The image of the scrum -- a beleaguered politican surrounded by
jockeying reporters -- is central to our perception of Ottawa. The
modern scrum began with the arrival of television, but even in Sir John
A. Macdonald's day, a century earlier, reporters in the parliamentary
press gallery had waited outside the prime minister's office, pen in
hand, hoping for a quote for the next edition.
The scrum represents the test of wills, the contest of wits, and the
battle for control that have characterized the relationship between
Canadian prime ministers and journalists for more than 125 years. Scrum
Wars chronicles this relationship. It is an anecdotal as well as
analytical account, showing how earlier prime ministers like Sir John A.
Macdonald and Sir Wilfrid Laurier were able to exercise control over
what was written about their administrators, while more recent leaders
like John Diefenbaker, Joe Clark, John Turner, and Brian Mulroney often
found themselves at the mercy of intense media scrutiny and comment.