Everything from prime ministers to Kings

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This article was published 09/01/2024 (1021 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Democracy will be put to the test like never before in 2024.

Elections this year in countries that make up more than half the world’s population, including the United States, the United Kingdom, India, the European Union and potentially, Canada, will put leaders in a more intense glare than ever.

Tom Axworthy, a Winnipegger who has worked behind the scenes for two prime ministers and who has seen how some of the world’s political heavyweights operate, will discuss the importance of leadership today at 2 p.m. to launch this year’s edition of Music ’N’ Mavens, a three-month-long afternoon speakers and concert series presented at the Rady JCC.

“Let’s just start with the 800-pound gorilla in the room and that is elections in the United States,” says Axworthy, who began his career as a speechwriter for former prime minister Lester Pearson and became principal secretary and chief speechwriter for Pierre Trudeau from 1981 to ‘84, and afterward taught politics at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.

The U.S. presidential election is scheduled for Nov. 5 and the potential of Donald Trump winning the White House again threatens the worldwide democratic movement, Axworthy says.

”There’s no question that on things like the rule of law, ethics and values, we’ve got an extreme populist semi-authoritarian running to be president on a platform of revenge,” Axworthy says.

“It’s just an absolutely frightening phenomenon in our world of politics that a man like that with his values system and (who is) oblivious to all the norms and conventions of democracy could be so close to the presidency.”

Axworthy grew up on Mountain Avenue in the North End along with his older brother Lloyd, who would go on to represent Winnipeg South Centre in the House of Commons and hold a number cabinet portfolios in Liberal governments, including foreign affairs minister.

Beyond the leaders Tom Axworthy encountered during his time in government, he has met many others in his present role as the secretary general for the InterAction Council of Former Heads of State, which includes Jean Chrétien, Canada’s former prime minister, as its honorary co-chairman.

During his talk, titled Leaders I Have Known, Axworthy will highlight four of five leaders he’s known personally and the skills they brought to politics, such as the oratory of former U.S. president Ronald Reagan and how Helmut Schmidt, who was Germany’s chancellor from 1974 to ’82, was able to implement policies amid Cold War tensions and coalition governments.

“It’s not quite an exercise in ego-tripping. I’ve tried to put it into a bit of a framework on communication and crisis management,” Axworthy says.

“It’s fair to say with probably the exception of President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy in Ukraine, there aren’t many role models for leadership that excite people in 2024.”

Axworthy’s hour-long session is among nine talks in the Music ’N’ Mavens series that will discuss climate change, social disorder, homelessness, Winnipeg’s architecture, the COVID-19 pandemic and non-fiction writing, the last with city author Allan Levine on Jan. 16.

Interspersed with these lectures will be 12 concert performances that kick off Thursday when Winnipeg vocalist Mal Magorel and her band perform Tapestry, Carole King’s landmark 1971 album.

The earth truly does move, to quote Tapestry’s opening song, when Magorel hears King’s music.

”When you’re first listening to the record they don’t sound like they would be too difficult and vocally they’re not overly challenging,” she says. “Instrumentally, they’re quite complex, so it’s been really interesting to break them down and work with my musicians to bring them to life.”

Magorel has performed for Music ’N’ Mavens four times previously, including a tribute to singer Bette Midler in 2018 that was revived for the 2019 Tarbut Festival of Jewish Culture.

She also performed some of King’s songs in the 2020 edition that had to be livestreamed because of the pandemic.

Thursday’s performance, which will include King’s most famous tunes, such as It’s Too Late, You’ve Got a Friend and Natural Woman, is a timely one. Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, opens at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre the same day and runs to Feb. 3.

Other Music ’N’ Mavens’ performers include Gabi Epstein (Jan. 18), who will be in Gabs Sings Babs at the Winnipeg Jewish Theatre Jan. 20-21; clarinettists Myron Schultz and Naoum Gomon (Jan. 23); Erin Propp performing the Paul McCartney and Wings’ album Band on the Run (Feb. 22); Argentine singer and guitarist Onna Lou (March 6); and the Dirty Catfish Brass Band (March 28).

Alan.Small@winnipegfreepress.com

X: @AlanDSmall