Against the Tide by Steven Friedman

The country's two biggest parties and more than a few lobby groups claim they have the 'solution' to the coalition 'problem'. What they really have is a plan for big parties to gang up on smaller ones. They also want to limit the choices which voters and parties can make because they clearly believe that too much democracy is a bad thing. They probably would not make coalitions any easier - but they would deny hundreds of thousands of people a voice.

That is the view of my Against the Tide column sent to subscribers this morning. To read it, visit the Against the Tide website and subscribe. If you can't afford a subscription, contact info@againstthetide.co.za to discuss a reduced or free subscription.

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.