[4] Jamieson resigned as Liberal Party leader after the election, and Stirling won a landslide victory over Leslie Thoms to become his successor in late 1980.
[8] The Liberal campaign focused on employment issues and argued that Peckford's aggressive stance on resources was undermining Newfoundland's negotiating position.
[9] Stirling said that he could negotiate a better resource deal with the federal government via a more conciliatory tone and proposed a federal-provincial fund that would allow Newfoundland to purchase failing fishery plants.
[12] An essay on the Newfoundland Liberal Party published in 1992 described Stirling as having a "pleasant, conciliatory personality," but lacking in profile and without "zeal for political power.
[15] Source: John Laschinger and Geoffrey Stevens, Leaders & Lesser Mortals: Backroom Politics in Canada, Toronto: Key Porter Books Limited, 1992, p. 258.