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Danny Williams, Please Come Back
Bill Rowe, author of the critically acclaimed political drama Danny Williams: The War with Ottawa (Globe and Mail Bestseller, 2010), is back in fighting form and ready to throw a few more punches at the local, national, and world leaders who fill our lives with endless amusement and exasperation. Rowe’s newspaper columns, written between 2005 and 2007 and collected here for the first time under one cover, are a tour de force that challenge the reader to take on political lightweights and heavyweights alike, societal ills at home and abroad, and always question motives and demand answers from those in power.
Peppered with the same dry wit and humour that propelled this author onto a national stage, this collection is, quite simply, a must-read.
Peppered with the same dry wit and humour that propelled this author onto a national stage, this collection is, quite simply, a must-read.
273 pages, Paperback
First published August 23, 2011
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4 people want to read
About the author
Bill Rowe
18 books7 followersWilliam Neil "Bill" Rowe, QC is a former politician, lawyer, broadcaster, and writer in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. He is married to Penelope Ayre Rowe of St. John's, who is a member of the Order of Canada. They have a son, Dorian, a daughter, Toby, and three grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 8, 2019
There is a reasonable question which should encircle the topics we emerge ourselves in — and the boundary should not be too close to the topic itself. Nevertheless, when I picked this book up, I was wondering what benefits could an exposure into Newfoundland and Labrador’s politics of the mid-2000’s give me. During the course of reading this, I managed to answer these doubts quite well.
To begin with, Mr Rowe does not write just about politics. There is plenty of general morality and ethics here, and espeically with the modern perception of acceptable changing so quickly, it is very interesting to see what a respectable journalist and writer could have taken a very strong stand on. With some columns (Afghanistan), it is possible to see Mr Rowe’s position change in the years he was writing; others are of a more permanent kind — whether that be drugs or appropriate uses of public finances.
The other part is that this book is absolutely thrilling. The former experience of having been Leader of the Opposition gives Mr Rowe an unique insight into most questions. He is also, at the same time, the most ardent patriot of Newfoundland that anyone could expect to see, and especially with some of the deals that the province struck in its early days there are plenty of injustices to complain about. These raise not just questions about the morality of Canada’s asymmetrical federalism but also of its viability.
Even though this isn't my favourite book of the year, I think I would recommend it to most people — this book gives a very unique opportunity to look into one of the richest countries through the eyes of their poorest citizens. It is an injustice that is easy to forget when the same also do not get a loud say and are therefore dependent on their leader-of-the-day, Danny Williams in this case. Lastly, the same is happening everywhere to someone…
This review was originally posted on my blog.
To begin with, Mr Rowe does not write just about politics. There is plenty of general morality and ethics here, and espeically with the modern perception of acceptable changing so quickly, it is very interesting to see what a respectable journalist and writer could have taken a very strong stand on. With some columns (Afghanistan), it is possible to see Mr Rowe’s position change in the years he was writing; others are of a more permanent kind — whether that be drugs or appropriate uses of public finances.
The other part is that this book is absolutely thrilling. The former experience of having been Leader of the Opposition gives Mr Rowe an unique insight into most questions. He is also, at the same time, the most ardent patriot of Newfoundland that anyone could expect to see, and especially with some of the deals that the province struck in its early days there are plenty of injustices to complain about. These raise not just questions about the morality of Canada’s asymmetrical federalism but also of its viability.
Even though this isn't my favourite book of the year, I think I would recommend it to most people — this book gives a very unique opportunity to look into one of the richest countries through the eyes of their poorest citizens. It is an injustice that is easy to forget when the same also do not get a loud say and are therefore dependent on their leader-of-the-day, Danny Williams in this case. Lastly, the same is happening everywhere to someone…
This review was originally posted on my blog.
June 18, 2023
There are a lot of ideas in this book. Not good ones, but ideas.
March 17, 2013
"I started to really appreciate Rowe's ability to narrow down a topic and come up with something pithy and witty to say about it, week after week." -- The Telegram
"Like any columnist worth his salt Rowe is provocative and a number of the columns deal with topics whose lessons are still relevant." -- Newfoundland Quarterly
"Rowe's columns on Williams's persona, bellicose manner and political antics truly shine. What Danny Should Do in the Crab War? (May 7, 2005) puts a delightful Shakespearian twist on Williams's strategic positioning; Is Danny a Dictator? (June 25, 2005) will stand as a classic." -- The Chronicle Herald
"A brisk read and a fine book to have in your personal library." -- The Compass
"[Rowe] does it all, of course, with his usual blend of droll good humour and common sense." -- Globe and Mail
"With a mind – and a pen – as sharp as a paper cut, the elegant, affable Rowe remains Newfoundland's literary agent provocateur, provoking, teasing, sometimes coddling his subjects, but all the time digging towards truths that cause discomfort for the province's Who's Who and everyman alike." -- The Business Post
"Like any columnist worth his salt Rowe is provocative and a number of the columns deal with topics whose lessons are still relevant." -- Newfoundland Quarterly
"Rowe's columns on Williams's persona, bellicose manner and political antics truly shine. What Danny Should Do in the Crab War? (May 7, 2005) puts a delightful Shakespearian twist on Williams's strategic positioning; Is Danny a Dictator? (June 25, 2005) will stand as a classic." -- The Chronicle Herald
"A brisk read and a fine book to have in your personal library." -- The Compass
"[Rowe] does it all, of course, with his usual blend of droll good humour and common sense." -- Globe and Mail
"With a mind – and a pen – as sharp as a paper cut, the elegant, affable Rowe remains Newfoundland's literary agent provocateur, provoking, teasing, sometimes coddling his subjects, but all the time digging towards truths that cause discomfort for the province's Who's Who and everyman alike." -- The Business Post
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews