Rating: 5 out of 5
Politics can be shocking, and especially so lately — no matter where one is around the world. A little more interesting, therefore, is that the same was the case in the past. Namely, in the middle of World War 2, the main participants of the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States ostensibly decided the fate of the former Dominion of Newfoundland without giving a proper say to the people of the region.
I have seen some reviews which lambaste the author and this work, but from the point of view of the coherency of this book and numerous letters from the relevant parties which are included herein, a convincing case is made for the Colonial Office having sold Newfoundland’s people to Canada (for excusing the British war debts).
As such, this is a very interesting book and the case is worthy of further description and discussion — after all, the Newfoundlanders could have been very well back in command of their own fates as before the dominion status was rescinded. In the same vein, this book highlights the importance of phrasing referendum questions and the timeframe before the question is put to the people.
So, I would very much recommend this, especially if one has an interest in either Canada or Newfoundland or indeed the British (de)colonisation efforts or perhaps just a wish for some political intrigue. There were a lot of direct quotations from the aforementioned letters, but don’t let these break your spirit… It’s worth it overall!
