Against the Tide by Steven Friedman

We often hear in this country that democracy can't improve people's lives. A referendum in Ecuador over the weekend showed just how wrong that is. Indigenous people, who are used to being ignored or insulted, worked with allies to win a referendum in which people voted by a large margin to prevent companies drilling for oil in a crucial part of the Amazon. Their victory offers important lessons for how democracy can be used to bring change in this country.    

This is the view of my weekly Against the Tide column sent to subscribers this morning. To read it, please visit the  Against the Tide website and subscribe. To request a reduced or free subscription if you can't afford to pay, contact us at 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.