Against the Tide by Steven Friedman

If pundits and politicians are to be believed, tonight's State of the Nation address is pointless because the President who is spelling out his plans will not be able to implement them because he won't be in office soon. Despite all this hype, the ANC is almost certain to be in government after this year's election.  But that does not mean the country is not changing - opportunities for the people to make themselves heard by politicians have never been greater.    

This is the view of my Against the Tide  column which was sent to subscribers this morning. To subscribe, visit the Against the Tide  website. To request 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.