"Political defeat in the Riding of York Centre in mid-1952, denied him what he most wanted at that time—a step up from the presidency of CP, a step into Federal rather than provincial spheres of prestige: but it denied him these steps upward at a time when not only had his wife’s death abruptly severed his strongest tie with Canada, but also a registered letter had reached him from Edinburgh. It had come from the Scotsman and it had told him that a majority shareholding in that newspaper might be available if he cared to negotiate. His wish to go to Ottawa denied, checked in the course that he had set for himself, aged fifty-nine and quite alone, Thomson decided to leave Canada and start again in Great Britain." [p. 189.]