A review by asgard793
Fire and Ashes: Success and Failure in Politics by Michael Ignatieff

3.0

This is a fusion of political treatise, memoir and a loveletter to Canadian democracy. While Ignatieff's experience is coloured in Liberal red, his self-awareness allows for an objective assessment of partisan politics and his failings as a politician. Fire and Ashes is rooted in a two year time-frame spanning the author's return to Canada, his election as party leader and the 2011 federal election that saw the gutting of the Liberal Party. The title would suggest a focus on the election itself, but readers may be disappointed that this is not the case. Instead, Ignatieff outlines the degradation of democracy through zero-sum, warlike politics in parliament that quashes dialog and compromise. While this is a worthy discussion, he dodges specific reasons for the election loss in favor of rallying prospective political participants for the future. What the reader receives are reasons for increased political participation, while being aware of the compromises one must incur for the sake of positive change.