Against the tide by Steven Friedman

Just about nobody noticed a few days ago when most of our political parties voted to make it easier for a few rich people to fund parties - and to double the amount any one person can give to a party. But allowing people to buy political parties is a bigger threat to democracy here than anything Donald Trump can do.

This is the view of my weekly Against the Tide column sent to subscribers this morning. To subscribe, 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.