry Nicholls looks at federal politics what with an election call looming, as well at The Office as Steve Carrell’s character Michael Scott leaves, with Joseph Planta.

BY JOHN TWIGG: Christy Clark won the B.C. Liberal Party leadership by promising major changes from the Gordon Campbell era and with her installation as Premier and simultaneous cabinet shuffle on Monday she began delivering those changes in a variety of obvious and subtle ways.

Recently, I wandered into First Used Books, an estimable shop on that strip of Kingsway between Broadway and Main. I saw on the shelf a biography of Louis St. Laurent, Canadian by Dale Thomson. Having no books on St. Laurent I bought it.

The author and academic Mark van Vugt discusses leadership, the research and science behind it, and his new book Selected: Why Some People Lead, Why Others Follow, and Why It Matters (Random House, 2011), with Joseph Planta.

Public transportation in Metro Vancouver and its history are discussed with Jhenifer Pabillano, editor-in-chief of TransLink’s The Buzzer, with Joseph Planta.

The political pundit, former NDP MLA, and blogger (www.strategicthoughts.com) David Schreck talks to Joseph Planta about politics in BC: the election of Christy Clark, the challenges she faces, the NDP leadership race, and more.

The author and entrepreneur Margaret Heffernan discusses her new book Willful Blindness: Why We Ignore the Obvious at Our Peril (Doubleday, 2011), offering examples of how we fall prey to ignorance in the workplace, government, big business, and in our personal lives, with Joseph Planta.

Books on the Radio’s Sean Cranbury joins Joseph Planta to preview an event this Saturday, the W2 Utopia Festival: Vancouver Women Read; as well they discuss other book and internet book community issues.

The author and novelist Emma Forrest discusses her new memoir, Your Voice in My Head (Random House, 2011), with Joseph Planta. Forrest talks about her descent into mental illness and her recovery through writing, and more.

BY JOHN TWIGG: There are lots of levels and grounds on which the B.C. Liberal Party’s latest leadership contest could be questioned, including that Christy Clark could have won mainly because of strategy around the regional weighting system adopted shortly before the vote.

Senator Hugh Segal discusses his new book The Right Balance: Canada’s Conservative Tradition (Douglas & McIntyre, 2011), with Joseph Planta.

BY JOHN TWIGG: It’s apparent from examining the entrails of Premier-designate Christy Clark’s narrow win of the B.C. Liberal Party leadership contest that she won because she became seen as the one most likely to be able to defeat the New Democratic Party opponents in the next provincial election, but there is no guarantee she will be able to do so.