Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau had
a flamboyant persona but he was also a
fiercely disciplined politician hi I’m
Alex LaDuke and welcome to watchmojo.com
today we’re speaking with biographer
John English to learn more about
Trudeau’s life behind the scenes and how
it affected his politics
what were his biggest personal
frustrations are any flaws he was never
able to overcome
he was very trouble with the death of
Laporte apparel apart was assassinated
he was with Margaret Trudeau they were
not even married but she was staying
with about 24 Sussex she saw him just
fall apart and fall into tears but those
who worked with him said that he did
seem very stealing and he seemed to have
that capacity he was being challenged
many love challenges and he was going to
stand up with them hence to just watch
me in response to the CDC reporter it’s
more important to keep law and order in
the society than to be worried about
weak-kneed people who don’t like the
looks of Eddie no cost at any cost how
far would you go with that how far would
you extend that just watch me
think in terms of weakness probably his
relationships with women he couldn’t
seem to establish the kind of intimacy
that will lead to the partnership which
represents marriage so in his later life
he often described himself as unhappy
the other thing he was unhappy with was
the direction of Canada after he left
office that’s probably true of every
Prime Minister but he was unhappy that
the government of Quebec Hunter Prasad
particularly and Brian Mulroney went
towards opening up as he called it the
Constitution what surprised you most in
all of your research and what’s going to
surprise readers well how disciplined
and hardworking he was as a prime
minister you had the umber scheme as a
bit of a Playboy and there were periods
where he took off you know to a disco in
New York you’re responsible ignored the
party but in reality this is a very
serious hardworking and smart politician
they knew when to go for the jugular he
was a pretty tough the other thing I
think is his private life and the
intersection of his private life in his
public life he didn’t have an election
in 1977 what he would have won
overwhelmingly because of his marriage
breakdown that’s why you did not write
in your book about an affair with
Jordan’s King Hussein it was written in
there I never had an affair with her
Jordan’s King Hussein similarly I think
his closest confidants were his female
companions and they tended in the 80s to
be Eddie Reagan and Aunty Thatcher
and I think it made him more determined
to be so those instincts would’ve been
in that direction in any event much was
said when you published the first book
about Trudeau’s relationship with
Catholicism how did his religion affect
him when he was prime minister and in
his later years he remains what we would
call a liberal Catholic and a political
Catholic like Kennedy that although I am
a believer I’m saying what they were
saying and I am a Catholic that will not
affect my approach to public policy
where I’m going to be the prime minister
of all Canadians aren’t simply Roman
Catholic Canadians he was angry with the
church for talking about about economic
policy in the eighties when they were
very critical of his policies we tended
in some ways to be a little bit
conservative but he he went to church
and after he left office he took part in
retreats and lost his faith it seems
when Michelle died his father often
would I think but then of course he died
a Catholic in a ceremony that was fully
within tradition of the Roman Catholic
Church well thanks very much for your
time thank you very much for having me
a flamboyant persona but he was also a
fiercely disciplined politician hi I’m
Alex LaDuke and welcome to watchmojo.com
today we’re speaking with biographer
John English to learn more about
Trudeau’s life behind the scenes and how
it affected his politics
what were his biggest personal
frustrations are any flaws he was never
able to overcome
he was very trouble with the death of
Laporte apparel apart was assassinated
he was with Margaret Trudeau they were
not even married but she was staying
with about 24 Sussex she saw him just
fall apart and fall into tears but those
who worked with him said that he did
seem very stealing and he seemed to have
that capacity he was being challenged
many love challenges and he was going to
stand up with them hence to just watch
me in response to the CDC reporter it’s
more important to keep law and order in
the society than to be worried about
weak-kneed people who don’t like the
looks of Eddie no cost at any cost how
far would you go with that how far would
you extend that just watch me
think in terms of weakness probably his
relationships with women he couldn’t
seem to establish the kind of intimacy
that will lead to the partnership which
represents marriage so in his later life
he often described himself as unhappy
the other thing he was unhappy with was
the direction of Canada after he left
office that’s probably true of every
Prime Minister but he was unhappy that
the government of Quebec Hunter Prasad
particularly and Brian Mulroney went
towards opening up as he called it the
Constitution what surprised you most in
all of your research and what’s going to
surprise readers well how disciplined
and hardworking he was as a prime
minister you had the umber scheme as a
bit of a Playboy and there were periods
where he took off you know to a disco in
New York you’re responsible ignored the
party but in reality this is a very
serious hardworking and smart politician
they knew when to go for the jugular he
was a pretty tough the other thing I
think is his private life and the
intersection of his private life in his
public life he didn’t have an election
in 1977 what he would have won
overwhelmingly because of his marriage
breakdown that’s why you did not write
in your book about an affair with
Jordan’s King Hussein it was written in
there I never had an affair with her
Jordan’s King Hussein similarly I think
his closest confidants were his female
companions and they tended in the 80s to
be Eddie Reagan and Aunty Thatcher
and I think it made him more determined
to be so those instincts would’ve been
in that direction in any event much was
said when you published the first book
about Trudeau’s relationship with
Catholicism how did his religion affect
him when he was prime minister and in
his later years he remains what we would
call a liberal Catholic and a political
Catholic like Kennedy that although I am
a believer I’m saying what they were
saying and I am a Catholic that will not
affect my approach to public policy
where I’m going to be the prime minister
of all Canadians aren’t simply Roman
Catholic Canadians he was angry with the
church for talking about about economic
policy in the eighties when they were
very critical of his policies we tended
in some ways to be a little bit
conservative but he he went to church
and after he left office he took part in
retreats and lost his faith it seems
when Michelle died his father often
would I think but then of course he died
a Catholic in a ceremony that was fully
within tradition of the Roman Catholic
Church well thanks very much for your
time thank you very much for having me
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