John Efford . . . roared down from ?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Ottawa to St. John’s and issued his famous ultimatum to Danny Williams on Paul Martin’s latest offer on the Accord: “Take it or leave it.” Danny’s comeback? “Let me answer Mr. Efford loud and clear. We will leave it, thank you very much.” And the war with Ottawa rocketed upwards.?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

In 2004, Danny Williams, premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, hired veteran politico and popular radio talk-show host Bill Rowe to represent his province’s interests in Ottawa. This memoir covers the eight months Rowe served with Premier Williams during what became widely known as the Atlantic Accord Crisis and a bitter, long-lasting feud between Williams and the top brass on Parliament Hill. Combining high drama and hard-hitting analysis of the ruthless game of federal politics with hilarious commentary on the very human side of those involved, Danny Williams: The War With Ottawa is the story of a defining time for Williams and his political career . . . and the story of a premier every Canadian came to love or hate.

Bill Rowe is a broadcaster, lawyer and former politician in Newfoundland and Labrador. A Rhodes Scholar, he earned a Master of Arts in Law from the University of Oxford. Other books to his credit include Clapp’s Rock, The Temptation of Victor Galanti, and Is That You, Bill?

Born in Newfoundland, Bill Rowe graduated in English from Memorial University and attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, obtaining an Honours M.A. in law.Elected five times to the House of Assembly, Rowe served as a minister in the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and as leader of the Official Opposition. He practised law in St. John’s for many years and has been a long-time public affairs commentator, appearing regularly on national and local television, as well as hosting a daily radio call-in show on VOCM and writing weekly newspaper columns.Rowe has written nine books: Clapp’s Rock, a bestselling novel published by McClelland & Stewart and serialized on CBC national radio; The Temptation of Victor Galanti, a second novel published by McClelland & Stewart; a volume of essays on politics and public affairs published by Jesperson Press of St. John’s; the critically acclaimed political memoir Danny Williams: The War With Ottawa, which appeared on the Globe and Mail’s bestsellers list in 2010; Danny Williams, Please Come Back, a collection of newspaper articles covering social, political, and economic issues; Rosie O’Dell, a critically acclaimed crime novel published by Pennywell Books, a literary imprint of Flanker Press; The Premiers Joey and Frank, which was a Globe and Mail bestseller in 2013, and which the Hill Times selected as one of the Best 100 Books in Politics, Public Policy, and History in 2013; The Monster of Twenty Mile Pond, the much-loved novel of a legendary monster who engulfed the lives of two teenaged girls; and now The True Confessions of a Badly Misunderstood Dog, a fictionalized account of the frantic years when a Labrador retriever and two cats lived with the author’s family.Rowe is a member of the Writers’ Union of Canada and has served on the executive of the Writers’ Alliance of Newfoundland and Labrador. He is married to Penelope Ayre Rowe CM of St. John’s. They have a son, Dorian, a daughter, Toby, and three grandchildren, Rowan, Elizabeth, and Phoebe.

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