Against the Tide by Steven Friedman

An important reason why democracy is in trouble in many countries is that poor and working people have been denied the fruits of economic growth for decades. There is an important lesson for this country. If the coalition government focuses on growth but not on improving the lives of people who are losing out, anti-democratic forces will grow here too.

This is the argument of my weekly Against the Tide  column sent out to subscribers this morning. To subscribe, please visit the Against the Tide  website. To discuss a free or reduced subscription, contact info@againstthetide.co.za.

Steven Friedman is a public commentator and an academic, currently employed as a Research Professor at the University of Johannesburg. He has been writing on South African politics for the entire democratic period both as a scholar and public commentator. He has published books on South Africa’s transition to democracy, the role of the trade union movement, and current South African politics. He has also written columns and articles for several South African newspapers. His writing seeks to use academic research to shed light on current politics but to ensure that this is conveyed in a way easily understood by people who have no academic training.