BENNETT II: THE DECLINE AND STUMBLING OF SOCIAL CREDIT GOVERNMENT IN BRITISH COLUMBIA 1979-83 Stan Persky. Vancouver, New Star Books, c1983. 272pp, paper, $12.95 (cloth), $3.95 (paper). ISBN 0-919573-10-X (cloth), 0-919573-11-8 (paper). Grades 11 and up. Reviewed by John D. Crawford. Volume 11 Number 6. 1983 November. This is an entertainingly written account of the political events that took place in British Columbia in the course of Bill Bennett's second term as premier of the province. While completely lacking in objectivity, the reader feels and indeed hopes that Persky would have carried out a similar essay in iconoclasm if the NDP rather than the Socreds had been in power for the last few years. The book is anecdotal rather than analytical, and much of the content derives from Vancouver's daily newspapers. The picture that emerges of the political scene in British Columbia is one in which disputation and nitpicking are the predominant characteristics and where any degree of statesmanship is difficult to find. These features may owe something to the structure of government in Canada, which requires provincial legislatures to devote an inordinate proportion of their attention to parochial matters. One strength of the book is its excellent organization. It flows along a smooth timeline, yet contains topics that are units in themselves. There is no index, and it is arguable whether this would have been an advantage. Cost may have been a consideration in having no photographs or political cartoons. The printing is clear, and the proofreaders have nothing to be ashamed about. Given the results of the recent provincial election and the furor that has arisen from the acts of the government since their re-election, we can anticipate a Bennett HI in a few years time that will be at least as engrossing as this volume. John D. Craw ford, Frank Hobbs E. S., Victoria, BC.