Ripper

"Six weeks into the Covid pandemic, New York Times columnist David Brooks identified two forces shaping Western politics, represented by those he called rippers and weavers. Rippers, whether on the right or the left, understand politics as a war that gives their lives meaning. They don't care what they destroy in achieving their specific aims. Weavers are their opposite: people who try to fix things, to bring people together and to build consensus. For a certain time during the pandemic, the weavers seemed to be winning. Five years later, as Canada heads towards a pivotal election, that's no longer the case. For the first time in its history, the country has a ripper poised to assume power. Pierre Poilievre has enjoyed most of the advantages that a middle-class life in Canada offers. Yet he's long been the angriest man on the political stage. In Ripper: The Making of Pierre Poilievre, bestselling author Mark Bourrie, winner of the Charles Taylor Prize, charts Poilievre's rise through the political system, from precocious teenage volunteer to outspoken Opposition critic known for savage soundbites and theatrics. Bourrie outlines the historical roots of this divisive moment in our history, one in which rippers are poised to capitalize on our division, and illuminates how Poilievre and this new style of politics have gained so much ground-and what it could cost us if they succeed."--